Teenage Pregnancy Final Research Journal Summary
Approximately one in twenty births in Australia is to a mother between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years old (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007, in Education Queensland, 2009). Giving birth while still of school age can severely affect a young parent’s education and her future prospects, as well as those of her offspring. The link between parental educational attainment and that of offspring has been established (Krause et al., 2003, p. 283); therefore it is imperative that educators create the best opportunities possible for pregnant and parenting teens to continue their education for as long as possible, to improve not only their students’ post-school outcomes, but those of their children. This essay will explore the additional needs of pregnant and parenting students and ways in which educational bodies can provide inclusive education for pregnant and parenting students.
In a study of the factors that contribute to a teen’s decision whether to terminate or continue her pregnancy, Ann Evans identified a strong link between a student’s level of academic achievement and her decision regarding her pregnancy. Students who habitually achieved higher grades were more likely to choose to terminate their pregnancy, whilst poorly achieving students were more likely to carry their baby to term (Evans, 2004, p. 32). Their decisions were influenced by other factors of course, including religion, living arrangements, socio-economic status, cultural and linguistic background, their age at conception and their aspirations for the future. However, there can be no doubt that a student’s attachment to their education has an important role to play in her decision. Therefore, the better educators can maintain a student’s engagement in her education, the less likely she is to leave school due to parenthood. Of course, her many challenges post-birth will make her ongoing education ever more difficult; so educators must mitigate these challenges to the best of their abilities in order to ensure her ongoing education.
Pregnant teenagers face dramatic disturbances to their education from a variety of factors, including absenteeism, physical symptoms of pregnancy such as morning sickness and fatigue, absence surrounding the birth of the child, and emotional stresses including fear, stress and family conflict. Young parents face even more challenges after birth: ongoing fatigue, logistical problems such as transport and childcare, changed living arrangements, distraction, stress, social isolation, vastly altered priorities, changed life aspirations, and much more. Our task as educators is to mitigate the educational impact of these challenges to the best of our ability, by providing flexible and inclusive education options. Some educators have made great headway into inclusive education for pregnant and parenting teens, including a number of Australian schools and educational bodies which can serve as role models for the wider educational community.
CCCares is an excellent example of an educational institution that has gone the extra mile to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for pregnant and parenting students. The college provides a “best practice model for pregnant and parenting students to access education … Year 12 Certification; goal oriented learning packages, on-line learning and employability skills.” (CCCares @ Canberra College, 2010) Its facilities include play and sleep rooms, change rooms, a medical suite, outside play areas and two minibuses to provide transport to and from school for the students and their children. Its programs include an “Adopt a Grandparent” scheme, a breakfast, morning tea and lunch program, childcare support, vocational course options, a dual control vehicle for driving lessons, and much more. The college exemplifies what can be provided to pregnant and parenting teams with a sufficient level of commitment and funding, as well as collaboration with community services and government agencies. With over eighty pregnant or parenting students, the college caters to a niche in the Australian Capital Territory educational system. Many of its programs and facilities would not be possible in an everyday school environment due to logistical challenges, lack of funding, and insufficient pregnant and parenting student numbers. However, many of the considerations the school makes for its parenting students are applicable in traditional school environments, for example, its e-learning options, collaboration with institutions such as TAFE to provide vocational courses to students; and the students’ ability to stretch their two-year college education over three years to lighten the load. Flexible learning options are probably the most easily applicable in any other educational environment, especially in the twenty-first century with our capabilities for e-learning.
Opportunities for inclusion and accommodation of pregnant and parenting students exist in every school, albeit more often in the form of positive and inclusive attitudes and flexibility than in physical amenities. Whereas a mainstream school can probably not supply an on-campus childcare facility, it can negotiate with pregnant and parenting students to create Individual Learning Plans, extend due dates on assessments, allow students to undertake less than a full-time study load and extend their schooling life, excuse higher levels of absenteeism and send schoolwork home, and so on. It can adopt a holistic approach to education, considering the benefits to the parenting teen of alternatives to traditional education such as vocational courses, or studies that are directly related to their parenting role, including First Aid courses or the Certificate III Community Services (Childcare) (Harrison, Shacklock, Kamp & Angwin, 2004, p. 11).
Pregnant and parenting teens come to school with a complex and ever-changing set of additional needs. Some of their needs are within the scope of the educational institution to provide, whereas some are logistically not possible. However, using tools such as Individual Learning Plans, a positive attitude to flexibility and inclusion, a “can-do” problem-solving approach, e-learning tools and collaboration with the wider community and government services, educators have many options for improving the educational outcomes of pregnant and parenting teens.
Source List
The Canberra College (2010), CCCares @ Canberra College, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/curriculum/cccares
Clayden, Peter. Using the power of partnership to address important educational and social welfare needs, Canberra College, 2009, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0019/122239/CCCares_Schools_First_conference_article_2010.doc
Flood, M., Greenspan, S., & Mundorf, N. (1985) School-Based Services for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents. Special Services in the Schools, 2(1), 27-44. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J008v02n01_03
Evans, Ann. Education and the resolution of teenage pregnancy in Australia [Paper in: Symposium on Women's Health, Hunt, Lynne and McNamarra, B (eds).] [online]. Health Sociology Review, 13(1), Sept 2004, pp. 27-42.
Harrison, L., Shacklock, G., Kamp, A., & Angwin, J. (2004) Taking your baby to school: The Young Parents Access Project at Corio Bay Senior College. Redress, May 2004, pp. 10-13.
Harrison, L., Angwin, J. & Shacklock, G. (2002) "Having a Baby and Being in School: Researching Pregnant and Parenting Young People and their Educational Transitions". Deakin University.
Krause, K., Bochner, S., & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. Southbank: Thomson.
Queensland Pregnant & Parenting Students Project, Redress, May 2004, pp. 7-9.
Viadero, D. Study Finds Teen Pregnancies On The Rise. Education Week 2010, 29(20), 4. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48135020&site=ehost-live
Teenage pregnancy rate rises for the first time in ten years. (2009) Education 2009 (345), 1. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=36919545&site=ehost-live
The State of Queensland (Department of Education and Training) (2006). Pregnant and Parenting Students. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/inclusive/gender/pregnant.html
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
RINE Final Summary: ADHD
AD/HD Final Research Journal Summary
The name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or AD/HD, refers to a family of disorders which interfere with a person’s capacity to regulate their physical activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit their behaviour (impulsivity), and properly focus on tasks (inattention) (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4). The disorder has attracted controversy and has had its legitimacy questioned by some, who would reinterpret the problem behaviours exhibited by children with AD/HD as being simply energetic, lazy, naughty, and so on (Rief, 2005, p. 4). In spite of its detractors, the disorder has been identified as one of the most common additional needs in school-aged children, affecting between 2.3% and 6% of students (Krause, Bochner & Duchesne, 2003, p. 256). With such a high incidence rate, teachers can expect to teach approximately one student with AD/HD in every class. Therefore it is imperative that teachers are equipped to appropriately respond to this additional need.
