"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 5 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?
My child has learned to be more confident in the water and to focus on kicking his legs while swimming. He is currently working on listening to directions and working on smoother transitions. I have learned how much preparation has to go into setting things up and having a lot of activities set up to try to keep his attention. I still need to learn how to get him from one place to the other and keep his focus on a single task at a time.
ReplyDeleteAustin W. Barron
A has learned to be more comfortable talking with others. Over the last 5 weeks I have started to see a lot of progress when it come to communicating with others. She still needs to work on interacting with people her age, and keeping focus on our current tasks. I have learned that the most important thing for A is to make sure she is having fun. I've also learned that if I show her what to do first she does a much better job then if I just tell her what to do. I still need to learn how to motivate A, find something she like and use it as a reward for her.
ReplyDeleteMcKay Barker
1. A and I are working on social skills, including following directions, and being responsible. His mom reminded me that capes is a wonderful way to have more unstructured play. We can activities planned but they are for fun. I am trying to let A be responsible for his fun, by giving him 2 options of activities and then letting him decide. We have to talk about appropriate ways to play a game before we play.
ReplyDelete2. We still need to work on social play. I have noticed that A will still take a toy from another kid. I just don’t want to make a scene to explain why it was wrong. I think it would be helpful to set of opportunities for him to practice this skill.
3. I have learned more about the needs of an older kid. Usually I would with young students who need a lot of help, but A is older and really just needs to have a good time and learn more subtle skills.
4. I have learned that I need to be more flexible in lessons. If I am forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do, we will both just be frustrated. We should be having fun.
Amber Seidel
I think that the biggest thing that G has learned is to trust me and feel comfortable with me. She makes eye contact with me more and will repeat me when I ask her to more often. She has also learned that she can swim with a floatation device in the pool. I can see how much more confident she is in the water. She still struggles a little getting in the pool, but the last 2 times I’ve given her some time to come down one or two steps and then pretty much grabbed her and taken her in the pool. The first time I did that, I could tell she was very nervous by the way she clung to me and the sounds she made. Now when I take her in the pool she is a little clingy at first, but then does great moving around the pool once she understands that she can float. She will twirl, smile, and laugh. I love that she is enjoying her time in the water.
ReplyDeleteI would like to teach G to float on her back in the pool without a flotation device. I think she still needs to work on being more verbal, but each week I work with her, I see just how much she knows. She really does know a lot and is getting better about verbalizing with me.
I have learned that I have to stand my ground when I want G to do something and that I can’t just give in when she doesn’t repeat what I ask her to say. I have also learned that working with special needs children is very rewarding and fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with G so far.
I have so many things that I still need to learn. I feel like the most important thing is how to set goals and which goals are appropriate for special needs children. I need to learn more about implementing rewards. I feel like I also need to learn how do deal with certain behaviors.
1. The biggest thing that my child has learn is to watch out for others. At the beginning of the semester he would get in the way of people all the time. This week we did not have to tell him once to watch out for somebody else. This was so exciting for me to see because we have been working on this the whole semester.
ReplyDelete2. This week was rough M did not want to listen or do wat we asked. It took us a while to get him out of the pool. When he went down to the rock he had to wear a different harness. By the end of the night he was upset. This made me realize I need to work on emotional regulation with M.
3. I have learned so much from working with M. I think the best thing I have learned is not to underestimate a child. M is legal blind. But he has no problem getting the pool ring off the bottom of the pool in the deep end. It is truly amazing.
4. There is so much I need to learn. One thing I need to work on is discipline strategies. When M is not doing what he is told it is hard for me to come up with ways to make him stop.
Janessa Frandsen
1. My participant has learned how to kick her feet in front of her while I hold her in the water.
ReplyDelete2. She still needs to learn how to feel comfortable floating on her back while kicking her legs. We are also working on her conversations with people when they are asking her questions especially.
3. I have learned that it goes a lot smoother when coming OVER-prepared rather than just playing it by ear.
4. I am sure there are many other things I still have to learn. I can definitely learn to help teach someone to feel more comfortable performing an unfamiliar task without showing them how to do it.
As this was only my third week working with B, I learned a lot about what he does better at and what he needs to work at. Definitely swimming is something that B is amazing at! The first week we had no idea what we were doing so swimming was sketchy, but this week we started repeating the word kick and we kicked and he saw and started doing the same. He also learned about using weights while swimming, this gives an independence that I think B really loved. He went under a little bit, but popped right up. I think this helped him learn about not being scared of water and that going under sometimes is okay. Each time I have a little heart attack, but I know that it's pushing him and that is good. We've also worked at different ways of stacking cups. We still want to work with B at this because it helps build different types of skills and it's something that he enjoys and is a little reward activity at the end. B is an amazing child and there is so much about him to learn, so I think that there is a process of elimination on what he does and does not need to learn and right now I don't really know what that is. There are so many things that I really want to see him do before I say oh he needs to learn this. I have learned so much, a lot of it is just having confidence in yourself and the child. The first week I wasn't feeling like I did anything right, but I realized that it wasn't me being negative about my abilities to work with children. I also know that I can't underestimate B in anything. There has been so much progression in the past threeish weeks that I know he is so amazing and can do anything. Like I said before I still have tons to learn. I need to learn how to communicate better with B and his parents. I need to learn how to be okay with changes in schedules and how to teach someone to swim.
