DRAFT Proposal for
Provision of Class Outlines/Teachers’ Notes
Background
Throughout
our son’s education, it has been clear that he benefits from previewing the
curriculum and from receiving the curriculum in written form to accommodate his
visual learning style. Since he transitioned to the general education classroom,
we have routinely asked that he be provided some of the curriculum in advance,
and at the very least that he receive it in a modified form at the same time the
rest of the students in the class receive their curriculum. In the vast majority
of instances, our requests in this regard have been denied. We believe the fact
that he has not had these accommodations has contributed to his overall lack of
progress the past four years.
During
this period when we have made a request for lecture notes, typically we have
been offered the notes of a "strong student". In response, we have
explained that such notes are usually prepared in class during the presentation
of a lecture and as a result, are only available to our son after the class,
thus defeating the purpose of our request. When we have specifically requested
that we be given a copy of the teacher’s notes or lesson plan or outline to
allow for previewing and a visual reinforcer during the delivery of the lecture,
we have routinely been told "this is not possible," for various
reasons, including the following:
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teachers don’t have their lesson plans ahead of time; |
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teachers DO have their lesson plans ahead of time, but they are all in their
heads, and NOT down on paper; |
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it’s a union issue, i.e., the district can’t force teachers to provide
students with their class outlines ahead of time; |
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teachers don’t keep a record of their lectures (essentially telling us
that every teacher in the district totally reinvents the wheel year after
year); and |
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teachers’ class outlines change from year to year and therefore keeping a
written record isn’t helpful, etc. |
At
first glance, it has seemed to us that these teachers not only have it in their
power to thwart the intent of IDEA by denying relatively simple accommodations
to children who need and require them in order to have access to and make
progress in the curriculum, but are intent on doing so. At second glance, we
have come to believe that the reality is that no one has ever bothered to ask
these teachers whether something like this is feasible.
We
believe that were such a project as we propose undertaken on a system-wide
basis, particularly at the high school where the vast majority of classes
deliver curriculum via lecture, so that all teachers participated in the process
and had the benefit of the provision of such lesson outlines and notes explained
to them, they would be more than willing to participate. After all, that is why
most of this district’s teachers are teachers, i.e., to impart information and
a love of learning to the children who pass through their classrooms.
As
a result, students in MBUSD like our son who are on IEP’s or 504 plans and who
need previewing or current access to the curriculum through outlines or
"teachers’ notes" would have this accommodation, with the result
that their access to the curriculum would be greatly enhanced.
A
Description of the Problem
Children
who are not auditory learners or who have receptive language difficulties or
auditory processing deficits do not readily access curriculum when that
curriculum is introduced in the classroom through verbal presentation or
lecture.
Children
with processing difficulties are often so focused on writing down the subject of
the lecture that they do not "process" the subject matter of the
lecture and their comprehension of the lecture subject suffers.
Children
with fine motor skill challenges or graphomotor issues often cannot keep up with
a lecture format or verbal presentation, and thus miss out on the substance of
the lecture.
Children
with organizational issues have difficulty organizing their thoughts and
materials in order to effectively and efficiently take notes on a daily basis.
Children
with autism often have difficulty with transitions such as those posed by
"new" or "different" curriculum, with the result that
previewing provides a beneficial means of access, reinforcement and review of
the curriculum.
Failure
to Accommodate the Problem
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results in a lack of access to the curriculum, thus contributing to difficulty
making appropriate progress; |
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causes stress in students who are already stressed as a result of their
challenges or disabilities; |
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results in a greater amount of time spent outside the classroom trying to learn
what typical students routinely learn inside the classroom, thereby increasing
the homework workload and challenges to the student already dealing with the
challenges of a disability and who is more than likely already behind in their
classes; |
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runs counter to the right of students with a disability or learning challenge to
have access to and make progress in the curriculum. |
Solution:
A Pilot Project
Children
on IEP’s and 504 plans would benefit from previewing or having their
curriculum, typically presented in a verbal or lecture format, presented in a
more visual fashion through a written outline or "teacher’s notes"
at the time the teacher delivers the lecture. Although the Learning Center is
said to have some students’ notes for some classes, it has been reported that
these notes often go missing or are unreliable.
During
the 2001-2002 school year, teachers’ notes or the notes of a "strong
student" could be systematically collected, reviewed, and scanned onto
MBUSD’s website, which students could then access. As of the 2002-2003 school
year, such notes would be available prior to the lecture dates.
If
it was determined this project should be done in phases, the first phase could
include only required freshman classes. Depending upon the success of the
project, additional grades and classes, including electives, could be added.
