Teaching Science and its Capabilities

This term, one of my focuses is teaching Science and its capabilities to the children. As a school goal, we want children to know that they are learning science in their classroom, and I am making this my goal so that the children in my class know that we learn science and that we are all scientists. So every Wednesday afternoon, we do science experiments. This might be related to what we have been learning about volcanoes, and I pick a science experiment out of The Kitchen Science Cookbook. The children have been really enjoying the variety of experiments that we have been doing and I think that their ability to describe what they see has been improving compared to prior to this term. We talk about how scientists look closely and make an observation. 

The other thing that I am incorporating into my practice with science is that we are writing about science experiments. This also has been working well as the children are interested and they can describe what happened whereas sometimes it is hard for children to come up with ideas for writing. 

Here is a science planning documentation (evaluation as well). 

I made a wall display for the science learning that we have been doing as I really wanted this to be visible to the children and to know that we are all scientists and we can find out things by being scientists. 

I think I also need to think about being scientists does not happen within the science learning time and this can happen anytime and this is something I need to explore a little more so that the children will understand that we are scientists everyday and anywhere. For example, we can count the number of full stops while reading a big book. We can have a look at some data in the classroom, or why something is happening in a certain way and what that tells us. 

Listening to Georgia talk about the scientist way of thinking, I also think that I need more questionnaires that I can ask children when we are doing the experiments. This is something I can make as a resource. Overall, I am quite happy with what has been happening in terms of science teaching in my class and I would like to continue doing this and extend children's understanding about science and how scientists think and act. 

 

Altogether Autism PL session

 Altogether Autism 

What is Autism? 

Life long condition, born with Autism, diagnosed at possibly 3, provide strategies does not have cure. Experiencing the world in a different way. 

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Disorder: negative 

Takiwātanga: Maori way of explaining 

In my/his/her own time and space, positive maori view about Autism. 

Te Reo Hāpai: book written by Nā keri Opai 

Characteristics (Social communication, interaction, restriction/repetitive thinking, behaviour, Sensory) 

Don't really way high functioning/low functioning, more like on a spectrum 

uses levels 1-3 

We don't call it Aspergers, all under Autism. Depending who is diagnosing and what manual they are using. 

Girls- they mask it and they are diagnosed later than boys. Girls tend to imitate others' play. 

Around the teenage years, they can't mask it later. 

Focus on the strengths 

Executive Functioning 

Help to be organised, plan, remember instructions, understand complex or abstract concepts, deal with change. Working memory 

Calming down activity 

What does Anxiety look like? Avoid new situations, no friendships/relationships, Misunderstood and seen as 'difficult' 

Children indicating how they are feeling, and what colour they are now, and after intervention/calming down 

Meltdown or Tantrum 

Meltdown is a medical event. The person does not have control over the behaviour. They can hurt themselves or others. They wanna hide, don't want to be the centre of the attention. 

Meltdown Stages 

1-Build up: pacing, fidgeting -trying to cope with the stressors and anxiety 

(Intervene early, introduce a break,  safe calm down place, physical activities tearing paper, squeezing the ball, staying calm, don't touch the person) 

Meltdown strategies 

Protect everyone, use a few words, protect the child's mana, exit strategy, no power struggle 

Recovery (either catch it before happening or after) 

Relax, Reconnect, Reflect, Recharge, Re-prepare 

Talking to other children who are autistic about the incidents too so that they will feel connected again. 

Shutdown- a child doesn't  internalise it 

Draw pictures and let the child know the change or what is happening now and next 

Behaviour=Communication 

Form of communication. 

Helping them to be independent. If they can't get their needs met, and can't communicate, the behaviour happens. 

Can't -find out whys. Is there a stressor? Is there a need to meet him? Skill deficit? Does he know how to tidy up? 

Sensory-friendly environment 

Sensory sensitivity- can't focus on one sense 

Check the physical part first 

Vestibular: Sense of balance 

Proprioception: knowing where the body parts are in the space (Spatial Awareness) Body GPS 

Hypo- need more of that 

Hyper- too sensitive, need less of it 

Interoception: internal senses, something that is happening inside your body 

knowing how the body is feeling 

Becoming anxious- they don't make the link between feeling anxious and why it is happening/ what is making them feel like that 

Creating a sensory profile 

Stimming: repetitive body movements, movements of objects

To calm us down and soothe us 

Stigmatisation- does this matter? 

Need to give the same feeling 

Stimming -appropriate at any age 

Communication

Strategies for communication 

You have the person's attention

Avoid complicated instructions

Keep your language clear, polite

Allow them time to process 

Visual cues 

Have important conversations in a quiet area 

Profile books to communicate with other colleagues about the child 

Visuals

First and then visuals 

First(Less motivated) and then (Motivated activity)

Social Stories 

Transitions, individualized, simples sentences 

Going on a trip, new situations 

Video Self-modelling 

Around routines, transitions, new situations, learn a new skill, break it down to the step