Manuscripts
1. Principles of Human Development
A comparison of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory and Eric Erikson's psychosocial stages of development, combined with a critical analysis of theories by Albert Bandura, Abraham Maslow, Howard Gardener, and Jean Piaget is the foundation for this 150 page manuscript. Adolescent impulsivity: Where does it come from? How can we teach our youth to manage it to get positive and not negative results? The writings offer additional insight into where in the development process impulsivity is most prevalent.
An investigation of impulsivity, specifically in teenagers ensues. The results produced will report the outcomes of the decision making process when young people react too quickly, resulting in negative consequences. The report is based on a case study completed in 2002, involving a group of high school resource students. View Complete Manuscript
2. Principles of Organizational and Social Systems
Three theorists of systems and organizational thinking: Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Howard Gardner, and Peter Senge offer a critical analysis of the systems thinking approach, described as it applies to the broad perspective of educational institutions in this 130 page manuscript. How to properly prepare students, specifically students with learning disabilities, for the state mandated high school exit exam (CAHSEE) in Mathematics ensues.
The report will be based on a study completed in 2000, involving symposium reports from high school and middle school Mathematics teachers, along with special education and district level representatives. A realignment of the mathematics curriculum with the California State Standards to properly prepare all levels of students for the CA High School Exit Exam was the result. View Complete Manuscript
3. Theories of Intelligence, Learning, and Motivation for Persons with Special Needs
The relationship between intelligence, learning, and motivation are but a few of the influential factors imposed as learning institutions attempt to balance teaching styles and the learning capabilities of all students. How human beings understand and process information comes into question and will be explored in this manuscript. Recognizing the uniqueness, individuality, and capabilities of special needs students challenges anyone who does not understand learning disabilities.
The obviousness of a wheel chair bound individual in need of special services requires no further explanation. The difficulty arises when the unobservable learning disabilities are often not recognized within traditional didactical methods of teaching and learning in inclusive environments. Incorporating multiple learning styles that focus on student strengths follows in the 120 page document. View Complete Manuscript
4. Institutional Contexts for Special Education: Leadership, Learning, and Accommodation
An examination into effective leadership paradigms will be the broad focus of this manuscript, examining the philosophies of Howard Gardner and Peter Senge, as the restructuring of the delivery of services in educational institutions becomes paramount. Federally mandated laws continue to have a profound affect on mainstreaming students with special needs and looking for variations in accommodation is an urgent social issue in education today.
Providing learning opportunities for all students is the shared responsibility of the entire faculty, community, and administration, and not the sole responsibility of the special education department. A faculty resource guide listing suggested methods of communication for collaboration between the regular education and special education community of teachers, administrators, and community personnel can be found within the 145 pages of this document. View Complete Manuscript
5. DISSERTATION: Effects of Teacher Training for Individual Differences to Improve the Academic Performance of Special Education Inclusion Students
Regular education classroom teachers currently face an influx of students with learning styles that create challenges to typical pedagogical practices. The least restrictive environment listed in the special education student Individualized Educational Program (IEP) continues within academia to alter regular mainstream education environments. Without teacher training to prepare educators for changes, special education student academic outcomes are at risk for decline. The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a difference in the academic success of special education inclusion students when their teachers do or do not have training. The problem was addressed by answering the question that teacher training positively affected the academic success of special education inclusion students. A quasiexperimental qualitative collective case study examining the relationship between teacher training and student academic achievement included students from combined mathematics classes. Participants were selected from a population of 210 special education inclusion students. The survey and nonsurvey data collection included a teacher survey and a learning styles survey for students. Multiple nonsurvey instruments including pre- and posttests, observations, and semester grades were interpreted with cross-case data analysis that examined the data collection, coded into central tendency, range, and theme categories. The study identified an acute need for teacher training recommended for workshops, seminars, or in-service programs. Regardless of placement in or out of special education, implications for positive social change directly influence student academic success when trained teachers provide interventions and accommodations in the regular education environment. View Complete Manuscript