Jan 09 Cohort Group A Discussion

Haline, Dawn and Willem, I hope you are getting on okay with the first unit - please join in the discussion thread if you feel it will be of any help - you can also ask me questions directly using this thread.
All the best
Pauline

Nicole has now replaced Dawn in this group - sorry for last minutes changes - but everyone can benefit from both group discussions!
Pauline

Hi everyone, I have finally made to the discussion group. Almost from the start there were some technical hiches but I am now able to access everybody.
Pauline, as you can see i am in, while I was sorting the technical side I did some reading so my first assignment should be on time.
Halina

Halina, pleased to see you on the discussion thread and that you are on line for the first hand in date. I am interested to hear what you have been reading?
Pauline

Hi all,

It took me a while to get familiar with the site...to get here and to find the important docs.

Gr.

Willem

Hi Willem, welcome.
You are not on your own...........it took me ages to get used to getting round here

Halina

Hi Pauline, I have wrtten something on Introduction and Orientation, it is in my folder. I would very much appreciated some comments/suggestions. Can you access my foulder or do I have to send it to your email address?

Thank you
Halina

Halina,
I am pleased to hear you are submitting pieces of your work already. We provide the various hand in dates over the year so that we can offer you feedback at these regular intervals - so I will be providing full feedback after 20th March
Regards
Pauline
                                                 

Hi Pauline, I have managed to collate some information from various sites regarding policy, SEAL, recommendatrions in Sir Jim Rose regarding identification and teaching of children with dyslexia,national Strategies, intervention, human rights and legislation. Additionally I have put my nose into 'Dimentions of Dyslexia' Volume 1&2, just to mention a few......

Just started writing my assignments, wish me luck.
Have a good weekend.
Halina

Hi Pauline,

I went again through the handbook and the units 1, and I need some clarification in regards to what needs to be handed in by the 20th of March. Is it the exercises from unit 1 'Introduction and Orientation' and the 'Audit and Analysis Section'. And in what form do I hand in the exercises; hard copy or online?

Thanks,

Willem van der Sluis

Dear Willem, It is rather confusing - so I am repeating below the instructions I have given to other students regarding Unit 1. Please submit your work on-line in you personal folder. All of the below should be sumitted to your folder by 20th March - hope this helps

The Handbook refers to Unit 1: Introduction and Orientation (page 10) and Unit 1 The Audit and Analysis Section (page 16) It might be easier to think of them as 1a: Introduction and Orientation and 1b: The Audit and Analysis Section.
Lets concentrate on Unit 1a: Intro and Orientation first:
This section should be 1000 words or equivalent
The key aim for this section is for you to get to understand your subject area better using the advice in the handbook (page 10 - 15) There are suggestions for what you can do for this section. These activities are intended to help you to start to bring together a portfolio of knowledge and are intended to help you to focus more on 1b: the Audit and Analysis Section (page 16 of handbook). I would suggest that you really try to keep within the 1000 word suggestion (or equivalent) for these activities - and make sure that in this first part that you don't start writing up what is required from the Tasks in 1b the Needs and Analsysis section. If you use an alternative format these can be uploaded within your on-line folder but please provide a coverpage /contents list referring to what you have done.

The next part of your portfolio is 1b: The Audit and Analysis Section (page 16 of handbook)
This section should be appoximately 2000 words (for the whole of this section i.e. all of the tasks below) or equivalent (please bring this together in one whole body of work (e.g. a complete Word document). Some of the Tasks require you to collect evidence such as C.V., shool handbooks etc - I would suggest you refer to these in the main body of your written work and place the documents in your appendices - making sure you cross reference

A format for 1b: Audit and Analysis section is suggested on page 19 of the handbook. For clarity I would suggest that the format should read as follows:

A suggested formate for your portfolio might be:

1. Cover page: Contents Page

2. Overview Summary

3. Audit of Provision

    Task 1 (details of each task are provided on pages 20-24 of handbook)

    Task 2

    Task 3

    Task 4

    Task 5

    Task 6

Appendices

The list of documents/resources that you wish to put in your appendices could also be listed in the same order under the Task Headings if your wish. Make sure you cross reference within your writing to any documents you place in your Appendices (e.g. Please See Appendix A) The Appendices can be uploaded as separate documents in your online folders but please make sure they are clearly cross referenced in the Appendix list. The APpendices do not form part of the word count.

We don't want to be totally prescriptive about this, but this is one suggested format.
We will provide feedback for Unit 1a and 1b when you submit the work, but if you have any questions meantime please post them here on the discussion thread.

All the best
Pauline

Halina, sounds like you have accessed some very useful resources - I look forward to reading your assignments.
Good luck!
Pauline

Pauline,


thanks for you information. It is very helpful.

