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?
With C the biggest challenge is his focus. If he was able to, he would play basketball or anything that has to do with a ball the entire time at CAPES! Even while trying to compromise with him and trying to use it as every other activity, he was still persistent on only playing basketball. We did get him to try the rock climbing wall, which he was very hesitant at first, but once pushed he made it through just fine. I plan on working on his focus by completely avoiding the gym altogether and using puzzles to initiate his concentration. We'll be changing activities no more then 5 minutes after starting in hopes of staying on track/task. C had forgot his swimwear so we did not make it in the pool this week. Next week for the pool we will be changing activities frequently as well and if overall every task is completed, 5-8 minutes of basketball will be rewarded. -Lucas Huffman
ReplyDeleteThe key challenge with S is getting her to listen and follow direction. She gets fixated on one thing, and then throws a tantrum if she doesn't get her way. My partner and I worked on being firmer with rules and limits, and things went much more smoothly for us, although there was one tantrum that her dad intervened on. I plan for next week to just keep trying! I know if I stay persistent and don't give up I will have a smoother running learning environment. I am going to work on telling her exactly what I want her to do, use concrete words, and help her focus on a task we have given. I had so much fun this week! I felt so relieved after words to have created such a positive connection with S.
ReplyDelete-Demi Wikstrom
Working with C is definitely an enjoyable experience! C is very willing to do the activities that I have planned for him but he does not do one activity for very long. He will do one activity and rapidly move on to something else. I found out yesterday that I didn't make modifications to the activities I had for him, and I hadn't planned enough activites because he got bored with them quickly. Once C has done all the activities I have planned, he runs around and does whatever he wants to. I've realized that I either need to plan more activities for C to do, or modify the activities that I have planned for him so that they take longer to complete, are more challenging, and/or require the help of other CAPES! participants. Working with C is very good for me because I need to be thinking one or two steps ahead of C so that when he completes activities, we are already moving on to another activity. As a PE teacher, if my students don't always have something to do, they will start messing around and creating trouble. Working with C will challenge me to modify lessons and activities in order to always keep him busy and on task. Next week, I will have more back up activities for C to complete so that when he is finished with an activity, we can transition right into another activity. Modifications and more thinking on my part is going to be the biggest challenge that I foresee right now. Working with C has been a healthy cognitive battle that I will continue to fight. -Curtis Carlisle
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of challenges that came up that were unanticipated. First of all was that my student didn't enjoy the climbing wall and doesn't have enough upper body strength to accomplish much. This opened up a lot more time that was unplanned. How I will deal with this in the future is have a couple more things planned to do in case something doesn't work out. Also we had difficulty going under water because he didn't like the water in his eyes. Now that I know what resources we have I will provide the student with swimming goggles. In summary having a plan B in the lesson plan and also knowing all the resources available will help set us both up for success. - Dan Ricks
ReplyDeleteThis week was a struggle. I planned out several activities for C to do, but he wasn't very receptive to most of them. He loves the pool, and so trying to get him to focus on anything else is proving to be a challenge. We started off with the climbing wall, and it didn't go very well. C struggled to even get both feet off the ground, and wanted me or his mom to push/pull him up. We spent very little time there, so I'm undecided if we will go to the rock wall again or not. For now it will not be an activity we plan for, unless he asks to do it again.
ReplyDeleteAnother challenge with C this week is that he was very fixated on talking about trains. Because of that, he had a harder time following directions. I'm not sure how to work past the fixation mode, but we will just keep trying. I think it helps if I tell him to look me in the eyes when I'm giving him instructions. I need to remember to do that each time.
Some good things about this week--mom seemed to be more comfortable, and didn't seem to feel the need to watch the whole time. Those moments of space provided us with the opportunity to connect, which hopefully will equate to C trusting me more. I was also able to get C to talk to several other kids, and we branched out into doing a couple of small group activities. It was hard for C at first, but he did it, and I am so proud of him for that!
Next week my goal is to get him to work longer in a small group setting. We will be trying racketball, which should be an adventure. Hopefully it goes better than the rock climbing.
