Blog Post 2: Communication

A major part of life is communication.  We have multiple ways of sharing information and more appear all the time.  Dr. Z. struggled to communicate while growing up. He was unable to form words audibly until 4th grade.  Share your experiences, trials, and breakthroughs, trying to communicate with your participants.  What are some ways we can try to become more effective at communication?  Keep in mind your learners and where they are developmentally compared to you!  

Hint: most of us use verbal communication only when sharing thoughts, directions, feelings, etc broadcast to others.  What are some other ways we could communicate (and maybe more successful at getting our messages across?) What about those who do not use verbal means for communication, what are some ways people communicate nonverbally? How can you begin to read those nonverbal cues? 

....and its over...

Here is just a little of the things I get on my end from parents on the work and changes YOU are making.  Never forget...YOU did this and these things!!!  Dr. Williams and I only provided you the opportunity to do such amazing and awesome stuff!  Without you and your efforts CAPES! would not be anything....

Thanks so much!  We love CAPES!  As we were leaving the park Jude kept saying "Is next Tuesday CAPES?"  After asking several times he finally sighed and said "5 more months until CAPES with Christi" (in a really sad voice).  I could tell he didn't want CAPES to be over.  Thanks for giving my son a place to shine and feel accepted and loved.  We feel so lucky to be a part of this program.

Thanks for a great celebration! I'm sure there was a lot more work involved with having to move everything off-site and then all of the headaches with electricity, water, facilities, etc. My son and I really had an enjoyable time and will definitely miss Ben's WSU student, Dan; he and all of the students worked so well with my son. This program has been such a wonderful find for my son and I really appreciate all of the work that has gone in to making it a success. Thanks again,

CAPES!

WSU Student Debriefing

Now that you have completed your CAPES! experience, please take a few moments to reflect on the entire program, yourself, and the participant(s) you worked with.  Complete the following questions and e-mail them to Dr. Z. (jameszagrodnik@weber.edu) or Dr. Williams (nataliewilliams1@weber.edu ).  DO NOT post on the blog, as we need to protect the privacy of your participants!!!!  The information you provide here will help us make CAPES! better from a WSU student perspective as well as give the next group of WSU Students some beginner clues on what to expect, do, and achieve.  You may remember seeing information similar to this when you started...it was from people last Spring who filled this out.  Think about how helpful that was for you and how you will be helping out the next group of students!  We realize that some of you moved around a lot this semester, please select the participant you worked the most with this semester and complete what you can.  THANKS!

Name of participant(s) you worked with the most this semester:

What can he/she/they do physically? What can they not do?

What can he/she/they do cognitively? What can they not do?

What can he/she/they do socially? What can they not do?

What was the biggest “break through” that occurred this semester?

What are some tricks/strategies you learned to be successful?

What are some things you learned NOT to do?

What was his/her/their favorite thing to do?

What was your favorite thing to do?

What do you think the next group should work on with this person the most for next semester?

Any additional information you would like to give the next group that you wish you knew at the beginning?

What could be done to improve CAPES! from your perspective?

What did you like about the program as a whole?

What did you not like about the program as a whole?

Did being in groups work or would you have rather been sent off as individuals?

Is the blog a good/effective method to reflect?

Do you want/need more assistance from Dr. Z. or Dr. Williams or did you like how we essentially let you off the leash?

Anything else you would like to say or express?  

THANK YOU TO AN AWESOME CELEBRATION (and year)!  You were amazing!

And done...until next week!

This was your last week working with the students. What did that feel like? What kinds of things were running through your head as that reality began to sink in? Was it difficult to say goodbye to your student? Why do you suppose that is? Did this student make you think more, work harder, question your decision about becoming a teacher or confirm your decision about becoming a teacher?  Reflect back to your very first day to now.  How have YOU grown as a person?  Do you see individuals with a disability as a person with a disability or as a person?  Explain.

Future Environments and Functional Skills So often we forget that our students' lives do not end with our classroom/gym. It is our responsibility to prepare them for environments beyond the current one. What have you done this semester with your CAPES! students that takes them beyond the gym and the classroom? What skills have you taught that will prepare them for their future as contributing members of our society? What functional skills have you taught them that will impact them for a lifetime?

Future Environments and Functional Skills

So often we forget that our students' lives do not end with our classroom/gym. It is our responsibility to prepare them for environments beyond the current one. What have you done this semester with your CAPES! students that takes them beyond the gym and the classroom? What skills have you taught that will prepare them for their future as contributing members of our society? What functional skills have you taught them that will impact them for a lifetime?