Craig Wright offers several practical suggestions for accommodating students with AD/HD in an inclusive classroom environment. Students with AD/HD often experience deficient working memory and difficulty internalizing rules and expectations, so Wright recommends regular external reminders of school and classroom rules, such as with posters or other visual aids (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Wright also explains that working memory deficiency affects an individual’s perception of time, and as a result students with AD/HD often exhibit less goal-oriented behaviour. For educators, this may require a reevaluation of systems of long-term goals such as delayed rewards or large, ongoing assessment projects (Wright, 2006, p. 4). By breaking down tasks into smaller, more readily achievable components, we can scaffold a student with AD/HD’s eventual completion of the task. Similarly, when implementing behaviouralist rewards for behaviour, teachers should aim to minimize the time delay between the behaviour and the reinforcer (Wright, 2006, p. 4).
AD/HD can have a particularly detrimental effect on academic achievement when it impacts on a student’s literacy levels. Owing to their deficiency in working memory, many students with AD/HD experience difficulty reading, and comment that by the time they have read to the bottom of a page, they have forgotten what they had read at the top (Wright, 2006, p. 7). Wright recommends that students with AD/HD be explicitly taught “active reading” skills including strategies for note-taking, highlighting texts, making notes in margins and writing short summaries as they read (Wright, 2006, p. 7). Strategies such as these are useful study tools for all students, as are the above recommendations for posting class rules, breaking down tasks into smaller components, and establishing a strong link between behaviour and reinforcer when using positive and negative reinforcement for behaviour management (Wright, 2006, p. 4, and Krause et al., 2003. pp. 110-124).
Many of the above strategies for accommodating students with AD/HD in an inclusive learning environment fall under the framework of Universal Design for Learning (CAST). Scaffolding tasks by breaking them down into more management components, reinforcing rules and expectations, providing external motivation, encouraging “active reading”; these are all strategies that will benefit every student in any given class. Above all, ensuring lessons and tasks are interesting and engaging, thereby heightening a student with AD/HD’s state of arousal and hence their attention, is a goal teachers should be aspiring to wherever possible, and one which will benefit all students and provide a better quality educational experience (NSW DET, 2003, in McLeod & Reynolds, 2007, p. 47).
Much of the literature surrounding AD/HD focuses on the early childhood and primary school years, with hopes that early intervention can minimize the disorder’s disruption in later life. However, as Noël Gregg asserts, the disorder is an enduring, life-long condition and requires ongoing efforts to accommodate it in secondary and tertiary settings. As a secondary school teacher, this is the domain in which I personally will encounter students with AD/HD. Gregg is particularly interested in the systemic discrimination in assessments for students with AD/HD; that is, how the formative and summative assessments that are commonly administered in secondary and tertiary education marginalize students with AD/HD.
Gregg has identified a number of areas in which students with AD/HD and related learning disorders are disadvantaged by secondary and tertiary education assessment structures. As the majority of high-stakes, standardized assessment in both America and Australia, such as college entrance exams, the HSC and NAPLAN are administered in an exam environment, they do not successfully accommodate students with AD/HD. These students’ reduced ability to focus on tedious tasks, as well as their lower inhibition, puts them at risk of underperforming in exam situations. However, reasonably simple accommodations could go a long way to inclusively assessing these students. They could be allowed regular breaks from exam conditions, or be able to sit the exams over multiple sessions; they could undertake exams in a less distracting environment or in an environment in which they are less likely to distract their neighbours. Other options are available for students with related and often co-morbid learning disabilities such as dyslexia, including providing a human or screen reader (Gregg, 2009, p. 232)
People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder experience working memory deficiency, diminished inhibition and self control, and difficulty attending to tasks which do not provide adequate arousal. They have difficulty internalizing expectations, maintaining intrinsic motivation for tasks, and controlling impulsive behaviour. Students with AD/HD, and several other learning disabilities, benefit from a range of strategies for inclusion which fall within the Universal Design for Learning framework, meaning that teachers can accommodate their needs with methods that will benefit their entire class (CAST). Recasting medical descriptions of the disorder into considerations of its day-to-day impact, for example recognizing the impact of deficient working memory on activities such as reading and completing ongoing tasks, internalizing rules and expectations, and motivating goal-oriented behaviour, allows teachers to implement practical strategies to better include their students with AD/HD. These strategies include more structured scaffolding of tasks, breaking down projects into attainable chunks, reinforcing desirable behaviour, regular reminders of expectations, and explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies such as active reading. More research and consideration of inclusive assessment practices, especially in the secondary and tertiary fields, is required to improve inclusive education and, by extension, improve later life outcomes for adults with AD/HD.
Source List
Centre for Applied Special Technology (n.d.). What is Universal Design for Learning? Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html
Cherkes-Julkowski, M., Sharp, S., & Stolzenberg, J. (1997) Rethinking attention deficit disorders. Cambridge: Brookline Books.
Gregg, N. (2009) Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: Assessment and Accommodation. New York: The Guilford Press.
Krause, K., Bochner, S., & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. Southbank: Thomson.
McLeod, J., & Reynolds, R. (2007) Quality Teaching for Quality Learning: Planning through Reflection. South Melbourne: Thomson Social Science Press.
Rief, S. (2005) How to reach and teach children with ADD/ADHD: practical techniques, strategies, and interventions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wright, C. (2006) "Practically Speaking: ADHD In The Classroom", Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8.
The name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or AD/HD, refers to a family of disorders which interfere with a person’s capacity to regulate their physical activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit their behaviour (impulsivity), and properly focus on tasks (inattention) (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4). The disorder has attracted controversy and has had its legitimacy questioned by some, who would reinterpret the problem behaviours exhibited by children with AD/HD as being simply energetic, lazy, naughty, and so on (Rief, 2005, p. 4). In spite of its detractors, the disorder has been identified as one of the most common additional needs in school-aged children, affecting between 2.3% and 6% of students (Krause, Bochner & Duchesne, 2003, p. 256). With such a high incidence rate, teachers can expect to teach approximately one student with AD/HD in every class. Therefore it is imperative that teachers are equipped to appropriately respond to this additional need.
