Blogging to Process: MY Special Topic

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Entry 1: MY Special Topic: My Stream of Consciousness


Choosing a special topic is always challenging for me. This entry will be much of a stream of consciousness, which will constitute my brainstorming session. 

I've known that I wanted to be a teacher since the beginning of my academic journey. Of course in kindergarten, I KNEW I'd be a kindergarten teacher (and so on and so forth every time I had a teacher I loved.) Through different experiences such as fieldwork placements in recreation, student-teaching, and so on. I decided to teach high school students. When asked by my family members, who all thought I would be an amazing elementary school teacher because of the, for lack of a better word, "maternal" qualities that I displayed asked me why, I consistently said that some of those students deserved a second chance. They deserved guidance and support, when they may be getting dismissed already. Ultimately, I focused on at-risk youth very early in my teaching career. This interest in special needs has now led me to teaching Social Integration Services (SIS) in the Adult Education sector. The path there was a little longer, but I will spare you the details. 

Here I am, now on maternity leave, expecting my first child in less than a month. I am still in constant communication with the teachers replacing me and the other Ventures team members. (For more information on the SIS program offered at ACCESS click here). This situation has put me in an interesting position. When I read the class materials, I have both my teacher hat on, and my mommy-to-be hat on. It's nearly impossible to set one aside when I read about education. That being said, I've made a decision to focus my research on one target group: adults with special needs also referred to as adults with intellectual and development disabilities. 

I need to narrow my topic to an area relevant to our course. Truthfully, I also want to find a topic that is relevant for immediate classroom applications (or at least upon my return from maternity leave). Possible questions to explore: (Brainstorm session, timed for 3 minutes)

Motivation-related questions:
What motivates an adult with special needs to learn?
Do adults with special needs rely on external stimulus to be motivated?
What approaches best motivate an adult student with IDD to learn?
Do environmental factors influence the motivation of adults with IDD?
How does a "childish" approach to teaching affect the motivation of the adult with IDD?

Teaching approach related questions:
What are the most effective teaching approaches to implement with adults with special needs?

I have observed SIS teachers from different boards and schools throughout the Greater Montreal Area. It has been my feeling that the environment that some teachers create can be childish at times. This is bothersome to me, and perhaps this is why my line of questioning has taken this route so far.  I am interested in finding out if this affects the students' learning and motivation, but I am skeptical as to whether or not I will find evidence of this in the current literature. It has been my experience in the past that literature on research carried out with adults with IDD is quite limited. 

Off to the virtual library I go. I will be back to report in what direction this research will take me. 

Thank you for your time, attention, and interest in this topic.

Kim

Comments

  1. evaMarch 22, 2020 at 1:21 PM

    I love this topic Kim. You already have come up with a few questions. I suspect you'll end up narrowing your focus more. I feel as though the question about the effect of childish methods is interesting and could be a research study of interest! Maybe you could do some research about the range of teaching/learning approaches and focus in on the more 'childish' and an example or two of less childish approaches, for want of a better term, and then devise a type of study you could do either in your own classroom to build a case study showcasing a different approach, or something else. Could be fun! (not to do, though that too, but to consider what you might do in your own classroom following the other approach, in order to foster learning and motivation in a different way). :-)

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  2. Miss KimMarch 27, 2020 at 2:30 PM

    Thank you so much for your input Dr. Eva.
    I feel like the concern over age-appropriate material is one shared by most of the teaching community within the social integration services (SIS) program, and this, across school boards. It would definitely be interesting to set up a study on the effect of the more child-focus approaches. I know from experience that depending on the level of disability, this becomes a huge factor in decreasing motivation. Students who have a mild disability will find things childish and not motivating, and they may refuse to complete the task. This, in turn, affects their attendance, which then affects their integration within the community. I truly feel that this is an issue that requires further study and attention.

    Another issue, which I won't be able to address within the purview of this assignment is the fact that the SIS program is dated. It was published in 1998! We are working with a program that is over 20 years old. This exemplifies the type of resources available for the teachers and students in Quebec.

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