TRANSCRIPT - Moving Instruction Out of The Storage Closet and Into The Classroom! Ð 9/16/24

>>Belinda: So we will get started. We're going to be talking about Moving Instruction Out of the Storage Closet and Into the Classroom. So we've all been there, right? We're itinerants. We had a student with direct and consult services at a school but space is limited and we often end up doing pull-out instruction in a storage closet, hallway, or some other space outside of the classroom. So what does that do, though? What happens when we're removing a student from class? Does anybody have an idea they want to throw out there? I know sometimes we have to, right? But what are the implications of doing that when they have to leave the classroom to do direct one-on-one instruction with us? Yeah. They may miss some instruction that's that happening in the classroom. Yeah. The student is seen as different. Yes, they are different. Absolutely. Especially when they get to middle school, they really don't like that. And they're already -- to be perfectly honest -- they're already sometimes feeling like they're left out of things, so we're making that happen in another way when we're pulling them out of the classroom. Yes, they have more homework to make up. They're missing content, social opportunities. Yeah. So does this have to be our only go-to option? When we're thinking about can we push into the classroom, right? Can we consider other options? So, remember, we are charged with providing individualized instruction in the least restrictive environment. And that may mean something different for a given class or a given student or a given lesson. It can vary. So our goals for today will be to identify why in class instruction is beneficial for students with visual impairments. And the how. How do we do this then. If we can recognize there are times students and situations where this could be beneficial, how are we going to make that happen? Because it's not easy. We're going to explore a number of reasons for that "why" but I wanted to start with this core philosophy, one that kind of lies at the root of all of this. This quote says: Inclusive education is not a privilege. It's a fundamental human right. It really is. It's a fundamental right to be educated and to be educated alongside your peers with access to the same concepts at the same time as your peers. This is something that everybody deserves an opportunity to access. So, looking at the inclusive learning environment. What can that look like. We're talking about pushing into classrooms, allowing students with visual impairments to participate fully in the regular classroom settings. So this is promoting inclusivity. It fosters a sense of belonging among the students. That's one of the things we talked about. They kind of don't feel like they're a part of the class. So if we can push in, we get them fully participating. Many kids are worried about the assignments they miss while they're at their session with their VI teacher. And the anticipation of having to make up the classwork can really make them pretty anxious. Even though the students are on an IEP, many teachers hold them to standards and rigors of the rest of the class. So, in reality, students should be given additional time to complete the assignments at school, not at home. I know that that's a big stressor for a lot of students too. I had a student who has low vision, has cerebral palsy and it's a lot of work. Also Cortical Visual Impairment. It's a lot of work to process what's going on in the classroom every day and then she's behind academically. So when she has to, you know, miss lessons in class because she's doing great stuff with her teacher for students with visual impairments, it's a big stressor now to know she's got to take that work home and work on it in the evening and that makes for a rough night at home. And they're missing the other things that are happening in class too. And then we have some kids with FOMO, fear of living out. And they have to leave during their favorite book or center rotation. That can cause frustration and have negative effects. You may see some behaviors when you're taking a student out of class and they're missing a preferred activity. And occasionally, that's really prohibiting some positive outcomes in that isolated setting. So let's say a kiddo is missing out on a science lesson that they really have been looking forward to. Let's say the lunar moon cycle with the Oreo cookies. And you're taking them out to work on using their CCTV or practicing Braille. You may not have some really great behaviors and there may be some difficulty focusing in your one-on-one lesson, when they're missing that super fabulous activity with their friends. Staying in class is going to allow for successful outcomes for all participants. You're going to get a better response and the kiddo is going to have a better response in class, better behavior. So another why. We have access to curriculum. This is a really big one. Our students are missing access. That's a great deal of what's happening here. So by being present in the classroom, VI specialists can provide realtime support to students with visual impairments. That ensures that they have access to the curriculum and the learning materials along with everyone else. This support can include adapting materials, providing assistive technology, or offering alternate learning strategies. And then we have more time in the classroom. This is a big one, right? If we are