Craig Wright offers several practical suggestions for accommodating students with AD/HD in an inclusive classroom environment. Students with AD/HD often experience deficient working memory and difficulty internalizing rules and expectations, so Wright recommends regular external reminders of school and classroom rules, such as with posters or other visual aids (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Wright also explains that working memory deficiency affects an individual’s perception of time, and as a result students with AD/HD often exhibit less goal-oriented behaviour. For educators, this may require a reevaluation of systems of long-term goals such as delayed rewards or large, ongoing assessment projects (Wright, 2006, p. 4). By breaking down tasks into smaller, more readily achievable components, we can scaffold a student with AD/HD’s eventual completion of the task. Similarly, when implementing behaviouralist rewards for behaviour, teachers should aim to minimize the time delay between the behaviour and the reinforcer (Wright, 2006, p. 4).
AD/HD can have a particularly detrimental effect on academic achievement when it impacts on a student’s literacy levels. Owing to their deficiency in working memory, many students with AD/HD experience difficulty reading, and comment that by the time they have read to the bottom of a page, they have forgotten what they had read at the top (Wright, 2006, p. 7). Wright recommends that students with AD/HD be explicitly taught “active reading” skills including strategies for note-taking, highlighting texts, making notes in margins and writing short summaries as they read (Wright, 2006, p. 7). Strategies such as these are useful study tools for all students, as are the above recommendations for posting class rules, breaking down tasks into smaller components, and establishing a strong link between behaviour and reinforcer when using positive and negative reinforcement for behaviour management (Wright, 2006, p. 4, and Krause et al., 2003. pp. 110-124).
Many of the above strategies for accommodating students with AD/HD in an inclusive learning environment fall under the framework of Universal Design for Learning (CAST). Scaffolding tasks by breaking them down into more management components, reinforcing rules and expectations, providing external motivation, encouraging “active reading”; these are all strategies that will benefit every student in any given class. Above all, ensuring lessons and tasks are interesting and engaging, thereby heightening a student with AD/HD’s state of arousal and hence their attention, is a goal teachers should be aspiring to wherever possible, and one which will benefit all students and provide a better quality educational experience (NSW DET, 2003, in McLeod & Reynolds, 2007, p. 47).
Much of the literature surrounding AD/HD focuses on the early childhood and primary school years, with hopes that early intervention can minimize the disorder’s disruption in later life. However, as Noël Gregg asserts, the disorder is an enduring, life-long condition and requires ongoing efforts to accommodate it in secondary and tertiary settings. As a secondary school teacher, this is the domain in which I personally will encounter students with AD/HD. Gregg is particularly interested in the systemic discrimination in assessments for students with AD/HD; that is, how the formative and summative assessments that are commonly administered in secondary and tertiary education marginalize students with AD/HD.
Gregg has identified a number of areas in which students with AD/HD and related learning disorders are disadvantaged by secondary and tertiary education assessment structures. As the majority of high-stakes, standardized assessment in both America and Australia, such as college entrance exams, the HSC and NAPLAN are administered in an exam environment, they do not successfully accommodate students with AD/HD. These students’ reduced ability to focus on tedious tasks, as well as their lower inhibition, puts them at risk of underperforming in exam situations. However, reasonably simple accommodations could go a long way to inclusively assessing these students. They could be allowed regular breaks from exam conditions, or be able to sit the exams over multiple sessions; they could undertake exams in a less distracting environment or in an environment in which they are less likely to distract their neighbours. Other options are available for students with related and often co-morbid learning disabilities such as dyslexia, including providing a human or screen reader (Gregg, 2009, p. 232)
People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder experience working memory deficiency, diminished inhibition and self control, and difficulty attending to tasks which do not provide adequate arousal. They have difficulty internalizing expectations, maintaining intrinsic motivation for tasks, and controlling impulsive behaviour. Students with AD/HD, and several other learning disabilities, benefit from a range of strategies for inclusion which fall within the Universal Design for Learning framework, meaning that teachers can accommodate their needs with methods that will benefit their entire class (CAST). Recasting medical descriptions of the disorder into considerations of its day-to-day impact, for example recognizing the impact of deficient working memory on activities such as reading and completing ongoing tasks, internalizing rules and expectations, and motivating goal-oriented behaviour, allows teachers to implement practical strategies to better include their students with AD/HD. These strategies include more structured scaffolding of tasks, breaking down projects into attainable chunks, reinforcing desirable behaviour, regular reminders of expectations, and explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies such as active reading. More research and consideration of inclusive assessment practices, especially in the secondary and tertiary fields, is required to improve inclusive education and, by extension, improve later life outcomes for adults with AD/HD.
Source List
Centre for Applied Special Technology (n.d.). What is Universal Design for Learning? Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html
Cherkes-Julkowski, M., Sharp, S., & Stolzenberg, J. (1997) Rethinking attention deficit disorders. Cambridge: Brookline Books.
Gregg, N. (2009) Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: Assessment and Accommodation. New York: The Guilford Press.
Krause, K., Bochner, S., & Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. Southbank: Thomson.
McLeod, J., & Reynolds, R. (2007) Quality Teaching for Quality Learning: Planning through Reflection. South Melbourne: Thomson Social Science Press.
Rief, S. (2005) How to reach and teach children with ADD/ADHD: practical techniques, strategies, and interventions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wright, C. (2006) "Practically Speaking: ADHD In The Classroom", Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
RINE Research Journal 8: Teen Pregnancy
This article explores the relationship between various factors and the decision by a pregnant teenager to either abort or carry her baby to term. Interestingly, the article reports a correlation between a student's achievement levels and the student's decision-making. Those with higher achievement in school were more likely to abort, while students with low achievement were more likely to keep their baby (Evans, 2004, p. 32).
The survey revealed a number of associations between factors such as living arrangements, socio-economic status, cultural and linguistic background, religious beliefs, school achievement, age of the student at the time of the pregnancy, as well as geographical placement and aspirations, and the decision to terminate or continue the pregnancy.
For teachers, the most important factor, I feel, is the student's attachment to their schooling. Those with higher achievement levels, or higher aspirations for the future such as the hopes of completing Year 12 or entering tertiary studies, were more likely to terminate their pregnancy than students who were ambivalent towards their studies (Evans, 2004, pp. 32-36).
