Educational Focus

The complex needs of those living with cognitive and emotional challenges in our society are multifarious.  Upon adopting children with special needs, I became keenly aware of the teeming challenges present in this population.  However, a focus of study solely on Special Education seemed narrow as this issue ideally involves the whole family.  With immense gratitude, I discovered the Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies program at Arizona State University. 

Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies

The B.I.S. program allows for the study of multiple disciplines rather than one major.  The overarching concept is to use manifold bodies of knowledge in order to solve, research and create with the broad base of multiple perspectives. The four primary BIS classes focused on this end.

·         BIS 301 Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies: This course presented an overview of interdisciplinary studies; core knowledge, skills, and integration in academic and applied settings.  The major emphasis was the integration and synthesis of multiple genres to create something new. 

·         BIS 302 Interdisciplinary Inquiry:  The primary focus of this course was research methods and their application within an interdisciplinary effort.  I practiced not only theoretical but, practical research and applications.

·         BIS 401 Applied Interdisciplinary Studies:  This course provided oversight, focus and interdisciplinary structure to my internship within the resource classroom of a middle school.  Of chief effort was discussion and report on the application of my areas of concentration within the actual population of focus.

·         BIS 402 Senior Seminar: The crux of this course was the application of our areas of concentration and their impact on issues of personal identity.

BIS Concentration Areas

My specific disciplines of study are Special Education and Family Studies/Child Development.  These concentration areas allowed for an intensive and in-depth study of the population that I seek to work with.

Special Education Coursework

·         EDP 302 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION IN EDUCATION: An overview of contemporary assessment measures used within the classroom.

·         EDP 303 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: This course followed human lifespan development from a psychological perspective.

·         EDP 310 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: An overview of common practices within the school counseling office.

·         EDP 313 CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE: This course followed the greatly differentiated path of young human development from a psychological perspective.

·         MCE 446 UNDERSTANDING CULTURALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS: Discerning the difference between cultural issues and learning disabilities.

·         SPE 311 ORIENTATION TO EDUCATING EXCEPTIONAL CHILD: This class reviewed challenges across the special needs spectrum.

·         SPE 314 INTRODUCTION TO BILINGUAL/MULTICULTURAL STUDENTS: Creating a classroom that effectively educates English language learners.

·         SPE 336 BEHAVIORAL/EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS:  Reviewed common emotional problems and their presentation within the classroom.

·         SPE 361 INTRODUCTION TO LEANRING DISABILITIES: A study of the learning disabilities seen within the public classroom.

·         SPE 411 PARENT INVOLVMENT AND REGULATORY ISSUES: A mixture of positive parental involvement and staff intervention present the greatest educational outcome with special needs students.

 

In this coursework it is evident that generalizations are inadequate.  Each student, each disability and each attitude must be offered the respect of individual consideration.  Creativity, ingenuity and compassion are of utmost importance.  This coursework prepared and inspired me to enter the resource classroom.

Family Studies & Child Development Coursework

·   CDE 232 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: This course followed human lifespan development from a physiological perspective.

·   CDE 498 CHILDREN'S SCHOOL SUCCESS: This was a very interesting course in which we studied national and international trends in academic success and norm referenced testing.  With the base of this understanding we examined what measures birthed success and which did not.

·   FAS 301 INTRODUCTION TO PARENTING: This class covered a sundry of parenting issues from birth to adult transition.

·   FAS 331 MARRIAGE/FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: A study in the complex underpinnings of familial relationships from origin.

·   FAS 370 FAMILY ETHNIC & CULTURAL DIVERSITY: Many functions that we consider family issues are based in cultural morrows. In this class we explored multiple cultures and their impact on family groupings.

·   FAS 431 PARENT-ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS: Examining the intense and often hostile shifts that take place in the parent/child dynamic during the dramatic flux of adolescence.

·   FAS 498 CONFILCT RESOLUTION: A study of the various components of conflicts and coping/resolution methods to deal with them.

 

This specialization offered critical information in the areas of physiological, emotional and familial influence on the developing individual.  This work again confirmed the assertion that each student deserves individual consideration.

BIS 401 Internship

 

Throughout this internship I was able to work in a multi-system academic, psycho-educational and intervention based school.  MSEC consists of three primary components; An alternative primary school, Superstition Mountain Mental Health Care and a young parents academic program.  The alternate school is staffed by Arizona Department of Education certified special education instructors whose primary focus is the development and employment of individualized educational programs (IEP’s) for each student.   Superstition Mountain Mental Health Care works concomitantly with the academic staff to provide the behavioral and psychological piece for the high-risk student population. The Young Parents Program affords a supportive and practical environment in which pregnant and parenting adolescents continue their academic work, infused with parenting and child development instruction, while spending time with and receiving care for their children.

 

The disciplines involved in the structure of this program are teeming.  Classroom teachers must be proficient in cross-categorical emotional and learning disabilities.  The vast majority of students are multiply disabled, diagnosed and treated.  The combination of physiological based needs and emotional trauma originated issues requires a wealth of educational techniques, classroom structure models and behavior modification modes.  It is not readily clear whether family issues are the cause or symptom of many of the student’s emotional challenges; however, they are nonetheless a primary factor in development and success.  Further, the school district has recently adopted a new software program for the development of student IEP’s.  I have been included in the tutorial instruction for this software and am staggered by the immense amount of paperwork that is involved in the development of each student’s IEP.

 

Misbehavior in this setting is frequent and often extreme.  Each classroom is directly linked with on campus SMMHC services, who remove the students from the classroom within moments of contact.  Students are given immediate attention for real-time psychological issues concurrent with regularly scheduled counseling services.  Four students were removed from the classroom I observed on my first day of internship.  Teachers and mental health agents discussed smooth transition and appropriate behavior with the student upon both removal and reintroduction into the classroom. 

 

Consecutively, I was able to observe and instruct in a classroom at a neighboring middle school that offers service for severely learning disabled and emotionally handicapped students.

Follow the link below to peruse multiple academic, altruistic and creative pieces I have written: