Collaboration is an integral element in meeting the mission of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute. This has enabled the Institute, in partnership with faculty, community agencies and others, to develop and manage programs that help our pre-service educators work and learn with families and children with disabilities.
The ABC Conference is presented by The University of Central Florida’s College of Education, Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences, Exceptional Education Program and is hosted by the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute. Designed for students, teachers and parents, the conference is a collaborative effort between UCF faculty members involved in teaching coursework in Behavior Management and focuses on behavior interventions for classroom implementation. Central Florida special educators, including UCF students taking Master’s level and undergraduate coursework, present on a variety of behavior management topics and share strategies that they have found to be effective in their classrooms. As part of their coursework, the Master’s level and undergraduate students are required to complete a research project on a topic of their choosing related to classroom behavior management. To take them one step further in their professional development, it was felt the students’ experience would be enhanced by presenting their findings to their peers, faculty members and to others. The conference provides an opportunity for these emerging experts to showcase their work.
Parenting Tools for Positive Behavior Change was developed through the Florida Department of Children and Families, Foster Care program. It was created to help parents and caregivers address problematic behaviors in non-coercive ways, to enhance dignity for individuals identified as having behavior problems, and help provide a safe environment for the entire family group. The Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute piloted the program specifically for families with children with disabilities in the fall of 2004. The skills learned in this program not only affect the caregiver-dependent relationship, but are useful for spouses, co-workers and friends.
The Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute partnered with the UCF CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) and the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida (DSACF) to bring the Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Seminar to Orlando in the spring of 2005. The 9-hour seminar focused on special education law rights and responsibilities, tests and measurements; SMART Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and an introduction to tactics & strategies for effective advocacy. The material covered is relevant for parents, educators (general or special ed teachers, administrators, etc.) health care providers, advocates, attorneys and anyone interested in children/students with disabilities.
An outgrowth of the Preparing Teachers to Partner With Families grant, Family as Faculty provides training for families of individuals with disabilities. The family members can then be invited to make presentations to students in both exceptional and general education classes. The students have the opportunity to learn about the day-to-day life of the families whose children they will soon be teaching. Students learn from the experts who live with these children all day, every day what works best and what might not work when they come into the classroom.
A program for parents, educators and anyone else who interacts with children, More Alike than Different helps in understanding that children with disabilities have more in common with their peers than they have differences. The program uses discussion as well as “disability” stations to simulate mobility, auditory and vision impairment for participants to experience. Pre-service educators can participate in this program geared toward elementary students in order to add this experience to their knowledge base. Student volunteers can collaborate with teachers in the classroom to bring this program to their school.
Back to top
|