Benefits
and Advantages
Providing
outlines of class lectures or "teachers’ notes" in advance will
allow students on IEP’s or 504 plans to:
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preview the class
lecture, thus inserting them into the context of the lecture in advance; |
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be visually cued to the lecture being delivered; |
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improve their ability to follow the lecture; |
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maintain a heightened level of interest; and |
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process the substance of what the teacher is discussing, thereby improving their
overall comprehension of the lecture’s subject matter. |
Providing
outlines of class lectures or "teachers’ notes" in advance will also
bring the district into compliance with regard to numerous IEP’s and 504
plans.
Providing
outlines of class lectures or "teachers’ notes" in advance will
result in all the above benefits to ALL students. Ensuring better access to the
curriculum through such outlines and/or notes will result in better-prepared
students, greater participation by students, a more informed lecture and class
discussion, and more meaningful learning as all students will be on the same
page and thus engaged.
Students
will be able to use these outlines of class lectures or teacher’s notes as
viable study guides for review of the lecture outside the classroom, thus
reinforcing the content for typical students.
Access
to teachers’ and lecture notes on the MBUSD website will allow students who
are absent from school due to illness to know what the class covered while they
were out, thus enabling them to keep up or more easily catch up on their missed
class work. Student/Athletes who are injured can access their class lectures.
Access
to teachers’ notes and lectures on the website will allow parents to know what
is going on in the classroom, enabling parents to be more aware of the class
pace and how well their child is keeping up; contributing to parent/school
collaboration; contributing to at-home family discussions centered around the
content being taught in class.
New
students transferring into the district will have ready access to the class
notes of classes already in progress.
The
teachers’ workload will be reduced as they won’t need to reinvent the wheel
each summer in preparation for the fall and the beginning of school.
Access
to teachers’ notes will enable substitute teachers to more easily provide
appropriate lectures in the event a teacher is out ill.
Class
notes can be updated, revised and enhanced as class content changes.
Those
students who do the note-taking and outlining with teacher supervision will also
benefit if they learn better by writing, thus reinforcing their learning. At the
same time, they can earn volunteer hours towards any community service projects
they may participate in either at school or in the community.
Such
outlines of class lectures or teachers’ notes will be helpful to students
looking to prepare for exams such as the High School Exit Exam.
Such
a project would bring MBUSD into the modern age. Many universities routinely
make professors’ notes available on websites. Such access is a benefit to all
students, as well as their instructors.
Possible
Arguments Against Access to Teachers’ Notes
Giving
students notes in advance will preclude their developing note-taking skills
Good
note-taking is better taught by direct, explicit instruction and modeling,
using good examples. Teachers’ notes will enable students to preview what
a good example looks like. Teachers can require that students prepare notes
for each lecture so that students will learn how to take notes. The website
version can serve as a guideline or as a tool for checking developing
skills.
Teachers
want to know "Why should we do this?"
A
better question is "Why shouldn’t we?" Why shouldn’t we be
focusing on giving access to ALL students? Furthermore, use of such outlines
or notes will serve as a reinforcer of the more important aspects of each
particular lecture. Students can only gain greater knowledge from a more
thorough discussion of the subjects currently being studied in class.
Implementation
The
subject matter of this project has been broached briefly with MBUSD’s
Webmaster. A more in-depth discussion with the Webmaster will obviously be
needed to determine what he thinks about the feasibility of such a project,
including the capability of the website to handle such a project. [Note: The
Webmaster has indicated that although MBMS has a scanner, he didn’t believe
that Mira Costa had one. Our family would be happy to purchase and donate a
suitable scanner to MBUSD for purposes of this project].
This
project could be piloted during the 2001-2002 school year. If it is determined
that starting small would be a more logical approach, the first phase could
include the scanning of only lectures/notes for freshmen required classes. In
subsequent years, class outlines and teachers’ notes for upper grade classes,
as well as elective classes, could then be scanned onto the website.
Step
1: |
Teachers who already have class outlines could submit them immediately for
scanning. In addition, any notes located in the Learning Center which are found
and considered to be viable for scanning could be input. |
Step
2: |
At the beginning of the school year, students would be asked to volunteer to
assist in this project. |
Step
3: |
As the school year progresses, notes of lectures would be prepared by a
"strong student" volunteer, reviewed for accuracy and then submitted
for scanning. [Note: students who volunteer in this or any part of this project
could receive credit toward their volunteer service in this project]. |
Step
4: |
Scanning outlines/notes proceeds. [Again, depending upon the Webmaster’s
recommendation, it is possible that students could be participate in this aspect
of the project as well.] |
Step
5: |
Teachers and/or student volunteers proof/revise website product for accuracy
and completeness. |
Conclusion
This
is a brief draft outline of a project we would like to propose as a solution to
our son’s lack of access to the curriculum, particularly as it would look at
the high school level. Eventually, if successful, such a project could also be
implemented at the middle school. Further investigation with the MBUSD
Webmaster, as well as curriculum specialists will obviously be required. I would
be happy to participate in any discussions about implementation of this
proposal. Thank you for your consideration.
Submitted
by:
Deborah
Blair Porter
July
27, 2001
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