Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Real Experts: Understanding Autism And Adhd Through The Lens Of The Individual, Mary Little

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation aims to spark intentional conversation and change geared towards shattering stigmas around the autistic and ADHD experience. Attendees will enhance their understanding of neuro-divergent populations in order to modify environments and provide interventions aligning with trauma informed care and inclusion. Attendees will also be given the opportunity to embrace the power of self disclosure and mentorship.

Teaching Students About Trauma, Stress And Brain Regulation, Kathy J. Van Horn

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

All students are impacted by stress and can benefit by understanding their brains, their stress response, and strategies for regulation. This presentation will provide practical principles and ideas for teaching students strategies and skills for physical, emotional, and cortical regulation.

Mindfulness: The Missing Link In Education, Ashley L. Baer

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Were you asked to pay attention or behave in school? As educators, we must stop expecting focus and self-regulation, and instead we must teach it. Learn how in this experiential session to connect and regulate students using the breathing ball, games, breath, and movement. Let’s practice!

Self- Determination And Student- Led Ieps, Elizabeth R. Clarke

Empowering Educators Conference

In this session, Dr. Clarke and her student, a high school senior, will analyze and instruct educational professionals about self-determination. She will explain how to give students a voice in their IEP and their educational plans, as well as the subsequent effects: boosting motivation, independence and academic success.

Teaching Students About Trauma And Brain Regulation, Kathy Van Horn, Joshua Macneill

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

It is important to empower students with information and understanding about trauma along with concepts and interventions for brain regulation and healing. When information about the impact of trauma is shared with students without first establishing a solid foundation for hope and change, it can do more harm than good. In this presentation, we will share guidelines and ideas for teaching key trauma-informed principles to students including physical, emotional and social regulation strategies as well as an understanding of the stress response.

Write The Book! How To Share Research And Promising Practices To Support Underserved Students, Douglas Rife

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The needs of our students have grown exponentially in the last two years. Educators, community services and care givers are at a loss to support all of the academic, physical and emotional challenges our students are facing. Learn tips and processes for writing a book to share your research, experience and solutions to ensure the happiness and success of ALL students.

Trauma-Informed Teaching: Professional Development For School Staff, Heather Roesinger, Chelsea Williams, Tammy L. Hughes

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Trauma is defined as a response to a negative event that includes both an emotional and physiological component. Two thirds of children experience some form of a traumatic event by the age of 16 (Cavanaugh, 2016). Many youth with disabilities, particularly emotional and behavioral, have experienced trauma and show visible signs of difficulty in the classroom (Cavanaugh, 2016). Trauma-informed schools take a strengths-based approach and focus on building safe, positive environments and relationships. Research has provided evidence that a trauma-informed approach can be instrumental in supporting positive outcomes of children exposed to trauma, but school staff feel ill-equipped to support …

Bars To Bridges: Culturally Responsive Education Advocacy, Micaella Flores, Christine Otto

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

We'll explore tangible ways to advocate for BIPOC students who've experienced educational disruptions. We’ll discuss the methods and model The Bars to Bridges Program uses to successfully transition justice involved youth into their academic settings and maintain engagement in education.

Spiritual Leadership In Early Intervention Practice, Jo L. Mccray

Adult Education Research Conference

This study explored integrating the principles of spiritual leadership theory into early intervention therapeutic practice to enhance services provided to children and families. Semi structured interviews served as major sources of data.

Examining The Implementation Of Functional Behavior Assessments And Behavior Intervention Plans, Vedia Page

Scholar Week 2016 - present

There is a need to understand and improve the skills of school staff regarding functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs). Students who exhibit problematic behaviors are at risk for negative outcomes in school and in adulthood. Students with emotional disabilities, African American students, and male students have the most risk. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ and administrators’ skills and knowledge as they relate to developing and implementing FBAs and BIPs and to identify training needs in this area. The study may be of interest to school staff and others seeking to provide behavioral …

Identity And Advocacy: The Missing Components In Promoting Social-Emotional Health And Self-Regulation For Multiply Marginalized Girls, Jovonne Tabb, Temple S. Lovelace, Mary Comis, Olajumoke Oshokoya

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Girlhood has been a topic of great interest in the last decade. As individuals have examined the lack of girls in STEM or the increase of bullying in girls, there has been a push to understanding the differential experiences along gender-based lines. In this study, the researchers highlight the results of the successful implementation of a group-based curriculum that utilized identity and advocacy as critical components in a treatment package focused on self-regulation. Using a pretest-posttest design, the researchers found a statistically significant difference in several key areas that are of key importance when supporting the needs of adolescent girls. …

“Re/Imagining Culturally Responsive Educational Practices (Crep) And Effectively Implementing Crep To Meet The Needs Of A Diverse Student Population”, Rena' Glass-Dixon, Shelbie Dixon-Brown