transitioning out of the class to walk down the hall, they're missing accessing that content at the same time as their peers. And they're missing out on all the social lessons that come along with that, as well as the content being taught by an expert. That fourth grade teacher knows way more about the fourth-grade level TEKS than I do as a teacher for students with visual impairments. So it's better for them to be able to have access to both worlds. They're doing the lesson with peers, the social skills that are coming along with that lesson, and then we as the vision experts are promoting that access and modeling it for teachers. We're going to have an immediate communication pipeline with the teachers and the assistants and even the other students too. But you can demonstrate strategies for supporting student access in the moment that they're needed. So functionally in practice you're demonstrating it. And even take a step back and release that role to allow the assistant or teacher to give it a whirl. For example, something like hand under hand, if we're demonstrating, we've told them, we've shown them videos. It's different to see it in practice and it takes repeated practices to get it right. Same with using language that gives appropriate detail in a meaningful way. Using positional words, describing what you're writing on the board. Instead of just handing it to the kiddos. Modeling that for teachers, assistants, and other students is really a great way to ensure that they're going to take it all in and become good enough, comfortable with it to use it, even when you're not in the room. And then assistive technology. So thinking about that. When you're in a classroom, this really is the perfect place to ensure that the CCTV is being used correctly. Sometimes when we leave, that CCTV can be put away and not used at all. So we want to reinforce best practices because in most cases it is the best tool and we know that. It's just getting everyone comfortable with using it. And being there to see what challenges there are in the classroom, like battery life, you know, is the CCTV just not lasting through the day? Is the distance to the outlet to plug it in a problem? Is the camera blocking the view for other students? Do we need to look at how it's positioned to make it more effective for the student? You won't know that if you're not in the classroom. And the teacher, you know, they can report these things to you but sometimes it's lost in the busyness of the day and all the things that are going on. I see some comments in the chat here. Yeah, push in services can provide multiple opportunities. Modeling opportunities are great. I do agree. Teachers are thankful for it because sometimes you're having the consultations with the teachers and telling them what's going on and telling them how to serve the students but seeing it in action is something completely different. Yes, you see the lighting, functional considerations for AT. Those are all really great points too. Okay. If I missed anything, Kaycee, just let me know. So we'll look at the next slide. We talked about this a little bit. Peer interaction and socialization. So those social skills, they're not taught in isolation. Even, you know, when we're having our sessions one-on-one and we're having a pretend conversation where let's pretend I'm a kid at the playground and you're going to come up to me and ask me if you can play. That's different than really having a chance to do that on the playground or joining a lab group in science. Our students are going to have more opportunities for peer interaction and socialization if we are working with them in the classroom and supporting that process. They can collaborate on group projects, participate in discussions, engage in extracurricular activities, contributing to their overall social development. I know we love our students. We often have a unique connection that no other professionals have because we tend to follow them for a very long time and have that one-on-one working relationship -- which is necessary sometimes, right, to teach some skills. Especially new skills. But how many of you know students who relate to adults better than they do to their peers? Just put a thumbs up in the chat if that's something you've seen. Or a yes. I know I've seen it a ton. And the problem that comes from students who are more comfortable with adults than peers, when they get to the transition age -- and we're talking about jobs and soft skills in a workplace. Boy, if you can't interact with your peers and be comfortable in that kind of setting, it can be really difficult to get a job and to keep a job. And, you know, even when you think about other things like traveling in public and getting support and they have facilities or ISS, you really need to be able to interact with your peers and have conversations with them that are meaningful. So we also give our peers something. When the students are staying in class, we're giving them an understanding and acceptance of people who are a little bit different from them. That goes a long way in keeping people successfully employed and keeping people safe in the future as well. And I would also add that students learn better from other students. Sometimes. Oftentimes children are more motivated by seeing what or how a classmate completes a project, rather than prompting or modeling from an adult. They're going to listen to their friends a whole lot more than us. Even as wise as we are. So I'm going to share a little video with you now. This is from Birdville ISD. It's a wonderful classroom where they have some fabulous inclusion going on in this classroom. And I'll show you how these kids are interacting. [ Video ] 

