Integrated Learning??

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Okay teachers, or any one else with the info, what is Integrated Learning? I've been told that my DD's school is switching to this for next year. The rumors are that all advanced classes will be eliminated because they won't be needed with this new way of teaching. I'm confused.

I've tried googling it and I've emailed a teacher friend but I haven't found anything helpful. So I have turned to the wise folks of the Dis!!! So my wise dis-friends, any thoughts?

Oh, and I will speak to the teacher next week at the spring conference but wanted a general idea prior to going in to school. TIA.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Bumping this back up hoping that the teachers will be available soon.

 

[comicguy]

In NYS Intergrated classroom are for students that have an IEP or 504. These studnets usually have some sort of learning disability that keeps them from "regular" classrooms. An intergrated classroom is a classroom where the regular ed teacher teaches with support from a Spec. Ed teacher in the classroom. The Spec. Ed teacher then can reinforce the lesson in Resource Room to help the studnet acheive a better level of understanding.


*** Please note*** these are regular classes but they have additional support for the students (ie Additional staff, Spec. Ed teacher) Especially with the emphasis on state testing under NCLB

I hope that clears up some confusion as far as what Intergrated is, but it sounds like what your district is doing might be something diff., not sure??

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Yes, this is something entirely different. The entire school is supposed to be doing this. And my DD, while not a rocket scientist does not qualify for an IEP. She is in advanced reading but is at grade level for the other subjects. I have a SDD that had an IEP so I understand that and the special ed teachers' role.

Thanks for what's happening in NYS. I guess I'll just have to ask the teacher next week.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

In NYS Intergrated classroom are for students that have an IEP or 504. These studnets usually have some sort of learning disability that keeps them from "regular" classrooms. An intergrated classroom is a classroom where the regular ed teacher teaches with support from a Spec. Ed teacher in the classroom. The Spec. Ed teacher then can reinforce the lesson in Resource Room to help the studnet acheive a better level of understanding.


*** Please note*** these are regular classes but they have additional support for the students (ie Additional staff, Spec. Ed teacher) Especially with the emphasis on state testing under NCLB

I hope that clears up some confusion as far as what Intergrated is, but it sounds like what your district is doing might be something diff., not sure??

In NYC we use the term "CTT" - Collaborative Team Teaching - for the type of classroom you described. The ratio is SUPPOSED to be 15 general ed students and 10 students with learning disabilities. As you said, there is both a certified common branches teacher and a certified special education teacher in the class at all times. Additionally, if any student requires a 1 to 1 para, that adult will also be in the room. One CTT class in my building has 5 adults and about 20 children.

I suspect Integrated Learning is some new term for one of the following:
-blending two core subjects such as math and science into one class
-doing more project-based learning so each child is challenged at their independent learning level (something like this is probably involved if they are taking away from tracked higher level classes)
-some brand new idea, er, "learning initiative", that is really a recycled idea from 10 or so years ago

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Thanks Piglet. The last bullet is the one that I'm worried about. This is a Catholic school and we have a new principal. Well, okay she's new to us but one that is definitely past retirement age.

She's initiating a lot of things that she "used to do". I think I'll have a lot of questions next week.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Thanks Piglet. The last bullet is the one that I'm worried about. This is a Catholic school and we have a new principal. Well, okay she's new to us but one that is definitely past retirement age.

She's initiating a lot of things that she "used to do". I think I'll have a lot of questions next week.

Let us know what it is when you find out! You've got me curious now! There are so many terms (and they vary from place to place) in education that maybe it's something so minor but they want to drum up excitement.

 

[Cindy B]

For me, integrated learning means inclusion. (Same process as described before but yet a different term)

I haven't really heard that term much but it could mean that also. And to make this more interesting, some district just make up their own terms for a concept to make it sound more interesting.

 

[MarkFL]

Maybe they're just eliminating tracking, thus integrating most of the students?

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Maybe they're just eliminating tracking, thus integrating most of the students?

Hmm, I have no idea what that means.

This is a VERY small Catholic school. There are 10 kids in the entire 3rd grade. I know there are 2 kids that get pulled out for special education classes. I know she goes up to 4th grade for advanced reading and 2 other kids go for math. She's been fine so far but at think we are at the point where she is getting bored. I had the same issue in 3rd grade but we moved to another state and that got resolved quickly!!

And our public schools just stink in my town. The next township over is great but our town stinks.

 

[MarkFL]

Tracking is separating students into different "levels" depending on their ability in that subject (e.g., honors classes). While this has many advantages for higher-track students, those students in the lower track are generally lower-income or cultural minorities. Studies have found that due to the stigma attached to being in the "dumb classes", the lower-track students have worse attitudes about school and about themselves.

 

[monkey68]

Maybe it means that they'll relate what's going on in one class with another? My HS had something like this, with American history and English. Whatever time period you were studying in history, you read a book pertaining to that era.

 

[barkley]

i'm wondering if it's the program where the schools buy a software/hardware package along with training for their staff.

you think of traditional elementary school and it's "drill and practice" on most concepts with testing at the end. the kids that show easier mastery might end up in a gifted or excellerated group/class that still employs the same methods but at a more advanced subject level. with integrated learning it's-test first, then use the test results (computer does this) to develop an individual program for each student. the computer decides depending on the student's test results which exercises in learning to assign and weather to let the student progress up and do more remedial work. in the best case scenario the teacher uses the computer data to determine what the "off line" learning will be like (teacher might see that the bulk of kids need a certain type of review and they can focus on this, that certain kids learning style is more hands on so they can incorperate more of those types of experiences).

if it's this kind of program it can work well if you've got a kid who does well working independantly (not so much group instruction) and you've got teachers/administration that reccognize that you can't just plop kids in front of a computer terminal and have it do all the teaching (which sadly one of the private schools i'm aware of that uses this program does).

for us "old folks" who went to elementary school in the late 60's and the 70's think back to those "sra" reading and math programs. you took the little bubble test and then the teacher told you which cards you had to read or do the math exercises on to progress to the next level. this is the same kind of thing but on-line, only difference is where sra (at least when i went to school) was a supplementary program with traditional teaching being the norm, in integrated learning it's the norm with the traditional teaching being the supplementary.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Barkley, I loved those SRA cards. In fact DD's school still has an old box of them in her reading class. She had one stuffed in her reading notebook for the longest time. Told me that the teacher just lets them do it for fun.

I would hope that this "new" system works similarly to what you described. She is bored in class. She told me the other day that she started correcting a classmate's reading. I told her that she couldn't do that. But her response was "But mom, Jackie couldn't even read the word Aztec. What's wrong with her?" So we had a long conversation on how lucky she is to be able to read well and to NEVER EVER correct her classmates!!! Before she used to sit quietly but as the differences are growing, she is becoming more frustrated. And no, she is not a genius or anything else. She is just above average in her reading skills and it is becoming evident.

Thanks for your response. That gives me a little bit of hope.