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The aim of this interactive workshop for educators and administrators is to promote cultural awareness and reflect on the impact that our own cultural influences have on the teaching and learning process. This interactive session will also allow professional educators and leaders to apply culturally informed practices to foster positive school climate, learning and academic achievement relevant to a widely diverse student population. The workshop strives to encourage dialogue between educators, administrators and interdisciplinary/inter-agency team members through the application of evidence-based practices for the development of a deeper understanding of ourselves and how our views as educators, schools and districts …

Bully, Bullies And Bullying: Pejorative Terminology, Alternative Descriptors, And Ethics-Based Interventions, Tom Clees, Todd J. Stephens

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation will present historical perspectives on the use of person-first terminology as related to the impact of contemporary pejorative terminology, including the terms associated with "bullying." Functional alternatives in assessing problematic behaviors will follow. Finally, ethics-based (least intrusive) social skills and behavioral interventions will be exemplified.

Effective Instructional Practices For Students With Mild Disabilities: Cognitive And Meta-Cognitive Strategies, Crystal Roberts, Andrea Scandrett, Jessika Washington

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and School Administrators will be able to gain information needed to support students suspected of or identified as experiencing learning disabilities. The presenters will discuss cognitive and meta-cognitive high leverage instructional practices that can be used to improve student engagement and academic achievement by strengthening executive functioning skills to enhance memory, attention and self-regulation.

Practical Strategies For Regulating Students’ Brains, Kathy Van Horn, Joshua Macneill

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Knowing your students are impacted by trauma is only step one. It is more important to know what to do. This session will cover interventions such as brain breaks, fidgets, student curriculum and service dogs. We will share how we transformed four schools to meet the needs of struggling students. Whether you are an academic, clinical, or administrative staff, you will leave with tangible interventions you can implement immediately.

Instructional Scaffolding Of The Acrl Framework For Information Literacy For Developmental Learners., Fabio Montella

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Information literacy has become a necessary set of abilities for community college students to possess in this age of digital distribution. The plethora of information that is generated at an almost instantaneous rate has brought about the need for an information-literate student body with the ability to both decipher and utilize viable and valid information. However, the attainment of such abilities requires the comprehension of information literacy core concepts. These concepts, while instrumental, may be difficult to grasp without a foundation of practical familiarity, especially for students in developmental education courses.

In this presentation, Fabio Montella, Assistant Professor of Library …

Inclusive Ensembles: Differentiating For The Singer On The Autism Spectrum, Natalie Wilkins

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Exceptional children belong in music classrooms. Music ensemble directors need to overcome complex challenges to meet the goal of inclusion because ensembles often contain a mixture of ages, grades, social and intellectual development stages, musical skills, and a wide variety of diverse learning needs. This study focuses on how a choral ensemble director may create an inclusive environment for students on the Autism Spectrum.

This study reviewed current research on creating inclusive rehearsal environments. Analysis revealed varied methods for differentiation including modified/adapted scores that make use of color-coding, personalized parts, and symbolic notation; choral ensemble formats, such as self-contained choirs, …

Language Interventions And Social-Emotional Learning Helps Students Who Are Emotionally Disturbed, Megan Walsh

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Students who are classified as being Emotionally Disturbed (ED) often struggle in the general education classroom setting because they do not receive the proper support to be the most successful. Many teachers do not understand how to work with these students due to a lack of training and understanding of the disability. Additionally, these students who typically have behavioral issues will continue to act out without forming interpersonal relationships with their teacher. Although research has demonstrated some understanding of working with these students, few studies have explored the use of language interventions and social-emotional learning to promote positive student-teacher relationships. …

You Must Know Them Before You Can Grow Them, Beatrice "Bea" Lewis

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

It is an inescapable truth that schools must learn as much about their students and their experiences in order to create a culture built on relationships, which is the cornerstone to student learning. The dynamics and complexities of building positive relationships with students are impacted when teachers’ attitudes, values, and biases conflict with school culture. In this interactive “real talk” session, participants will examine their own biases and attitudes that may be hindering the cultivation of positive relationships. Participants will be introduced to a variety of approaches that can be used to evaluate the values, beliefs, and attitudes that are …

The Critical Need For Mental Health Education To Be Mandated In New Mexico's Public Schools, Bonnie L. Murphy

Shared Knowledge Conference

Based on a review of research and best practices in mental health awareness and skills, this inquiry project argues for state legislative policies that would require mental health awareness and skills in the K-12 curriculum. Mental health affects individual accomplishments in every stage of people’s lives beginning in early childhood and throughout the life cycle. Prevention and treatment of mental illness plays a key role in the ability of an individual to cope with loss and develop resiliency and perseverance in challenging times and to make better decisions that improve the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. …

Learning To Think...Thinking To Learn, James C. Dean Mr., Julie Pfeiffer, Nancy Famulari, Julia Connett, Briana Kaparis

ICOT 18 - International Conference on Thinking - Cultivating Mindsets for Global Citizens

How do you create a systemic school culture of THINKING? In this interactive presentation learn how 3 Miami-Dade schools are using a set of consistent visual tools to teach critical, creative THINKING and communication to all learners. This session will capitalize on connecting the visuals to the latest brain research and its implications on the developmental needs of PreK-Adult learners. Examples of practice will be highlighted by these schools.