Source:
Evans, Ann. Education and the resolution of teenage pregnancy in Australia [Paper in: Symposium on Women's Health, Hunt, Lynne and McNamarra, Beverly (eds).] [online]. Health Sociology Review, v.13, no.1, Sept 2004: 27-42.
The survey revealed a number of associations between factors such as living arrangements, socio-economic status, cultural and linguistic background, religious beliefs, school achievement, age of the student at the time of the pregnancy, as well as geographical placement and aspirations, and the decision to terminate or continue the pregnancy.
For teachers, the most important factor, I feel, is the student's attachment to their schooling. Those with higher achievement levels, or higher aspirations for the future such as the hopes of completing Year 12 or entering tertiary studies, were more likely to terminate their pregnancy than students who were ambivalent towards their studies (Evans, 2004, pp. 32-36).
Source:
Evans, Ann. Education and the resolution of teenage pregnancy in Australia [Paper in: Symposium on Women's Health, Hunt, Lynne and McNamarra, Beverly (eds).] [online]. Health Sociology Review, v.13, no.1, Sept 2004: 27-42.
Friday, July 23, 2010
RINE Research Journal 7: AD/HD
Noël Gregg's "Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: Assessment and Accommodation" attempts to redress the imbalance in the literature surrounding learning disabilities and ADHD. As Gregg asserts, the majority of studies and associated literature on ADHD focuses on early childhood and the primary years, in the hopes that early intervention can correct the impact of the disorder on later life. However Gregg believes that the disorder is a lifelong condition that requires accommodation in secondary, tertiary and adult education as well, and her book focuses on these later years.
As Gregg's book also deals with learning disabilities, students with ADHD are not the primary focus, however as with many "Universal Design for Learning" principles many of her ideas apply to both categories.
One area in which Gregg asserts students with ADHD are being marginalised is in standard, high-stakes assessment such as college entrance exams, NAPLAN and the like. Much standardised testing both in America and Australia is still largely based on written work, so they do not accommodate students with ADHD well, nor do they reflect their whole ability (Gregg, 2009, p. 128). Multiple intelligences are poorly catered for in written exam situations, and the requirement for sustained focus in a stressful, silent exam environment is particularly difficult for students with ADHD. This is one area in which accommodations are yet to be made, although relatively simple changes to procedure such as allowing breaks in exam settings, would no doubt assist students with inattention problems.
Source:
Gregg, N. (2009) Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: Assessment and Accommodation. New York: The Guilford Press.
As Gregg's book also deals with learning disabilities, students with ADHD are not the primary focus, however as with many "Universal Design for Learning" principles many of her ideas apply to both categories.
One area in which Gregg asserts students with ADHD are being marginalised is in standard, high-stakes assessment such as college entrance exams, NAPLAN and the like. Much standardised testing both in America and Australia is still largely based on written work, so they do not accommodate students with ADHD well, nor do they reflect their whole ability (Gregg, 2009, p. 128). Multiple intelligences are poorly catered for in written exam situations, and the requirement for sustained focus in a stressful, silent exam environment is particularly difficult for students with ADHD. This is one area in which accommodations are yet to be made, although relatively simple changes to procedure such as allowing breaks in exam settings, would no doubt assist students with inattention problems.
Source:
Gregg, N. (2009) Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD: Assessment and Accommodation. New York: The Guilford Press.
RINE Research Journal 6: AD/HD
As my research steers away from the identification and classification of AD/HD towards real-world responses to it, I have been drawn to Craig Wright's short but helpful article "Practically Speaking: ADHD In The Classroom". Wright describes a number of traits common to children with AD/HD and links them to practical strategies and techniques that teachers can employ to assuage their impact on the student's learning.
I have been struck by the prevalence of Universal Design for Learning in many of the recommendations made for accommodating students with special needs, and this is especially the case for students with AD/HD. As Wright explains, issues such as working memory deficiency and a lack of internal motivation can be minimised with carefully scaffolded learning experiences. For example, since their lack of working memory affects a child with AD/HD's perception of time, they are less likely to show goal-oriented behaviour, especially when it comes to long term goals (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Teachers can adapt activities to a child with AD/HD simply by breaking tasks down into smaller, shorter term goals, which for the child with AD/HD are more easily attainable. This approach to scaffolding large tasks is undoubtably beneficial for all students who struggle with procrastination and the daunting task of a large school assignment.
Similarly, Wright identifies the student with AD/HD's lower ability to internalise rules (both classroom and school rules, as well as unwritten social rules and teacher/parent expectations). Frequent reminders, for example in the form of class rules posted on a wall or represented visually, will help to reinforce expectations (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Again, this concept will benefit all students in the class.
Wright also points out that students with AD/HD, owing to their working memory deficiency, sometimes have difficulty recalling information from their short term memory, particularly as they read texts. Some students comment that by the time they get to the bottom of a page, they have forgotten what was at the top. Wright recommends that "students with ADHD ... should be taught to become active readers ... [using] strategies such as highlighting ... underlining, writing notes ... and making ongoing summaries." (Wright, 2006, p. 7) This recommendation is clearly applicable to all secondary students and is an obvious example of Universal Design for Learning. Active reading is the key to getting the most out of any source during assignment research, yet it is a strategy that is allowed to develop on its own in many cases. By explicitly teaching this reading strategy to all students, teachers can scaffold students with AD/HD's literacy development at the same time as extending other student's research skills.
Source:
Wright, C. (2006) "Practically Speaking: ADHD In The Classroom", Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8.
I have been struck by the prevalence of Universal Design for Learning in many of the recommendations made for accommodating students with special needs, and this is especially the case for students with AD/HD. As Wright explains, issues such as working memory deficiency and a lack of internal motivation can be minimised with carefully scaffolded learning experiences. For example, since their lack of working memory affects a child with AD/HD's perception of time, they are less likely to show goal-oriented behaviour, especially when it comes to long term goals (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Teachers can adapt activities to a child with AD/HD simply by breaking tasks down into smaller, shorter term goals, which for the child with AD/HD are more easily attainable. This approach to scaffolding large tasks is undoubtably beneficial for all students who struggle with procrastination and the daunting task of a large school assignment.
Similarly, Wright identifies the student with AD/HD's lower ability to internalise rules (both classroom and school rules, as well as unwritten social rules and teacher/parent expectations). Frequent reminders, for example in the form of class rules posted on a wall or represented visually, will help to reinforce expectations (Wright, 2006, p. 4). Again, this concept will benefit all students in the class.