>>Belinda: I like that because I think it's true. You're modeling for the other students. Here's the expected behavior. Here are the supports. And the respect you're giving, the dignity that you're giving to another human being, and they're just as valuable as you are. And they really do take that with them and grow and learn to be respectful of people who have differences. So individualized supports. This is another "why." Support can be targeted and adjusted to meet the needs of individual in a natural environment. That's what we're charged with doing in the least restrictive environment. We provide specialized instruction and seeing the lessons in action is really a critical component to make sure the student has access and that their IEP is met. So conferencing with the classroom teacher is important as well. That's a really critical piece that you want to do frequently. But remember you're the expert in knowing what your student's needs are, how they access information, and the support they need. So by providing the support in class, modeling the strategies, and then slowly fading away as the student needs less support, that's the idea situation. And, again, there may be some moments where you need to have that full-out instruction one-on-one. But we're striving for that least restrictive environment. The goal is always to get the student and the skills back into the classroom. I'll talk a little bit about teacher collaboration. Collaborating with teachers is essential. We all know that. For supporting students with visual impairment. By pushing into classrooms, what you can do is sort of -- you know, it's like two birds, one stone. We're working closely with the teachers while in the classroom to identify accommodations, modify the instruction, and implement strategies that benefit the student's learning experience. And the staff, who are charged with working with the student several hours per week, can observe the child, learn those simple strategies and accommodations, and then consistent prompts when those activities are completed at other times during the week. We all know a lot of our students -- we use routines. We have to use the same language each time to make things successful, do things in the same way. And if the other staff are seeing you model that language and that behavior, that can really help follow through and see that it's implemented in the classroom. Because we're only there a very small part of their day or their week or even their month, depending on how much service your student is receiving. And another thing to remember too is that the teacher is a liaison to the parent. They're probably communicating with the parents as much as you are, if not more, because they're seeing the students every day. And when teachers are in communication with parents and parents are asking how's this? How's he accessing Google Classroom? How's his typing? How is his reading? Student with low vision or Braille, it helps the teacher to be able to see what the VI lessons are to see how the student should be using the equipment and tools, materials, strategies. And they can report with confidence that they truly have information, instead of just a consultation with a teacher for the visually impaired who -- you know, sometimes kids do something differently in class than what they're doing in a VI. This makes sure that everybody is getting the same picture. Oh, also to find time, we also know classroom teachers have incredibly busy schedules. TVIs have incredibly full case loads. Most schools are understaffed these days, and so maximizing their time when you can be in the classroom and he or she can see your work and you can see theirs. It's a time saver. And it's not a one-size fits-all model. You have to take a step back and in these changing times figure out maybe something a little different might be a better option for our student. And to look carefully at the delay in skills, the expectation within the classroom, and how to best serve each child to meet their needs. I think that it's important to recognize too that classrooms are run differently. So something that works really well in a science class may need to be adapted or completely changed for an English class. And you might not know that unless you're there seeing that in action. I'm wondering if anybody has seen two classes, same teacher, working really differently and had to use completely different strategies for supporting students or tools. Like maybe a CCTV works really well in the math class but maybe a -- you know, we're doing the iPad and scanning things for a language arts class. There may be completely different needs in different classes. Okay. Moving on to what's our role. Collaboration: Roles and responsibilities and how does that fit into this model. So we know we are charged with consulting regularly with the classroom teacher and other regular and special education personnel, parents. We've got home school and community on our plate so we're coordinating programs and services that are even outside of the classroom. We're sharing responsibility with the classroom teachers and identifying instructional areas where they require assistance. So we're the -- kind of the owner of the Expanded Core Curriculum but part of that is making sure our students have access. That's