As far as my lesson planning, I think most of us weren't sure what to do the first time, but I definitely learned a lot this second week, and hope that my lesson plan for next week works out better for C. I know it will still take some work to get a feel for what activities would be best for C. I am loving CAPES, and am so grateful for the opportunity to be involved with this great program.--Megan Jensen
I was partnered up with a different child this week and so I did not get to implement my activity but I was able to talk with the girl who did plan the lesson and find out what we would be working on with this particular child. Over-stimulation was a challenge last week and that is what we worked on this week. We went in a separate classroom and did smaller acitivities but ones that worked with the fine motor skills. We found out that communication and taking turns is going to be a challenge.So, we plan to slowly bring different children in one by one each week to start working together and letting them get to know each other. We will be pushing for communication and socialization with others. Also taking turns with other children. A smaller challenge that I noticed with other groups is time. We need to plan a few more smaller activities in case we finish our planned lesson early and have some more time to do something else. I definitely learned more about myself and know that next time I will not have low expectations for the child but to challenge and see what they can do. Next week will be great and I'm excited to see the progress that we can make.
ReplyDeletewritten by Shelbi Linsley
DeleteI am happy to say that this week was a ton better than last! My major challenge with my child is atmosphere. In order for my child to follow directions, listen, and to stay focused, they need a very calm and quiet atmosphere. This will be hard, since we don't always get to control the environment we are in. I plan to very slowly introduce my child to more noise and distractions as the weeks progress, but always have the safe, quiet classroom available, so that we have somewhere to go if things do not go as planned. I am lucky enough to work with two kids and the main challenge I see with my second kid is to make sure I have enough things planned, so that we don't have to ask the question of what are we going to do now. - Chelsea Goff
ReplyDeleteThe biggest struggle that I encountered this week with M was that he did not want to listen in the pool at all. This was really hard because last week he did so well with listening to me while we were swimming, so I expected this week to go pretty well. But when it was our time to swim, and we got into the pool, M did not want anything to do with the activities that I had planned! He is a very good swimmer, so any chance he could he would dart off and swim away from me. I started to get very frustrated because I could not control him very well in the water. But one of my classmates noticed that I was struggling, and since his child wasn’t there, he came over and helped me. After about 15 minutes of struggling to keep up with, and control, M we figured out that the way to get him to stop swimming away so fast was to take the flippers he was wearing off of him. Once we took them off of him, he couldn’t swim as well as before, with them on. So next week I am going to make it so that M doesn’t have the flippers at the beginning of pool time. That way I will actually be able to keep up with him and hopefully get him to participate in the activities that I have planned for him. He really enjoys the flippers, so if he listens well while in the pool he will be rewarded with them for the last 5 minutes of pool time. –Caitlin Wiggins
ReplyDeleteTo be completely honest, I was so stressed for this week because I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing at all. However, I am surprised to say it went so much better this week. It was amazing to me to see the changes in C compared to last week. I was happy to see that he remembered who I was. He was much more responsive to me and was willing to listen. I got so much enjoyment by being with him and seeing him progress. It was neat to see how the things I had planned were accomplished. I had planned last week to work on transitioning from task to task and following instructions better. His dad hadn't wanted C to start in the pool first, but this week he said that might be a good idea so we could work on his transitions. That was the first great thing to hear!
ReplyDeleteWhile C and I were in the pool together, he listened to me. If I could tell he became distracted I would say "C, look." and then point at my eyes. He would then look at me and I would smile. I could see him calm down again. That was a good strategy for me to learn. It helped me the rest of the night. I also learned that if I find ways to relate to how he thinks when I ask him to do tasks then it is easier to communicate and he is more willing to do different things. For example, I learned that if I relate the tasks I want him to do to an animal then he understands. We applied that in the pool and in the gym.
As far as challenges go, this week I realized that he doesn't communicate well with his peers. We had the opportunity to work with S for a little while and they worked okay together but C couldn't communicate the feelings he was having. This next week C and S are going to do some things together in the gym to better work with one another. Another challenge that I personally realized is that I am struggling to find what to focus on with C while in the gym. He is very developed in his large motor skills. I need to find what avenue to take so that I can see progression in him. He is such a good kid and I love him already! Can't wait for next week!
-Kylee Mahlstede
I really didn't run into a lot of challenges this week. My participant is a very good kid, he gets distracted sometimes and that was probably the most challenging issue. Getting his attention and keeping it. Next week I plan to take him to a different environment that isn't quite as crazy and busy. That way we can focus on him becoming more independent without every little thing winning his attention. Our main goal for next week is following directions.