Wright also points out that students with AD/HD, owing to their working memory deficiency, sometimes have difficulty recalling information from their short term memory, particularly as they read texts. Some students comment that by the time they get to the bottom of a page, they have forgotten what was at the top. Wright recommends that "students with ADHD ... should be taught to become active readers ... [using] strategies such as highlighting ... underlining, writing notes ... and making ongoing summaries." (Wright, 2006, p. 7) This recommendation is clearly applicable to all secondary students and is an obvious example of Universal Design for Learning. Active reading is the key to getting the most out of any source during assignment research, yet it is a strategy that is allowed to develop on its own in many cases. By explicitly teaching this reading strategy to all students, teachers can scaffold students with AD/HD's literacy development at the same time as extending other student's research skills.
Source:
Wright, C. (2006) "Practically Speaking: ADHD In The Classroom", Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
RINE Research Journal 5: Teen Pregnancy
Harrison, L., Angwin, J. & Shacklock, G. (2002) "Having a Baby and Being in School: Researching Pregnant and Parenting Young People and their Educational Transitions". Deakin University.
This paper introduced a study in progress on pregnant and parenting teens and education, and focused on the cultural assumptions made by the researchers in interviewing a sixteen year old mother named Jemma. The paper's researchers seem preoccupied to identify and disclose their own cultural baggage in order to get closer to some intangible, postmodern "Truth" about Jemma's story, but do touch on some issues that I hope to learn more about. Geoff Shacklock identifies what he calls three different storylines or narratives in Jemma's story: that of being a teenage parent, of being a student, and of finding an identity.
It is interesting to consider the 'storylines' in a teen parent's life through this lens, seeing three intertwining narratives that connect and affect one another. Jemma's struggle to come to terms with her pregnancy and her family's adjustments to accommodate her new baby and her live-in boyfriend become one narrative. Alongside this, Jemma's continuing engagement at school is becoming more and more interrupted, despite her evident desire to be just like everyone else. Finally her more complex narrative, that of finding an identity as "a mum, a student, a daughter, a partner, not to mention ... a 16 year old" highlights the intrinsic contradictions in her life. As Shacklock illustrates, these identities clash at times: "how can you be a good student if you miss class ... because you are tired from being up all night being a good mum to your sick child?" (Harrison et al., 2002).
Harrison et al's paper strays to far into self-reflection and postmodern pondering for my purposes, but it has given me a few other sources to follow up which may be of better use.
This paper introduced a study in progress on pregnant and parenting teens and education, and focused on the cultural assumptions made by the researchers in interviewing a sixteen year old mother named Jemma. The paper's researchers seem preoccupied to identify and disclose their own cultural baggage in order to get closer to some intangible, postmodern "Truth" about Jemma's story, but do touch on some issues that I hope to learn more about. Geoff Shacklock identifies what he calls three different storylines or narratives in Jemma's story: that of being a teenage parent, of being a student, and of finding an identity.
It is interesting to consider the 'storylines' in a teen parent's life through this lens, seeing three intertwining narratives that connect and affect one another. Jemma's struggle to come to terms with her pregnancy and her family's adjustments to accommodate her new baby and her live-in boyfriend become one narrative. Alongside this, Jemma's continuing engagement at school is becoming more and more interrupted, despite her evident desire to be just like everyone else. Finally her more complex narrative, that of finding an identity as "a mum, a student, a daughter, a partner, not to mention ... a 16 year old" highlights the intrinsic contradictions in her life. As Shacklock illustrates, these identities clash at times: "how can you be a good student if you miss class ... because you are tired from being up all night being a good mum to your sick child?" (Harrison et al., 2002).
Harrison et al's paper strays to far into self-reflection and postmodern pondering for my purposes, but it has given me a few other sources to follow up which may be of better use.
RINE Research Journal 4: Teen Pregnancy
The Queensland Government has a state-wide Pregnant and Parenting Student programme designed to assist schools in providing equitable education to pregnant and parenting teens. Their website, http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=13245, includes some interesting statistics on the incidence of teen pregnancies in Australia.
Click image to enlarge
As is, unfortunately, so often the case, a cursory glance at the Northern Territory's figures is jaw-dropping. Whereas births to teenage mothers accounts for approximately 4% of all births, births to Indigenous teenage mothers account for a staggering 20% of all Indigenous births. The gap is heartbreaking.
The site quoted, as a Queensland authority, focuses on Queensland initiatives for pregnant and parenting students. However these initiatives, like those of the CCCares program in Canberra, provide an excellent benchmark and guide by which to orientate our inclusive programs for educating pregnant and parenting students.
The Learning Place outlines the pathways available to pregnant and parenting teens, which include continuing their schooling in a mainstream institution, studying by Distance Education, continuing at an alternative education centre which caters to their needs with on-campus support including child care, or enrolling in tertiary education.
The site underlines the importance of partnerships and flexibility in catering for pregnant and parenting teens. Partnerships may involve health care providers, counselling services, local charitable organisations, transport providers, vocational training institutions and many more members of the wider community. These partnerships allow the school more options in terms of the logistics of catering to a pregnant or parenting teen on a restricted funding budget.
An excellent example of using partnership and thinking outside the square, is the case of Geelong school Corio Bay Senior College (CBSC). Located in a disadvantaged area with a growing population of young parents, CBSC established an on-campus creche to care for the children of their students by creating a partnership with the local TAFE, who agreed to use the school campus as the site for its Certificate III Community Services (Childcare) course. Initiatives such as this illustrate the importance of flexibility, not just in curriculum delivery but in organisational planning, and shows what can be achieved when schools look beyond their own resources to the wider community for help.
Click image to enlarge
As is, unfortunately, so often the case, a cursory glance at the Northern Territory's figures is jaw-dropping. Whereas births to teenage mothers accounts for approximately 4% of all births, births to Indigenous teenage mothers account for a staggering 20% of all Indigenous births. The gap is heartbreaking.
The site quoted, as a Queensland authority, focuses on Queensland initiatives for pregnant and parenting students. However these initiatives, like those of the CCCares program in Canberra, provide an excellent benchmark and guide by which to orientate our inclusive programs for educating pregnant and parenting students.
The Learning Place outlines the pathways available to pregnant and parenting teens, which include continuing their schooling in a mainstream institution, studying by Distance Education, continuing at an alternative education centre which caters to their needs with on-campus support including child care, or enrolling in tertiary education.