the piece that the classroom teacher is really going to help us with because they are the content experts. And we need to look to them for the content and then we need to support them with that access for our students. Providing assistance to the classroom teacher in an academic subject and any activities of the classroom. So, you know, you've got to be in close consultation and collaboration to know that there's a big test coming up next week or that there's a lab that's going to require some use of some equipment that the student may never have seen before. And maybe you need to be there to support them. Or maybe you can practice showing the teacher, the student how to use that equipment ahead of time and kind of pre-teach it. Here we mention the ECC again. It is our disability-specific curriculum. I like that it says it is up to the TVI and the COMS to coordinate the assessment and ongoing instruction. It doesn't say we're providing the direct instruction, we are coordinating this. So maybe part of the ECC is being addressed in a science class with a particular lesson or a health class or cooking class. It's up to us to document that and include that on assessment needs or, you know, that it's mastered. The student doesn't have a need in that area. And to document when those skills were addressed. So we're the ones tracking all of that and you're not going to know if the information has been taught or needs to be taught, unless you're closely collaborating with all the other instructors and service providers. Another really important idea is that efficiency. I mentioned it a little bit earlier but we're talking about transition specifically. That is a huge time saver. I had a student who had cerebral palsy who had transitioned for resource classes. So she receives small group instruction for language arts and math. And then she had VI instruction. And so because she had CP, she also had some gait issues and was a slower traveler. A lot of our students happen to be slower travelers. And so she had to transition to a classroom across campus for the resource support. And that transition, we timed it, she was going typically three times in a day to the other classroom. It was a seven-minute walk for her each direction. So that turned out to be a total of 42 minutes a day that she was losing instruction time just traveling to that other classroom. That's a really big loss when you're thinking about this seven-hour day of lessons that are happening, and social skills. It's something really to think about if you can reduce that travel, if you can stay in the classroom, you're optimizing more of the time that she's available for instruction. And then, you know, what happens with transition sometimes too is kids are upset. There's a behavior issue. Difficulty focusing once you get there. And our kids are already oftentimes one step behind their peers. So we're missing, we're missing that and we're having to adjust and transition each time you move them out of the class. And then we think about materials too. So more efficient use of materials can be had sometimes in the classroom -- think about we probably all have had the experience where we see a lesson and think, oh, this would have been a perfect time to use the picture maker from APH, but it's in the VI classroom down the hall. If you're providing instruction in the classroom alongside peers, you can facilitate the storage and organization of these tools. Model their use in class realtime. And it makes it more likely that your student in a classroom are going to use it when you're not there. And you don't have any time lost going to get it and coming back for the lesson. And the personnel, communication with the teachers. You're really giving them that information about the lessons so that they have, you know, immediate access to present levels. How the student is functioning. It eliminates that extra step of understanding all of these things. I wonder if anybody wants to share if they've had a really great way of organizing materials in the classroom. I think it's important to have student input, because when you're not there -- if they're old enough -- they're really the ones who should be going and getting the materials from the shelf. But they also need to know how to use it and be comfortable using it. And so does the teacher. I've had students using the draftsman -- I mean, the Perkins is a go-to tool also. Yes. It is nice to hear the way students are being taught so we can support in the same way. Absolutely. Because, I will say too, being a teacher for students with visual impairments is a challenging job, right? I feel like we're serving zero to 21 and we cannot be an expert in all things at all times. So it really is important to collaborate closely with your classroom teachers who are the experts in the content for that grade level. Because we can't do it without them. It cannot be all on our shoulders. Okay. Generalizing skills. Wait, Michelle is sharing. A Braille student who wanted Braille names on his classmates' folders. Oh, so he could participate in passing out the folders. It's a really good way to include the student so he's understanding organization and he's doing a functional job that probably the other kids are all getting to do as well. You get that social interaction every time you're handing a folder to someone. It's really good. It's so simple too. It's a great way to have students involved. Generalizing skills. Okay. So by participating in classroom activities alongside