ReplyDelete-Mikenzey Wiberg
Once challenge that I encountered this week was that my student became really bored quickly of the activities that we had planned and didn’t show a lot of interest in them. We had an activity that we had to go around and ask other students a question about them, and write it down. My student went through it much faster than the others so I had to improvise a little, until the other kids were done. For my plan next week, I will have more activities planned for him that seem to keep his attention a little longer. I also plan to have more activities that allow him to interact with his peers a little more, and to be a little more social. He is starting to open up to me, but I can tell it is going to take some time. –Chelsey Brown
ReplyDeleteChallenges that occurred for me are keeping my student on task and following directions. Before and during every activity I have to remind my student to stay focused and keep zoning him back into what we are doing. I feel that with this I’m going to plan more accordingly. I hope to have more pictures and cue card reminders that will help to remind and to stay on task. Also providing a better check list that breaks down step by step of the activity taking place. The pool is a major challenge. I hope to have my student listening to the cues and directions before taking off. I feel that with a little bit more organization and focus on step by step process next week will go a little bit smoother. -Rachel Russell
ReplyDeleteThis week I changed groups and felt as nervous as I did the first week. When I was introduced to my new participant and the family was told that I would be with them for the reaming time at capes the family was happy and the participant was skeptical and asked if I was going to be with them in the water, I told them that I was and the participant was so happy that they hugged me with such sincerity that made me feel happy that they were happy. While working with my new participant I was able to learn more about them and there abilities. When we arrived at the gym the participant wanted to play on the scooter the entire time. My group had decided to have a circle time to give an opportunity for the participant to say their names. My participant was reluctant by then I held there hand and joined the circle with motivated them to join in as well. My participant did not want to do any of the other activities that were set up so I had to constantly try to engage the participant. The participant told me that they wanted to do the stair climber I asked them to show if we could go look at the stair climber. We went to look at the stair climber and the participant and I agreed that if she completed next week’s tasks that there reward could be using the stair climber. I feel that because I was consistent with my approach with the participant that will help with any challenges in the future. Yolanda Argüelles
ReplyDeleteOur main challenge with S is getting her to say focused and follow directions. S is very spirited and full of energy and that is a challenge (a good one but, a challenge nonetheless). This week went much smoother by our firm but kind dispositions but S tends to become fixated on something and will not give up on it. It led to a "tantrum" but it was quickly resolved and her dad helped. This next Tuesday our game plan is to get out energy at the beginning of CAPES so that we can then work on learning simple tasks and having S following our directions. Swimming went very well this past week and we are going to continue teaching S how to swim and holding her breathe under water. S is definitely becoming attached to us as her "teachers" and I am ecstatic about it! Had some very positive moments with S this past week amongst the challenges and I am very optimistic about our upcoming weeks of learning together. We are gonna stay focused and stick with it! - Karli Plant
ReplyDeleteThe main challenge that I came into contact with and after discussing with my group found similar with everyone was the issue of focus. We all believed that we had set up enough activities that was supposed to be engaging and work on specific skills training but there was not enough planned to keep the interest. I think that with a more variety of activities I will be able to ensure that I will be able to keep D. focused the entire time both in the water and on land.
ReplyDeleteMy main challenge with my student was trying to get him to perform what I taught him. I would show him how to do something with the ball and he would forget right away and do what he normally did. A lot of it was either the way he moved his arm or his footwork. I think just me telling him was not effective. I do understand that learning new things takes time and patience and I definitely think my student will get there. He has already made so many positive steps in the right direction. The changes I can make in the upcoming weeks are giving more of a visual example whether demonstrating the task so he can see it or Dr. Z gave me the idea to put a foot spot mat on the floor so R. knows he has to take a step and get his foot on the mat. -Jesse Hover
ReplyDeleteThe main challenge with T is getting him to listen and follow directions. He gets distracted pretty easy and likes to just do what he wants sometimes too. He was a lot better today though. We found things he liked to play and he listened very well. We found that he was better in a separate room away from others. At first he liked to go find out what everything was in the room and didn't want to listen. Dave and I would start doing the activity we had planned and before long he came to join us. I found that he listens better if you say "let's go play this" instead of asking him "Do you want to play this? Or Will you throw this?" He listens really well in the pool. He is like a little fish! We are going to try and separate room again and see if that continues to help him. We are working on finding things he likes to do to help keep him focused. I am also going to work on being more direct when talking to him.