The site underlines the importance of partnerships and flexibility in catering for pregnant and parenting teens. Partnerships may involve health care providers, counselling services, local charitable organisations, transport providers, vocational training institutions and many more members of the wider community. These partnerships allow the school more options in terms of the logistics of catering to a pregnant or parenting teen on a restricted funding budget.
An excellent example of using partnership and thinking outside the square, is the case of Geelong school Corio Bay Senior College (CBSC). Located in a disadvantaged area with a growing population of young parents, CBSC established an on-campus creche to care for the children of their students by creating a partnership with the local TAFE, who agreed to use the school campus as the site for its Certificate III Community Services (Childcare) course. Initiatives such as this illustrate the importance of flexibility, not just in curriculum delivery but in organisational planning, and shows what can be achieved when schools look beyond their own resources to the wider community for help.
Friday, July 16, 2010
RINE Interim Summary: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or AD/HD, is a commonly misunderstood and controversial disorder that affects approximately three to seven percent of school aged children. (Rief, 2005, p. xvi) This high incidence rate virtually guarantees the pre-service teacher will encounter students with AD/HD in their practicum classrooms, and consistently throughout their future teaching careers. My previously limited understanding of the disorder has motivated me to investigate its effects within the classroom, and the techniques I can employ to mitigate them.
AD/HD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, refers to “a family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual’s capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behaviour (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4) This helpful definition concisely separates the traits of the child with AD/HD into the sometimes co-existent, sometimes mutually exclusive categories of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, which is perhaps the least recognizable form of the disorder.
I was previously unaware of the “predominantly inattentive” form of AD/HD, which according to Rief is easy to overlook, as the child with this form does not exhibit the disruptive behaviours that are commonly associated with AD/HD. The “predominantly inattentive” child may exhibit behaviours such as seeming not to listen, difficulty remembering and following directions, forgetfulness, difficulty sustaining alertness during tedious tasks, daydreaming, disorganization and poor study skills. As Rief acknowledges, many of these behaviours could easily be dismissed as “not trying” or “being lazy” (2005, p. 4), meaning students with this form of AD/HD could go undiagnosed and unassisted in the classroom, thus disadvantaging the student throughout their schooling and later life careers.
In addition to the “predominantly inattentive” form of AD/HD, the “predominantly hyperactive-impulsive” type is the more recognizable. This form of the disorder is responsible for behaviours such as extreme energy and hyperactivity, unnecessary movement, fidgeting, roaming, excessive talking, interruptions, impatience, lack of self control, inappropriate noises, poor consideration of the consequences of actions, and so on. Since this is a far more observable form of the disorder, this is the form of AD/HD we are most likely to respond to in the classroom, generally in a negative fashion.
One of the main inhibitors for a student with AD/HD being able to focus and participate in their work is their need for “arousal” (Cherkes-Julkowski, Sharp & Stolzenberg, 1997, p. 50). In “Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders”, Cherkes-Julkowski et al. recommend tactics for maintaining a student’s interest in an activity, by maintaining their state of arousal. Importantly, they recognize that the teacher’s oft-quoted “sit still so you can pay attention” is absolutely wrong when it comes to students with AD/HD. These students need to maintain arousal in order to maintain attention. Teachers can help students maintain arousal by switching tasks frequently, incorporating movement into tasks and allowing motor activity while working. These suggestions excite me as a teacher, as I believe these active, exciting and engaging lesson tasks are not only suitable for students with AD/HD, but are ‘best practice’ techniques for engaging all students, regardless of their additional needs. They are all techniques which I have already employed in my practicum, in order to maintain a high engagement level, not only for students with AD/HD but for their peers, and even for myself.
It is easy to sympathise with some parents’ concerns about administering drugs such as Ritalin to their children on a long-term basis. I hope to develop a greater understanding of how to help both the medicated and unmedicated students with AD/HD to deal with their disorder on a day to day basis, by providing a challenging and stimulating learning environment which will benefit all the students in my classroom.
Thus far my research has focused on developing an understanding of the nature of Attention Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder in order to create a foundation on which to build my ongoing research. From this point forward my research will focus more on some of the recommended practical techniques and strategies for engaging students with AD/HD to ensure their higher achievement in the classroom.
Source List
Cherkes-Julkowski, M., Sharp, S., & Stolzenberg, J. (1997) Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Brookline Books.
Rief, S., (2005) How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wright, C. (2006) Practically speaking: ADHD in the classroom. Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=155036;res=AEIPT
AD/HD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, refers to “a family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that interfere with an individual’s capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behaviour (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4) This helpful definition concisely separates the traits of the child with AD/HD into the sometimes co-existent, sometimes mutually exclusive categories of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, which is perhaps the least recognizable form of the disorder.
I was previously unaware of the “predominantly inattentive” form of AD/HD, which according to Rief is easy to overlook, as the child with this form does not exhibit the disruptive behaviours that are commonly associated with AD/HD. The “predominantly inattentive” child may exhibit behaviours such as seeming not to listen, difficulty remembering and following directions, forgetfulness, difficulty sustaining alertness during tedious tasks, daydreaming, disorganization and poor study skills. As Rief acknowledges, many of these behaviours could easily be dismissed as “not trying” or “being lazy” (2005, p. 4), meaning students with this form of AD/HD could go undiagnosed and unassisted in the classroom, thus disadvantaging the student throughout their schooling and later life careers.
In addition to the “predominantly inattentive” form of AD/HD, the “predominantly hyperactive-impulsive” type is the more recognizable. This form of the disorder is responsible for behaviours such as extreme energy and hyperactivity, unnecessary movement, fidgeting, roaming, excessive talking, interruptions, impatience, lack of self control, inappropriate noises, poor consideration of the consequences of actions, and so on. Since this is a far more observable form of the disorder, this is the form of AD/HD we are most likely to respond to in the classroom, generally in a negative fashion.
One of the main inhibitors for a student with AD/HD being able to focus and participate in their work is their need for “arousal” (Cherkes-Julkowski, Sharp & Stolzenberg, 1997, p. 50). In “Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders”, Cherkes-Julkowski et al. recommend tactics for maintaining a student’s interest in an activity, by maintaining their state of arousal. Importantly, they recognize that the teacher’s oft-quoted “sit still so you can pay attention” is absolutely wrong when it comes to students with AD/HD. These students need to maintain arousal in order to maintain attention. Teachers can help students maintain arousal by switching tasks frequently, incorporating movement into tasks and allowing motor activity while working. These suggestions excite me as a teacher, as I believe these active, exciting and engaging lesson tasks are not only suitable for students with AD/HD, but are ‘best practice’ techniques for engaging all students, regardless of their additional needs. They are all techniques which I have already employed in my practicum, in order to maintain a high engagement level, not only for students with AD/HD but for their peers, and even for myself.