their peers, students with visual impairments develop important skills for independence and self-advocacy, right? They learn to navigate the classroom environment, which is what your student is doing, Michelle, when he's passing out the folders. It's O&M right there too. Navigating the classroom environment, advocating for their needs, and developing confidence in their abilities. That promotes independence. That's really huge. When we're thinking, you know, what's our long-term goal here, we want students to be able to advocate for their needs and we want them to be as independent as they possibly can but also recognize when they need help. When to ask someone for some assistance. When to raise your hand and say I'd like to do that. I'd like to pass out the folders too. I'd like to take everybody's lunch order to the cafeteria. Whatever it's going to be. Our job is to make sure that they have access, that they can Braille the folders that they know how to navigate the classroom. So after students master goals in a one-on-one setting, which is what we often do, the student shouldn't automatically graduate from VI or discontinue services. Now, I want to pause on that for a second. I think that sometimes we teach a student a skill and we see that they've got it and we think, well, that's it. Yeah. He can, you know, put the paper in the Perkins or open up a document in Google and write his paragraph. But can he also do that in the classroom? Yes, he or she can do that one-on-one with the TVI but making sure that that transfers to all the other classes when maybe access was a little different. Maybe we have to go through a different platform. Maybe it's really noisy in the history class. Maybe that class isn't managed as well and there's a whole lot of distractions happening. Can your student do these skills in another environment? Maybe the lighting is different. Also, that can make a big difference, as we all know. So don't just assume they've got it, I don't need to teach that skill. I don't need to monitor that skill anymore or maybe dismissing them from VI. We want to make sure the skills are generalized. And, remember too: Home, school, and community. Check in with the parents. Have a lesson out with the COMS where you guys are using the technology, using the monocular, cooking a meal. Is the microwave at home different than the microwave at school? We want to make sure that those skills are happening across all of the environments, not just in your isolated VI lesson. So pushing in. Pushing into the classroom, pushing into the home, pushing out into the community are all going to make sure the skills are generalized. So how do we start? Does this look familiar to anyone? This cluttered closet attached to a classroom? I have to say I've been there. And honestly, I have been thankful to have a place like this to sit down in a chair and have a little desk where I can close the door and make some phone calls. It has happened. But think about this from a student's perspective. It's a storage closet full of supplies, arts, crafts, chemicals. Who wants to leave their classroom to come into this windowless, grim place and leave their peers? Not many students, right? I recognize that some students do need a quiet place for a sensory break now and then. That's different. We're talking instruction for one-on-one services. This really shouldn't be the place where you're doing that regularly. So how do we get out of the storage closet and into the classroom for instruction? How do we make that happen? To me, that first start, that first step comes with making connections on campus. Because we're visitors, we're itinerant. Sometimes they're stopping you in the hall to see if you're the substitute for Ms. Smith's class who is out today. They don't always know us, even though we've been coming there for five years. I have been mistaken for a substitute more times than I can count. So that's one thing. Make connections on campus. Recognize that teachers are nervous about getting a student with a visual impairment sometimes. They may be thinking, oh, I've got a teacher for students with visual impairments coming. Somebody new to tell me what to do and I already have 30 kids in my class and a whole lot going on. Or they could even be the opposite and say, well, I had a VI student five years ago. I know what to do and I'm sure they're all the same. So we need to make connections with all of the teachers, whether they are experienced or they're new and nervous. Because we know our students are all very different. We need to build a relationship with the classroom and campus staff. The front office people, the custodian, the cafeteria staff, PE. We want everyone to know who you are and that you are there to support your student and not make more work for them. Let's see. Edna has a suggestion. She was all over the place. Librarian made you an office. Oh, that's nice. Wow! That's a -- it's like a wonderful gift when someone welcomes you and gives you some space to put your things. That's really good. Communicate your desire to teachers and administrators about your method of pushing in the class, what that's going to look like. And explain the need for the space and materials. And I think they are generally going to be pretty welcoming, if you have really tried to build a relationship with them. And then respect that space and that relationship. Step out of the room when you need to take a phone call. When you have a virtual meeting, go to the library. And when you