ReplyDeleteC has learned much in the few week that we have been working with him, he is becoming more and more confident in his ability to swim in the deeper part of the pool, he is now able to swim over there without any help from us or a floatation device. He has progress not only in the water but also in other areas too. This last week we work on getting C up the rock wall, on the second try he was able to get all the way up to the top. We are still working with him on his communication skills, and pushing him more to tackle harder task with more confidence, for example floating on his back. I have learn much with working with C,I have learned the importance of explaining the rules carefully, along with demonstrating how the activity is done. There is still a lot I still need to learn, I can't say that I have learned everything. I need to learn more on how to work through some of the different moods or behaviors that I have come across so far in working with the participants.
ReplyDelete1) The child I have been working with has been making progress throughout CAPES. Though it has been slow I think that she has learned how to be able to express herself to us. She has learned how to tell us what activities she wants to participate in non verbally. She also learned how to swim in the deep end of the pool with only a floaty for help.
ReplyDelete2) The child still needs to learn how to make eye contact with you when you are talking and we have been working on that, and also she needs to learn how to express her frustrations in a positive way.
3) I have learned a lot pf patience, I have also learned that progress although sometimes is slow and steady it is still a step in the right direction.
4) I still need to learn how to portray my wants to her in a more effective way. I feel like talking and telling her is not effective and I am still working on a better way to communicate with her.
1) My participant's learning thus far has been more in the way of what is expected of him than actual skills learned. I have found that he is able to do most of the activities that I choose but, he is reluctant in performing the task or following directions. He has been learning that he still has to do things he doesn't want to do.
ReplyDelete2.) I have a much better grasp as to my participant's skills. We are moving toward more functional skills now, such as reading simple words, working with money, tying shoes, etc.
3.) I have learned quite a lot. I have learned that children may be a lot more able than they seem. They may keep things hidden in hopes that others will do more for them.
4.) I still need to learn how to better and much more quickly assess a child's abilities and to better formulate plans to make up for any areas where they may need assistance.
A is really great and already knew a lot before I got here. I have mainly just been helping her continue to improve upon skills that she already has. For example, we have been working on some different swimming techniques, and she has been improving her breathing, kicking, and treading skills. As far as what she needs to still learn, we all have things that we can continually learn about. I think it would be great to keep improving upon these skills that she has learned already, both in water and on land. Some on-land skills would include batting/keeping her eye on the ball, throwing, catching, and grasping items. She does well already, she just needs some improvement. I have learned more about how to work with kids with disabilities. I never had any experience before, so this experience has been really great to give me a glimpse of what it's like. It is a very rewarding experience. I think I still need to continue working on interaction and choosing games to play that would help A with her skills
ReplyDelete1. My participant has learned to blow air under the water and trying to remember to breathe/come up for air while he is swimming. He also has learned and gotten better at kicking his legs while he is swimming. He has learned that he can be on a mat on his stomach and actually have fun doing different activities.
ReplyDelete2. He still needs to work on some fine motor skills. He needs to work on using his hands more and better.
3. I have learned that I am not very creative. I need to come up with some better and more fun activities be B can get bored with what I have planned sometimes.
4.There is still a lot I need to learn. I need to learn to over prepare and plan more things so my night runs smoothly and my participant has fun while actually working on things. I need to be more stern, all B wants to do is play sports.
-Makell Hull
1. K is learning to trust us. She is getting more comfortable going to the deep end of the pool and she knows that we wont let anything happen to her. She is also learning to use her manners with us.
ReplyDelete2. She still needs to work on her manners and her fine motor skills.
3. I have learned patience and to put her needs first. Let her work on what she wants to work on instead of forcing her to do what we want her to do.
4. There is a whole lot that I still need to learn.too much to list but one thing is I need to learn how to encourage her better, try and to try something new.
1) I think the biggest thing J and S have learned so far is to trust me. We can start making a lot more progress now that they trust me and are willing to do as I ask.
ReplyDelete2) J needs to learn to be willing to be more active. He is very passive during our land time. It makes it difficult for the boys to work together. S needs to learn to socialize with J some more, and be willing to do the planned activities.
3) I have learned how to relax and have fun with the boys and to go with the flow.
4) I still need to learn how to help the boys interact with each other. They do not enjoy spending time together and they compete for my attention. I'd like to figure out a way to help them get over this.
1) The child i have been working with has learned how to dive for the rings and also manners is something that is improving as well.
ReplyDelete2) They still need to learn to concentrate on one thing instead of getting distracted by multiple things. Also paying more attention when i'm giving directions.
3) I have learned that things are going to take awhile to get down but i know eventually everything will start coming together and i will see a difference in my kid.
4) I still need to learn more about my kid and understand what he likes to do and all of that. I haven't been with my kid for to long so i'm still trying to figure him out slowly.
-Jeremy Maxwell
The child I have worked with has learned how to communicate in different ways with different people and how to make sure people know what she is trying to get across.
ReplyDeleteShe still needs to work on getting comfortable with trying new things and getting out of her comfort zone a little more.
I have definitely learned patience and that dealing with children with disabilities is a whole new world. I have also learned that they wanted to be treated just like other kids. You should be able to meet their needs without having to treat them entirely differently.
I still need to learn all the different kinds of disabilities I could encounter with future students and how to be able to meet the needs of those kids.
Today we were on the exerciser bikes. we walked around the track and then did some stuff on the exerciser bikes. For the pool we practiced swimming towards the deep end and played basket ball in the water. I focused on having fun and enjoying myself. it was easy to do. our friend was easy to be with and had a good attitude.
ReplyDelete