CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT

Meeting and "SETTing" Individual Needs in the Inclusive Classroom: A Case Study EDU 721 Rikki M. Franklin University of New England rikkimayerfranklin@gmail.com

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT PART I: Choice

Joy Zabala, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) team member and creator of SETT (Zabala, Dr. Joy, 2010-2011) explains: With the intention of finding the right "cool tool" for the individual student, she developed SETT a "school-based assistive technology program" that includes the, student, environment, tasks, and tools necessary for progress and achievement:

Student-entire program for whom program or lesson is designed Environment-where the student lives, learns, and grows Tasks-specific to what is needed or wanted to reach expectations Tools-everything needed to accomplish the tasks in the places they need
to be done so that progress is achieved. Justification

Representation, Expression, and Engagement are the three key ingredients in a successful UDL program. SETT compliments this practice. Zabala is part of the CAST team, the organization responsible for UDL. (CAST, 2002-2011) Student Profile (Students) The class selected for this case study is a 6TH grade, ELAR (English, Language Arts, and Reading), inclusion class from the 2010-2011 school year. It was (and still is) a

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT

90 minute block daily. The class included 24 diverse students. Four were borderline G/T and needed enrichment, six qualified under Special Education, two were ELL, and three additional strugglers were informally monitored by the teachers. Formal Response to Intervention (RTI) documentation was not in place at that time. The rest of the class succeeded academically with little to no support. Of the six special needs students, two were dyslexic, two-Autistic (with a combination of with ADHD or Sensory Motor Integration), one student was very successful with minimal support in ELAR, and the last was reading on a 3/4 grade level and recently placed into inclusion from resource/specialized support and struggled to" close the gaps." Classroom (Environment)

The classroom environment was originally co-teach, however based on student needs and staff dynamics evolved in inclusion-based facilitated support. Classroom management was strict and most of the instruction, whole group and led by the general education teacher that had a strong belief that students that were not on grade level belonged in a different setting. Inclusion and LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) were concepts that she was not comfortable incorporating into her teaching routine. In addition the classroom, students need to be able to achieve goals within their home, extracurricular, and social activities as well. Connection to Brain Research Authors Rose & Meyer explain three theories of learning differences including Recognition, Strategic, and Affective Networks. (Rose & Meyer, 2002) Recognition Networks "enable us to identify and interpret patterns of sound, light, taste, smell, and

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT touch." Strategic Networks allow us to "plan, execute, and monitor our internally

generated mental and motor patterns." And, Affective Networks allow "interaction with the external world with varied materials, tools, people, and contexts." The concept of context is extremely important as people (including students) experience the "same situations in very different ways." (Rose & Meyer, 2002) Given the intensity of some of the individuals in the class last year, differentiating with "cool tools" and more technology may have benefited them greatly. One of the students who was diagnosed with Asperger's mid-year, came to us with a Sensory Motor Integration issue. He was a terrific reader and thinker, but had a lot of difficulty writing. He was given a portable keyboard to use during school to take notes an well as dictate responses to the teacher. The student began to treat it like a toy, simply because of boredom and idle curiosity. However, the general education teacher thought we were enabling him and should then force him to write. While he may not have always made the best choices he needed tools that would give him full access to the curriculum. (CAST, 2002-2011) In these instances, SETT is most appropriate. We needed (and still need) to consider the individual student, the environments he/she need to be successful, the tasks that need to be accomplished, and finally the tools that will help him/her accomplish the tasks. (Zabala, Dr. Joy, 2010-2011) PART II: Figurative Language is a relatively new objective for 6th graders that requires a mixed skill set and creativity to assist the student in distinguishing between literal and

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT

figurative language within text, as well as defining its meaning and relevance to the written and/or spoken word.

Tasks
The students and classroom environments were described in Part I. For the purpose of this study, tasks and tools are specific to students with IEPs in inclusive settings. The tasks are "related to communication, instruction, participation, productivity, and environmental control." (Zabala, Ed. D., ATP, 2005) Some of the tasks for this lesson include (but are not limited to) written and oral expression, critical thinking, sorting, matching, mobility, and computer/internet use.