It is easy to sympathise with some parents’ concerns about administering drugs such as Ritalin to their children on a long-term basis. I hope to develop a greater understanding of how to help both the medicated and unmedicated students with AD/HD to deal with their disorder on a day to day basis, by providing a challenging and stimulating learning environment which will benefit all the students in my classroom.
Thus far my research has focused on developing an understanding of the nature of Attention Deficient/Hyperactivity Disorder in order to create a foundation on which to build my ongoing research. From this point forward my research will focus more on some of the recommended practical techniques and strategies for engaging students with AD/HD to ensure their higher achievement in the classroom.
Source List
Cherkes-Julkowski, M., Sharp, S., & Stolzenberg, J. (1997) Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorders. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Brookline Books.
Rief, S., (2005) How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wright, C. (2006) Practically speaking: ADHD in the classroom. Special Education Perspectives, 15(2), 3-8. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=155036;res=AEIPT
RINE Interim Summary: Teenage Pregnancy
The temptation when considering additional needs in education is to focus on diagnosable medical conditions: physical and intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, behavioural disorders and so on. Attention is also paid to social and cultural needs, particularly for Indigenous students and learners from language backgrounds other than English; and for students from low socio-economic status families. The focus of this research summary is an additional need that hasn’t received very much attention in the Responding to Individual Needs in Education readings and course so far, despite its capacity to completely alter a student’s life and education. That additional need is pregnancy.
Our duty to provide an inclusive education extends to every student in our class, but for the pregnant student, I believe our duty extends even further than our own classroom. In the case of teenage pregnancy, we can provide an inclusive and supportive environment in which a pregnant teenager or young parent can continue their education, which studies have shown is a vital influencing factor on their own child’s education achievement in the future (Bradley and Corwyn, 2002, in Krause et al., 2003, p. 283). Therefore, by extending our students’ education and future career prospects, we can indirect influence their own children’s future as well.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 16 live births per 1000 girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen in 2007. This equates to over 10,000 mothers of secondary school age across Australia (ABS, 2009, from Clayden, 2009, p. 2). Statistics from the United Kingdom and the United States also reflect rises in teen pregnancy rates in those countries during the past few years (Viadero, 2010, & “Education”, 2009). Much of the literature I have seen so far has focused on possible means for prevention, mainly by reviewing the efficacy of sex education in secondary schools. While prevention is better than the cure, for the individual student what matters is not to focus on what should have happened; rather it is what to do from now on. The teacher of a pregnant teen must, as with all their students, cater to the needs of the student, both during the pregnancy and after the birth.
Clearly a teen pregnancy alters a student’s priorities significantly. Their career prospects and their motivation for completing their education may change; their absences will affect their academic achievement; their relationships with family will go through a turbulent and stressful time. Our task as teachers is to strive to continue our students’ engagement with the curriculum, maintain their motivation as much as possible, and “sell” the benefits of keeping up with their education to the student. Practically speaking, we may need to negotiate with the student and their family to implement an Individual Learning Plan, and create a new structure for their learning, such as facilitating flexible learning options such as studying from home after the birth.
I have commenced my research with a consideration of a school known in the ACT for its commendable program for pregnant teens and young parents. The Canberra College runs the “CCCares” program out of its Weston Campus. Currently approximately eighty-five percent of the College’s Weston Campus student population are young parents (www.canberrac.act.edu.au, 2010). The school offers transportation to and from school for the students and their children, on-site childcare, play rooms, sleep rooms, change rooms, a medical suite and play areas designed to accommodate the students’ children in an open-plan and inclusive environment. The students can complete their Year 12 certificates, or work towards achieving goals established in Individual Learning Plans. CCCares is a commendable benchmark program which anticipates the future needs of its parenting students and has created an holistic approach to their education. It incorporates not only traditional educational objectives such as literacy and numeracy, but develops personal skills and attributes to prepare students for the employment market, providing vocational training, and aiming to assist students to become financially independent.
Not all schools have the necessary population of pregnant and parenting students to create such an impressive support framework; nor would they wish to have it so. From an economic perspective, many of the auxiliary supports provided by CCCares are out of reach for the average secondary school. However, its ethos and intentions are absolutely transportable, and aspects of its program can be implemented within other schooling environments. These aspects are to be the focus of this research journal.
Source List
Canberra College, 25 May, 2010, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/curriculum/cccares
Clayden, Peter. “Using the power of partnership to address important educational and social welfare needs”, Canberra College, 2009, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0019/122239/CCCares_Schools_First_conference_article_2010.doc
Flood, M., Greenspan, S., & Mundorf, N. (1985) School-Based Services for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents. Special Services in the Schools, 2(1), 27-44. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J008v02n01_03
Krause, Kerri-Lee, Sandra Bochner, and Sue Duchesne. (2003) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. Victoria: Thomson Learning
Viadero, D. Study Finds Teen Pregnancies On The Rise. Education Week 2010, 29(20), 4. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48135020&site=ehost-live
Teenage pregnancy rate rises for the first time in ten years. (2009) Education 2009 (345), 1. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=36919545&site=ehost-live
Our duty to provide an inclusive education extends to every student in our class, but for the pregnant student, I believe our duty extends even further than our own classroom. In the case of teenage pregnancy, we can provide an inclusive and supportive environment in which a pregnant teenager or young parent can continue their education, which studies have shown is a vital influencing factor on their own child’s education achievement in the future (Bradley and Corwyn, 2002, in Krause et al., 2003, p. 283). Therefore, by extending our students’ education and future career prospects, we can indirect influence their own children’s future as well.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 16 live births per 1000 girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen in 2007. This equates to over 10,000 mothers of secondary school age across Australia (ABS, 2009, from Clayden, 2009, p. 2). Statistics from the United Kingdom and the United States also reflect rises in teen pregnancy rates in those countries during the past few years (Viadero, 2010, & “Education”, 2009). Much of the literature I have seen so far has focused on possible means for prevention, mainly by reviewing the efficacy of sex education in secondary schools. While prevention is better than the cure, for the individual student what matters is not to focus on what should have happened; rather it is what to do from now on. The teacher of a pregnant teen must, as with all their students, cater to the needs of the student, both during the pregnancy and after the birth.