Beware the Rut!

Congratulations the downward journey for CAPES has begun!  You only have two weeks remaining in the gym & pool. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel getting larger each day, and you know if you just hang on a little longer it will all be over and you can move on.  

How do you maintain motivation, excitement, and energy for the final few days?  Now that you know your students, and you have a fairly good idea of what you are doing, and have established a routine (for yourself, your group, your students, and parents) it is very easy to "get stuck in a rut".  

How will you keep yourself motivated to be invested in your students learning?  How will you makes things more exciting for you and your learner now that things have gotten "normal" and possibly a little "boring"?  What will you do to re-invigorate the energy and expectations from yourself and for your learner?

"He Can Be Taught"

-Genie from Aladdin

Learning can be defined as "the relatively permanent changes in behavior".  One major aspect of CAPES! is to help children with disabilities learn physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral skills.  The other major aspect of CAPES! is to help WSU students learn about themselves and to learn about learners with disabilities.  After 6 weeks of CAPES!: 1) what has the child you have been working with learned?; 2) what do they still need to learn?; 3) what have you learned?; and 4) what do you still need learn?

Let's Talk Behavior...

Think about the social behaviors, appropriate, or not, that your students have been displaying the first couple of weeks of CAPES! How might you address those that are inappropriate? How can you use those appropriate skills they have to teach them new appropriate skills. I believe strongly that inappropriate behaviors are social skill deficits- how does this impact how you might teach your students appropriate social skills in order to address their inappropriate behaviors?

Surprise!!!  Often in teaching its the unintended little surprises you experience during the learning process that mean the biggest things, keep you going during the "hard times", and make all the effort worth it.  For instance, I had a long discussion with a parent last night who praised and thanked us for CAPES! for 20 straight minutes, going on and on about the changes their child has experienced with just one year...interacting more at home without prompts, behaving better at school, learning about days and times to count down to the next time they come to CAPES!, and more!  (Congratulations...YOU are making these changes...not me or Dr. Williams ((We just get all the credit ;)!!!!)  The joy, appreciation, and "thank you" written all over her face and words makes all the effort of putting CAPES! together seem non-significant!  Explain a few surprises you have had while at CAPES! so far...about the child you work with and about yourself.

Communication

A major part of life is communication.  We have many ways in which we share information and more seem to appear all the time.  Dr. Z. struggled to communicate while growing up (and still isn't!) because he couldn't form words audibly until 4th grade.  Share your experiences, trials, and breakthroughs, trying to communicate with your participants.  What are some ways we can try to become more effective at communication?  Keep in mind your learners and where they are at developmentally compared to you!  Hint: most of us use verbal communication only when sharing thoughts, directions, feelings, etc broadcast to others.  What are some other ways we could communicate (and maybe more successful at getting our messages across?)

Being Challenged...

Tuesday was your first day coming up and implementing your first activities to help each child be as independent as possible.  Often when we are doing new things we come across challenges which were unforeseen and only realized once we were in the moment.  For example, when Dr. Z. had a summer camp for disadvantaged youth he wasn't aware of the daily grind it would take (over 13 hours every day!) and therefore at the beginning wasn't prepared for it.  However, he figured out some ways to overcome this challenge in order for the camp to be successful.  

What were some challenges you observed and how do plan on meeting these challenges next week so that your learning environments go smoother and you are more prepared for them when they come up again?  

Day 1...How was it?

Last night was your first experience with your CAPES! participant. How was it? How did it feel to get your 'feet wet'? What were some things that went really well for you and your group? What are some things that you are going to try and address to be better prepared for next week?

Welcome to CAPES!

I am sure that many of you may be quite apprehensive about this upcoming experience, as many students have been in past. But here are a couple of statements from students last semester that might put your mind at ease...

"Starting out CAPES I was very hesitant, and not entirely interested in the program. I always saw it as sort of a nuisance. All of that has changed now, I have said in a previous post that capes gives me a sense of purpose, and makes me feel as though I am making changes not only in others' lives but mine as well."

"...Capes ha[s] been nothing what I expected, but everything I needed." 

"I learned that...even though I wasn't some specialized assistant or teacher I could still plan useful/purposeful activities for a child with a disabilities"

For further info check out the CAPES Website