A Review Of Survey Data Collected On The Use Of Applied Behavior Analytic (Aba) Based Instructional Strategies By Educators In Pennsylvania Schools, Eric J. Bieniek, Mike Monfore, Matthew Erickson, Ashlea Rineer-Hershey, Richael Barger-Anderson

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This survey was initiated to explore the perceptions and daily practices of Applied behavior Analytic ABA) by educators supporting exceptional learners in public and private school settings in Pennsylvania. This survey explores the degree to which educators are trained, feel confident in and actually carry out a range evidenced based practices following an ABA approach. Results are also presented in regards to barriers that educators feel limit the delivery of ABA based approaches and undermine the fidelity of interventions once introduced in their professional settings.

Building A Better Risk Prevention Model, Steven Hornyak

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation chronicles the work of Houston County Schools in developing a risk prevention model built on more than ten years of longitudinal student data. In its second year of implementation, Houston At-Risk Profiles (HARP), has proven effective in identifying those students most in need of support and linking them to interventions and supports that lead to improved outcomes and significantly reduces the risk of failure.

Shattered Ground: Mental Health Disorders In Children – A Hidden Crisis, Yvonne Hefner

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This session will offer teachers an in-depth understanding of mental health disorders, including basic information about these disorders, background information to assist in identifying early warning signs, and strategies for supporting students that may suffer from a mental health disorder. Teachers will learn classroom strategies that will foster a positive learning environment which will help to support these students

Working Together: Building K-12/College Mentor Partnerships To Support Students With Learning Differences, Tammy J. Graham, Renee N. Jefferson, Koy Mai, Christopher "Gage" Russell, Ashley Cannon, Mary Taylor

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

In an interactive discussion with audience members, presenters will share ideas for developing positive mentor-mentee partnerships between K-12 schools and colleges; discuss the impact of two recently established mentor partnerships, as well as perspectives from college student mentors and K-12 teachers of student mentees with learning differences; collaboratively examine data to discuss potential program adaptations; and provide mentoring activities that audience members can utilize.

The Role Of Administrative Support In The Retention Of Special Education Teachers, Atinart Koonkongsatian

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Administrative support towards special education teachers can be a determining factor towards their success in regards to teacher retention, motivation, and overall happiness. Special education teachers face large amounts of paperwork, meetings, and other administrative duties that they are expected to complete in addition to the various teaching duties required as well. The amount of work given can lead to feelings of stress, inadequacy, and most importantly, a lack of desire to continue working in the field of special education. The quantity and quality of administrative support towards special education teachers can play an important role in the retention, motivation, …

The Values Grounded Learning Environment: Developing A Positive School Culture And Student Success, Michael J. Redivo Ph.D., Lynn Coleman

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The Values Grounded Learning Environment training provides educators with a comprehensive positive behavior management model, including basic strategies for effective limit setting and positive reinforcement. It is a user friendly model that can be implemented in a variety of educational settings and provides a framework for thoughtfully responding to student behaviors and emphasizing student and staff accountability.

Pathway To Graduation: A Summer Reading Intervention Project For Middle School Students, Mandy Strong

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Usefulness to Practitioners

This presentation will provide an overview of a summer reading intervention program for middle school students who are struggling readers and exhibit behavioral deficits. The purpose of the program was twofold: (1) to intervene with struggling readers; (2) to use a social skills component to develop motivational skills in participants.

Attendees of the presentation can leave with an understanding of ways to implement summer interventions in an effort to enhance the academic performance of struggling students. This presentation is geared toward administrators, teachers, and university partners on ways to develop future programs to impact achievement.

Anxiously Anticipating! A Parallel Journey To An Art And Equestrian Camp For Children With Disabilities, Lorna C. Timmerman, Ruth E. Jefferson

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

In many communities, there are few opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in engaging summer camp experiences. This poster will highlight one successful endeavor that provided this much-needed opportunity to children with disabilities. Little has been explored regarding how parents go about preparing their children for the camp experience that is to come; and few studies have documented the planning and preparation by camp staff. This presentation will explore one family’s efforts to prepare and support a child’s first venture into organized summer programming. At the same time, this presentation will detail the preparation (and surprising level of anxiety) …

Powerful Partnerships: A Community Program For Low Income, High School Dropouts And A University, Katherine R. Robbins-Hunt Ph.D., Beth Hatt, George Flowers

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This session provides community and university staff results of a study examining the partnership between a community development program targeting low income, high school dropouts and a teacher preparation program. Presenters will describe methods for maintaining partnerships and discuss outcomes of the program in the areas of GED preparation, job skills training, health and wellness programming, and community service opportunities.