Clearly a teen pregnancy alters a student’s priorities significantly. Their career prospects and their motivation for completing their education may change; their absences will affect their academic achievement; their relationships with family will go through a turbulent and stressful time. Our task as teachers is to strive to continue our students’ engagement with the curriculum, maintain their motivation as much as possible, and “sell” the benefits of keeping up with their education to the student. Practically speaking, we may need to negotiate with the student and their family to implement an Individual Learning Plan, and create a new structure for their learning, such as facilitating flexible learning options such as studying from home after the birth.
I have commenced my research with a consideration of a school known in the ACT for its commendable program for pregnant teens and young parents. The Canberra College runs the “CCCares” program out of its Weston Campus. Currently approximately eighty-five percent of the College’s Weston Campus student population are young parents (www.canberrac.act.edu.au, 2010). The school offers transportation to and from school for the students and their children, on-site childcare, play rooms, sleep rooms, change rooms, a medical suite and play areas designed to accommodate the students’ children in an open-plan and inclusive environment. The students can complete their Year 12 certificates, or work towards achieving goals established in Individual Learning Plans. CCCares is a commendable benchmark program which anticipates the future needs of its parenting students and has created an holistic approach to their education. It incorporates not only traditional educational objectives such as literacy and numeracy, but develops personal skills and attributes to prepare students for the employment market, providing vocational training, and aiming to assist students to become financially independent.
Not all schools have the necessary population of pregnant and parenting students to create such an impressive support framework; nor would they wish to have it so. From an economic perspective, many of the auxiliary supports provided by CCCares are out of reach for the average secondary school. However, its ethos and intentions are absolutely transportable, and aspects of its program can be implemented within other schooling environments. These aspects are to be the focus of this research journal.
Source List
Canberra College, 25 May, 2010, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/curriculum/cccares
Clayden, Peter. “Using the power of partnership to address important educational and social welfare needs”, Canberra College, 2009, http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0019/122239/CCCares_Schools_First_conference_article_2010.doc
Flood, M., Greenspan, S., & Mundorf, N. (1985) School-Based Services for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents. Special Services in the Schools, 2(1), 27-44. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J008v02n01_03
Krause, Kerri-Lee, Sandra Bochner, and Sue Duchesne. (2003) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. Victoria: Thomson Learning
Viadero, D. Study Finds Teen Pregnancies On The Rise. Education Week 2010, 29(20), 4. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48135020&site=ehost-live
Teenage pregnancy rate rises for the first time in ten years. (2009) Education 2009 (345), 1. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=36919545&site=ehost-live
RINE Research Journal 3: Teen Pregnancy
I've been on the look-out for an "additional needs" research topic that hasn't received much attention in my studies so far, and I believe pregnant teens and young parents are a prime contender.
What strikes me about our responsibility to pregnant teens in the school system is that the impact of our commitment to inclusive education extends beyond the students in our classroom. If we can effectively inclusively educate teen mothers and fathers, we can have an effect not only on their education and future career prospects, but those of their child.
My initial research has unfortunately turned up mainly journal articles focusing on prevention rather than adaptation. In the past few years both America and the UK have seen a rise in teen pregnancies (Viadero, 2010; and "Education", 2009) and these rises have sparked interest in the effectiveness of sex education programs and the like.
I would rather focus on what we as educators can do for these teens after the fact. I would like to recognise that, for them, their pregnancy is not the end; it is the beginning. Our job as their teacher is to prepare all students for life beyond school, whatever that may involve.
Sources:
Viadero, D. Study Finds Teen Pregnancies On The Rise. Education Week 2010, 29(20), 4. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48135020&site=ehost-live
Teenage pregnancy rate rises for the first time in ten years. (2009) Education 2009 (345), 1. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=36919545&site=ehost-live
What strikes me about our responsibility to pregnant teens in the school system is that the impact of our commitment to inclusive education extends beyond the students in our classroom. If we can effectively inclusively educate teen mothers and fathers, we can have an effect not only on their education and future career prospects, but those of their child.
My initial research has unfortunately turned up mainly journal articles focusing on prevention rather than adaptation. In the past few years both America and the UK have seen a rise in teen pregnancies (Viadero, 2010; and "Education", 2009) and these rises have sparked interest in the effectiveness of sex education programs and the like.
I would rather focus on what we as educators can do for these teens after the fact. I would like to recognise that, for them, their pregnancy is not the end; it is the beginning. Our job as their teacher is to prepare all students for life beyond school, whatever that may involve.
Sources:
Viadero, D. Study Finds Teen Pregnancies On The Rise. Education Week 2010, 29(20), 4. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=48135020&site=ehost-live
Teenage pregnancy rate rises for the first time in ten years. (2009) Education 2009 (345), 1. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=36919545&site=ehost-live
Monday, July 12, 2010
RINE Research Journal 2: AD/HD
"AD/HD is the most common neurobehavioural disorder of childhood, affecting approximately three to seven percent of school-aged children." (Rief, 2005, p. xvi)
AD/HD is an umbrella term for a family of disorders which interfere with a person's capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behaviour (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention). (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4)
A child may have the more easily recognisable attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or only the attention deficit disorder, which is harder to recognise and hence can go undetected throughout a child's schooling. Their failure to attend to tasks, stay focused, listen, refrain from daydreaming and so on, can be read as laziness rather than identified as a treatable disorder.
AD/HD is an umbrella term for a family of disorders which interfere with a person's capacity to regulate activity level (hyperactivity), inhibit behaviour (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention). (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000, in Rief, 2005, p. 4)
A child may have the more easily recognisable attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or only the attention deficit disorder, which is harder to recognise and hence can go undetected throughout a child's schooling. Their failure to attend to tasks, stay focused, listen, refrain from daydreaming and so on, can be read as laziness rather than identified as a treatable disorder.
Friday, July 2, 2010
RINE Research Journal 1: ADHD
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is an increasingly common and, at times, controversial disorder that I expect to encounter with reasonable frequency during my teaching career. Since my understanding of the disorder is basic, I will be exploring both the traits of children with ADD/ADHD, and the possible impact that ADD/ADHD will have in my classroom.
My initial research sources are "Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorder" by Miriam Cherkes-Julkowski, Susan Sharp and Jonathan Stolzenberg, and "How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD" by Sandra F. Rief.
My initial research sources are "Rethinking Attention Deficit Disorder" by Miriam Cherkes-Julkowski, Susan Sharp and Jonathan Stolzenberg, and "How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD" by Sandra F. Rief.
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