Today I have a meeting with my advocate and we will plan the appraisal. This week I will fill up my folder.

GRW

Links of two papers I found useful for unit 1a:

Internet:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/[…]/InclusiveSchooling.pdf

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/[…]/SENCodeOfPractice.pdf

Book:

Falvey, Mary A. 'Inclusive and Heterogeneous Schooling',
Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. 1995


Willem

Thanks Willem - very useful and comprehensive documents at the click of the mouse!
I will post them on the other discussion thread as I am sure everyone will appreciate the resource.
Thanks
Pauline

Thomas, G. 'Special Teaching For Special Children? - pedagogies for inclusion'
2005, Open Univeristy Press
England/USA

Hi Pauline,I have slowly started gathering information and materials regarding the 'plan'. I have decided on the theme, which is Difficulty in Mathematics. The dyslexia aspect is now very well researched but children who are dyslexic often have difficulties in Mathematics as well. This is certainly borne out in my experience working with SEN students.
I hope I am on the right track here. In the notes there are examples of portfolios, which I find slightly confusing but hope to get to terms with after some thinking! Pauline, does the portfolio consist of of the assignments this year or is it all to do with unit two,Planning Development section?

I hope everybody had a good break.
Halina

Not sure what I am doing I felt the same way for unit 1 but I am looking at comparison of policy UK/US
I am not sure I have read and reread and redead the Unit 2 guidelines but is becomimg more confused can some one assit Where is every one. An on line course is !!!!!!!
I have planns for going on courses or workshops but I have not identified any to date? I am still grabbing at straws. Then we have two units saying unit 2 page 25 and page 34 of the PDT 4081 module handbook !!!!!!

i had this problem as well. pauline explained to me that pg 30 is an overview of how the planning fits in to the entire module. but if you look at pg 52 and 53 that is what you should follow (as far as i can understand it) my problem is i have no idea what to do for the planning data collection part of the assignment. is it just websites and books and discussions that you would have or read or research in order to make it a viable plan? i don't know why there hasn't been a proper discussion group for unit 2. it's all quite vague.
  

Hyacinth and Stacey, I am so pleased tro see your comments. I also found unit 2 very confusing. On top of it my group tends to be very 'quiet'.Do you think we need to be more 'wordy' rather than just writing in bullet points? Any comments would be very welcome.
The other problem with sharing ideas is that we are very likely approaching it from different topics. My chosen topic is 'Difficulties in Mathematics', not necessary dyscalculia but generally. It is known that about 40% of the population has some level of difficulty in this field. Finding the research and some statistical evidence is like climbing Everest in slippers!
If anybody would like to get in touch with me you can contact me on halinatucker@hotmail.com and if anybody would like to meet even better.
best of luck.

Stacey,
I do wish we can meet, But I live in the Caribbean. Look at page 45 #6 Data Collection Methods and see if that can assist you.

Helina I am climbing without shoes. This MA as action research was not the method of study I expected so I was not prepared for it I am not even at a school. It is interesting but it is like reading a novel but not grasping the plot just rambling on We will get there shoes or no shoes. We will get to the top.

I am in the wrong group discussion but as some one said we need only one group the two gruop is just time consuming

I would really prefer one discussion group as i feel i just look at both discussions every time. I don't feel like we have had so much support for this unit . hope I am doing the right thing. do others feel this way?

Dear All,
I have now created one discussion group for all in your cohort. I split it up in the hope you would get to know each other a bit better, but you all seem to doing that now!! SO please just use Discussion 3 now.
I have been trying to keep up with responding to individual emails, but now can give more time to joining in the discussions.
All the best
Pauline

Hyacinth, I realise that it is a bit confusing, but I hope the email I sent you on 30th March answered all your questions.
Pauline

Dear Halina, I think your theme of Difficulty in Mathematics sounds very interesting and as you say perhaps an area that is not as well researched as dyslexia. Where do you mean 'in the notes' - I am not sure where this is or whether there are exmaples of portfolios - can you give me some more information on this.
The portfolio for this year will contain all of the units as per what is set out at the bottom of page 5 of the handbook. The work that is being done for this Unit 2 is just the planning section for what you will be doing in the next Section Unit 3 Evidence Collection (page 59 of the handbook)
Hope this helps!
Pauline

PART 2: PLANNING RESEARCH TASKS
 i am not sure exactly what i have to do here. just discuss what websites etc i will be using to help me collect my data?
 
help?

Stacey, as per my response to you in the emails - but also to let others know.
Where it says Part 2: Planning Research Tasks on page 54 of the handbook - this is just a suggested exercise to help you with understanding research methodology, data collections tools etc - by linking to the websites on page 55.
Regards
Pauline

Please use the Discussion 3 for all the group now.

Thanks
Pauline