SPED HOMEWORKS, TEXTBOOK AND WORKSHEETS

SPED 204 – Montessori Approach to EducationProfessor: MR. ALFERT ARROGANTE

DIONIDA ZABALA - ABOGADODiscussant

Objectives:Define Special Education, homework, textbook and worksheetsKnow the objectives and reasons for homework

Know the amount of homework required

Know the teaching and homework effectiveness

Special Education

O Special education - is in place to provide additional services, support, programs, specialized placements or environments to ensure that all students' educational needs are provided for.

O Special education is provided to qualifying students at no cost to the parents. There are many students who have special learning needs and these needs are addressed through special education.

O Special education programs need to be individualized so that they address the unique combination of needs in a given student.

O Students with special needs are assessed to determine their specific strengths and weaknesses.

O Placement, resources, and goals are determined on the basis of the student's needs.

Accommodations and Modifications to the regular program may include changes in curriculum, supplementary aides or equipment, and the provision of specialized physical adaptations that allow students to participate in the educational environment to the fullest extent possible.

 

O Students may need this help to access subject matter, to physically gain access to the school, or to meet their emotional needs.

O For example, if the assessment determines that the student cannot write by hand because of a physical disability, then the school might provide a computer for typing assignments, or allow the student to answer questions orally instead. If the school determines that the student is severely distracted by the normal activities in a large, busy classroom, then the student might be placed in a smaller classroom such as a resource room

Accommodations may be classified by whether they change the presentation, response, setting, or scheduling. For example, the school may accommodate a student with visual impairments by providing a large-print textbook; this is a presentation accommodation.

A modification changes or adapts the material to make it simpler. Modifications may change what is learned, how difficult the material is, what level of mastery the student is expected to achieve, whether and how the student is assessed, or any another aspect of the curriculum.

Examples of modifications

O Simplified assignments: Students may read the same literature as their peers but have a simpler version, for example Shakespeare with both the original text and a modern paraphrase available.

O Shorter assignments: Students may do shorter homework assignments or take shorter, more concentrated tests, e.g. 10 math problems instead

of 30.O Extra aids: If students have deficiencies in working memory, a list of vocabulary words, called a word bank, can be provided during tests, to reduce lack of recall and increase chances of comprehension. Students might use a calculator when other students are not.

O Extended time: Students with lower processing speed may benefit from extended time in assignments and/or tests in order to comprehend questions, recall information, and synthesize knowledge.

Main objectives and reasons for homeworkO The basic objectives of assigning homework to students are the same as schooling in general: To increase the knowledge and improve the abilities and skills of the students. However, opponents of homework cite homework as rote, or grind work, designed to take up children's time, without offering tangible benefit. 

 

Homework may be designed to reinforce what students have already learned, prepare them for upcoming (or complex or difficult) lessons, extend what they know by having them apply it to new situations, or to integrate their abilities by applying many different skills to a single task.

Homework also provides an opportunity for parents to participate in their children's education.

Meaning of Homework, Textbook and Worksheets

O Homework, or homework assignment, refers to tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside of class.

O Common homework assignments may include a quantity or period of reading to be performed, writing or typing to be completed, problems to be solved, a school project to be built (such as a diorama or display), or other skills to be practiced.

Textbook or CoursebookO A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions. Although most textbooks are only published in printed format, many are now available as online electronic books and increasingly, although illegally, in scanned format in P2Pnetworks.

WorksheetsO A worksheet is a sheet of paper, or on a computer, on which problems are worked out or solved and answers recorded.

 O Students in a school may have 'fill-in-the-blank' sheets of questions, diagrams, or maps to help them with their exercises.

O Students will often use worksheets to review what has been taught in class.

 O A worksheet generator is a software program that generates problems, particularly in mathematics or numeracy.

Amount of Homework RequiredThe research supports the '10-minute rule', the widely accepted practice of assigning 10 minutes of homework per day per grade-level. O For example, under this system, 1st graders would receive 10 minutes of homework per night, while 5th graders would get 50 minutes' worth, 9th graders 90 minutes of homework, etc.

O Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and chairman of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke, said the research synthesis that he led showed the positive correlation was much stronger for secondary students --- those in grades seven through 12 --- than those in elementary school.

Homework resourcesO Internet homework resources O Computers are often used to complete homework assignments.

O There are many homework-related resources available on the World Wide Web. There are web-sites dedicated to communicating about homework, for teachers to post assignments on-line for students, and to keep parents informed.

OThere are also tutorials on most school subjects, especially math, which students can use if they don't understand their homework assignments.

OMany libraries provide on-line resources which present subjects specifically for students who are looking for something to write about. And there are archives of ready-made homework assignments, including handouts, which teachers can use to provide homework to their students. Many other websites are used for research, especially search engines, such as Google, and encyclopedias.

O Independent learning is encouraged and improved by providing guidance (such as explaining how to look up information or find a word in a dictionary) rather than merely providing the answers to the child's homework-related questions.

O Having one's child read out loud allows the parent to provide corrections and help the student learn how to read better. 

O When parents do "homework" of their own at the same time as their children, it sets a good example and helps to foster a good attitude toward learning.

O One key role for parents is to negotiate with teachers and schools should the homework burden be unmanageable or age-inappropriate for the students.

 

Student learning improves when homework serves a clear purpose and is matched to both the skills of each individual student and to the current topics being taught in class. Feedback improves the effectiveness of homework, especially when given in a timely manner (within 24 hours). Effective feed back improves student learning by correcting misunderstanding, validating process, and highlighting errors in thinking.

Teaching and Homework Effectiveness

Embedded comments provide much better feedback than a mere grade at the top of the paper.

Homework must be concentrated to be effective: mastering takes days or weeks of practice. Fifty-percent mastery may be achieved after 4 practice sessions, but it takes 28 practice sessions to achieve approximately the eighty-percent mastery level.

 O Review for Eye and Ear quiz

O Ear ChartO Cow’s Eye DiagramO Annotated Cow’s Eye DiagramO Cow’s Eye Dissection

O Watch videos 2- 13note: PC's may want to use the 'low res' option Light and Your Eye

Eye and Ear Quiz O Home Work:O Complete index cards of Perception vocabulary on page 263

Example of Homework

“ Never get tiredof doing little good

thingsfor others, sometimesthese little thingsare the big thingsthat are treasured

and kept in their hearts ”

Thank you !