ReplyDeleteMeggen Hodson
This week was challenging because I had a whole set of ideas ready for the night but because something happened earlier I had to completely change my plans. I was planning on working on a lot of cool stuff with my CAPES kid but it just did not work out. One thing that this last week did teach me was learning how to gauge what I am doing but how my CAPES buddy is feeling. Next week I am planning on trying the things that I had previously planned for last week. I will be adding more things that I think my CAPES buddy sees as more of a reward, I was able to find more of those things last week. I am excited for Tuesday this week it should be a good way to start making some progress on some of the things I want to work on with my CAPES buddy.
ReplyDeleteKelsi Tatton
The one challenge I really encountered was A's hard time being able to understand 3 step directions. She can get 2 step, but every time I gave her an extra step it's like it goes right over her head. There were a couple of times where I had to repeat it over and over to see if she could pick up that last direction I was giving her. For example..."I want you to go over one red step, one yellow step then stop." Then she would get to the yellow step and keep continuing on her way. Other than then, she is pretty easy to work with. Next Tuesday I will keep on working with her and that 3 step directions. I'm determined to get them checked off with her! I'm looking forward for this next coming Tuesday.
ReplyDelete-Feliza Martineau
My main challenge was making sure that I had things for S to be working on throughout the 30 minutes. Everything I would ask him to do, he would do it, but almost too quickly and all of the sudden he had been through my whole lesson plan and we still had 15 minutes left! One way that I think I could change that is by over planning. Maybe put the more important things on the first of the list of things to do, that way they get done for sure. Another thing that I was having a hard time with was with the other S. I have to hold him the whole time we are in the pool, so it is really hard for me to help with things when he attaches himself to me the whole time. I think I will just have to work my hardest to get him to do things as independently as possible. I am excited for the weeks to come! - Hailey Beesley
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge was that I did not have an actual plan when I started out. I did not have a true idea of what could be done and the boundaries I could help B. push himself. I had to keep reminding him about his inside voice, so I think I will come up with a plan to remind him of how loud he is being. He was much more flexible and listened much better this week. I was surprised that I would get spurts of ideas as the night went along. I kind of wish I was able to do more things with members of my group to continue to help B. to develop his communication skills with the other kids, but that may not be possible right now. I am going to see if I can work more on what the parents want to accomplish for their son. I want him to have fun and to learn, and I am prepared to do what it takes to help him get there.- Brittany King
ReplyDeleteI felt it went very smooth for the first real interactions with "T". My partner and I had access to the larger room above the gym and because of that, we were able to limit the distractions. "T" does very well when alone and not bothered by everything else that's happening around. My partner and I were able to get "T" to respond more and actually communicate things more clearly. For next week we plan on using that same area, if it isn't occupied, and develop games and exercises that gets "T" moving around. Running is what "T" likes to do so I think we can get a little relay race going, something that involves counting and colors. This might be a little less than what "T" is capable of, but we are still in the learning stages with it all. As for the pool, "T" has met my expectations with underwater diving for rings and abilities to swim. The pool will be used as an incentive from here on out. I don't see "T" having any issues that won't allow the use of the pool- David A. Polanco
ReplyDeletething that are not for see able is that when your kids is not here you have to hope in to someone else plan and take over and help them and be everywhere and help any one.-tyler martinez
ReplyDeleteThe main challenge was how to keep S listen to me and follow direction. He likes to run all the time. Actually I was not able to know how to get his attention. I felt there is no way to communicate with him easily. when Dr. Williams came to help out, I keep watching how she act and get a good feedback. She makes me comfortable when she help me with what should I work with. I think the main idea that should every teacher deal with is giving kids an examples and do it before they ask them to do. That's help them to do it successfully.In next week, We are planing as group to play with our kids different team games. I think this is will be good idea to keep kids sharing with each other and the older kid can help the younger kid. I am excited to see our lovely kids.- Zainab AL Fateel
ReplyDeleteOne of the challenges I came across was that I really need to plan plenty of activities in the gym. I did the bowling and I had planned to do different formations of the pins, I had her do different ways of rolling the ball and so on. But that only took like five to ten minutes. Next week I hope to plan something more complicated and time consuming. One thing that did work well was that we got into the pool before everyone else. I think it was easier for her to warm up to it with out all of the chaos of all the other children. - Stephanie George