have conversations with other service personnel, to have those outside of the classroom so we're not standing in the back of the class and, you know, talking to the OT about the kiddo three rows up. That can be a big distraction. We want to recognize that we're a guest and respecting their place. Empower students, teachers, and assistants to really reinforce what you taught them. We want them to feel comfortable with taking on the role that you taught. Hand under hand, using sighted guide, using the positional concepts, encouraging use of the Braille note. Whatever it's going to be, we want them to be comfortable doing all of that, even when you're not in the room. To make sure your student is successful. We have Shawn adding extra storage space into the student's IEP. Oh, yes, I like that. Sometimes we have advocated for a second desk, extra storage space. That could be bookshelves. That's great because our students do often come along with a lot of extra things that we need to figure out how to manage. And, yes, some of our desks are really small and it takes a couple of desks to handle the CCTV and the Chrome Book or whatever it's going to be. But being there in person helps. And having that relationship with a teacher can really help make that connection, make that happen. Anybody else have some tips that they want to share? I think chocolates go a long way too, to bring goodies to teachers and front office staff. You know, old-fashioned but it works too. Just to make friends. Oh, tacos, yes. Yes, I respond well to tacos too. So we have a quote from the Utah State Board of Education. Special is a set of services. It is not a place. We sometimes get stuck in the idea that we're going to pull our students out and provide this one-on-one instruction. When, in reality, that doesn't have to be the way it is. Think outside the box. We want to think about what's really best, individualized for our students, and think about maybe pushing in might be a better option. Maybe I teach this skill that, you know, we've been working on for a while and make sure that they're really comfortable using the tool. And then I'm going to push in the class to use it with the student to see it in action, see it functionally, and make sure everybody is comfortable with it. Yeah. I know. Everybody needs to get reminded of this quote once in a while because it really is important to think about that it's not a place. It's not a place. We have a student using a monitor on her desk for enlargements. Oh, I.T. had a few spare monitors. Make friends with your I.T. department, absolutely. That reminds me when I have come into a school and seen this beautiful big touch screen monitor for guests at the office to sign on. And I'm having trouble finding a large screen, touchscreen monitor for my student. The ITM campus had extras but you have to make those connections though. I love it. So we have shared some resources for you. We have some articles that are really a great read to, you know, get some other ideas for how to implement, you know, push-in services into your daily lessons. And then I have a link at the bottom to the QPVI LiveBinder. I don't know if everyone is familiar with QPVI. Quality programming for the visually impaired. This LiveBinder, it really has some fabulous resources. Everything you need to know about VI instruction, COMS, the legal, the whys. It has a lot of information about collaborative processes for teachers of students with visual impairments. It's a wonderful resource if you haven't looked at it before. And then if you have any questions, you are welcome to reach out to me. I am at TSBVI. My e-mail is listed. And Kate Borg's e-mail is listed as well with the Utah School for the Deaf and blind. Michelle loves the QPVI LiveBinder. Yay! Well, we have QPVI like a process where we have Outreach staff who are trained in the QPVI best practices. And we're actually going out and doing trainings for districts. That sort of goes through this binder, as well as -- all of it, really. I'm wondering maybe we can talk later to see what the challenge was. Yes. There is a whole -- it's a whole process that usually takes a year, sometimes more to go through. And the whole team is involved. Even the administrator. And it's really great for putting best practices in place. There is a link on the resources and it should be in the handouts as well, to the LiveBinder. Lots of good input. I appreciate everybody's comments. 

>>Kaycee: This is so helpful. I love this topic so much. I think these inclusion practices are so key for, you know, like you said, not only the students we serve but all the students in the classroom. They learn so much from our students and from, you know, everyone being together and learning together. I also shared in the chat a little bit ago the full video that Belinda showed the little clip from. Inclusion in the classroom is a brand-new project we just finished. That link is in the chat for everybody too. And it's on the Texas Deafblind Project website, if that's something you would like to check out or to share with other people. I'll put the handout in the chat again for everybody. Kate and Belinda had some wonderful resources that you can see on the screen. And they are linked in your handout as well. 


>>Belinda: And the video, it's not long. It really is worth a watch. Yeah. Chrissy, yeah, she put some information about QPVI training. And so if your district is interested in having us come and do that, we can do that as well here in Texas.