Tools
Several tools can help the students "access the curriculum" (CAST, 2002-2011) with ease. For the purpose of this study, five types of technology have been identified and utilized in the classroom with success. When applying this lesson to other student population and/or settings, additional tools should be considered-especially with Gifted & Talented, English Language Learners, and those in a self-contained setting. It is our responsibility as educators to give rather than limit the students' access to the curriculum as well as our lessons. The primary tools for this lesson are computer-based. "When methods use technology to help students with disabilities write, read, communicate, and learn academic skills, the first step is to ensure that students are able to us a computer." (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011, p. 95) While other devices may be needed on an individual basis, this lesson is rich with activities that involve a computer in one way or

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT

another. The technology in this lesson (and rationale for each choice) that requires training, accommodations, or Assistive Technology (AT) include: A. "YouTube" (YouTube, LLC, 2011) YouTube is a popular, mainstream website. It's a wonderful tool that helps the abstract become real. "Although (some) educators may find much of YouTube's content irrelevant or even objectionable for the classroom, it has the potential for being a powerful video source." (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011, p. 308) B. "Wikispaces" (Franklin, 2010-2011) Includes sites and sources that appeal to all five senses as well as learning profiles (Tomlinson, 2005) based on Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011, p. 35) C. Concept Maps "Concept-mapping provides structure and organization for the writing process and allows students to visually see how abstract ideas are interconnected." (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011, p. 89) D. "Hot Virtual Keyboard" (Comfort Software Group, 2008-2011) The student referenced in the profile is a visual learner and simplifying the input device (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011, pp. 153-154) will allow him to focus more on learning and less on hand-eye coordination.

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT E. Books, paper, writing utensils are also "tools" that need to be taken into account and perhaps require AT such as overlays, pencil grips, portable keyboards, etc.

The "5E" model of lesson-planning (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2011) is one that both our region and campus recommend as a simple and effective method for lesson design.

Figure II.A

Figurative Language Lesson in an Inclusive "SETTing"

Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate

Read a picture book to the whole class that has elaborate use of figurative language and discuss observations and possible interpretations. Concept Map (See Figure II.B)

In stations: -Sort & match labels and sentences. -Utilize resources on:
https://mrsfranklinsclassroom.wikispaces.com/Figurative+Language

-Find examples in text and explain literal and figurative meanings. Formative: Monitor interest and check for understanding in each activity (switch activity if not responsive) Summative: -Project: Create sentences and identify type of figurative language with visuals. or -Test knowledge with formal assessment.

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT Figure II.B

Reflections In the technology age, there are more options for Assistive Technology than ever before. This is valuable for multiple learners including gifted & talented students, struggling learners, English Language Learners, as well as the average student who is more receptive and motivated by a specific learning preference. Technology, specifically AT, can make abstract concepts real and motivate the unmotivated both intrinsically and extrinsically (Anderman & Anderman, 2010) by making learning accessible, interesting, and fun.

CASE STUDY PARTS I & II: SETT References

Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2010). Classroom Motivation. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. CAST. (2002-2011). CAST Teaching Every Student. Retrieved October 2011, from CAST: http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/index.cfm Comfort Software Group. (2008-2011). Hot Virtual Keyboard. Retrieved October 2011, from Hot Virtual Keyboard: http://hot-virtual-keyboard.com/ Franklin, R. M. (2010-2011). Figurative Language. Retrieved October 2011, from Mrs. Franklin's Online Classroom: https://mrsfranklinsclassroom.wikispaces.com/ Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. B. (2011). Teaching and learning with technology (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Rose, D. H., & Meyer, R. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: universal design for learning. Retrieved October 2011, from CAST: www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/index.cfm Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). How to differentiate in mixed-ability classrooms. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. YouTube, LLC. (2011). YouTube. Retrieved October 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ Zabala, Dr. Joy . (2005, March). Ready, set, go! Getting started with the SETT framework. Closing the Gap, 23(6). Zabala, Dr. Joy. (2010-2011). Handouts for download. Retrieved October 2011, from Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D.: http://www.joyzabala.com/Home.php Zabala, Ed. D., ATP, J. S. (2005). Using the SETT framework to level the learning field for students with disabilities. Retrieved October 2011, from Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D.: www.joyzabala.com/Home.php