ReplyDeleteTuesday’s night at CAPES was a lot of fun. I had planned two activities for the land part of CAPES. I was able to find the majority of the items I needed, but had to improvise some of the supplies. One of the challenges I faced was finding the right materials to use. While playing frizbee golf, Dr. Z could see that the nets I had chosen as baskets were hard for the kids to land the frizbees in. Luckily for me and S he went and got some hula hoops with bases for the frizbees to go through. S was determined to get a frizbee through each of the hoops. It was great to see him focus and follow through with completing all of the hoops. We then played badminton. The challenge with this activity once again revolved around the wrong equipment. The rackets I chose were small and a little harder to use. Dr. Z saw what was happening and brought down bigger rackets. We practiced hitting the birdie several times and then I tried to get S to want to play a game with another kid. He wasn’t so sure about that. After talking for a bit S and I were able to play a game of badminton with another boy and his helper. It was fun, but he was ready for a break when we finished. We then went to the basketball hoops to play two on two with another boy and our group leader. My big challenge with S is that he is really attached to the group leader and I find that he likes to interact more with him. He is starting to warm up to me more, but again I am sure that is something that just takes time. My other challenge is that I didn’t adequately prepare enough activities for him to do. He made some progress in the water. He put half of his hair in the water! It was a challenge to get him into the pool. I also tried a large portion of the time to get him to swim across the pool. I know he can do it because I saw him do it last week. It didn’t work though. He didn’t swim at all. We did have some good conversation though. He told me a bit about his family and I told him about mine. He also informed me that I was way too old to be in school. Again in the water, he spent time tracking down our group leader. Next week, I really want to try and connect with him more so that he won’t be looking for our group leader as much. I think that I need to challenge S more with different activities and hopefully I will be able to peak his interest enough that he won’t want to go and find our leader.- Becky Montgomery
ReplyDeleteWe arrived tonight to find out that the young man we are working with was not coming. This allowed me to observe and work with a lot of different kids and WSU students. Walking around looking for a place to be useful, I was so impressed with how pro everyone seemed. If I had just walked into the gym, not knowing what was going on, I easily would have thought that the WSU students were professional special educators! After helping with the transition to the pool, I helped with a young man who was a very fast swimmer! It was a great chance to work on setting boundaries and consequences and seeing them through. This is practice I will bring to next week in our work with D, who needs and really seems to crave clearly defined and well implemented boundaries and rules. Looking forward to next week!
ReplyDeleteTimothy Owen
During my first week I had a very easy time. I did not think I would be facing many challenges. I was surprised when I found that it was challenging for me to keep B's attention. I had a couple activities in the gym planned with the jump ropes, but he got side track way too easy. One thing that I found helpful was to run laps around the track. This helped him get some of his energy out and he was better able to focus. I think next week I will start my time off with laps, skipping, jumping, and galloping around the track. This will help him to get some restless energy out before and be able to focus on the task at hand. I think this will help the whole night go a lot smoother.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Brannon
DeleteOne of my main challenges i had with K is that she didnt want to try new things. She loves basketball and that is all she wants to do in the water and at the gym. I`ve realized now that this is something i can use as a reward if she participates with me and does the activities that I and our group have planned for her. I also have to plan exactly what I want her to do because if I dont, she doesnt want to do anything besides play basketball. I love playing with little girl and I enjoy getting to know her, I know she is capable of all the stuff i want her to do, i just have to make sure i have her attention and let her know before we start the activities i have planned for us that day. -Ellie Lyman
ReplyDeleteMy main challenge with K is she doesn't want to try new things and when asked to she ran away and was very unhappy about it. However when told what the plan was she did it and liked being timed on it, so for the next time we meet I think it would be best to tell her what we will be doing for the day and time her because she really enjoyed it. I talk to my group about it also and we are going to try going to the racket ball court to see how they like that. I am hoping this makes K feel more comfortable to try things and make our night fun!
ReplyDelete-Montana Perkins