Module 3B – Students with Disabilities and Family Communication Objective: Knowl

Module 3B – Students with Disabilities and Family Communication
Objective: Knowledge of instructional strategies to support struggling readers and writers; Understanding of the current theory, research, and practice related to content-area literacies
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When thinking about communication, pay particular attention to InternKeys Standard #10. This standard not only addresses communication with students but also other school members and community stakeholders (standard 10.1, 10.2). As a teacher, you may be required to communicate with families or caregivers through written communication, texts and phone calls, and during conferences (10.9, 10.10). 
Part 1 – Communicating with parents
Last week, one of the topics was communicating effectively with family members when students and families do not speak English as their native language. This week, we are looking at ways to communicate effectively with family members of students with disabilities.
Although these resources are targeted to a specific group of students, remember that what is good for one student and family can benefit all.
For part one, you will read several different resources. This portion of module 3B fills two purposes. First, you are reading content related to the week’s module. Second, I want to clarify the types of resources that are available to teachers and the importance of research-based, empirical articles. You will need to find at least five (5) empirical articles for your annotated bibliography.
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1. The first article is a research-based, empirical article. This article has been published in a scholarly journal and has been peer-reviewed. Please first review this video to learn about an empirical article’s characteristics. Next, read the empirical article titled “Watch Your Tone”. Note the features of a scholarly article, including the researchers, audience, appearance, objectivity and data, and research focus. 
For reference, here are some tips for finding peer-reviewed articles through the Georgia Southern Library system. (Choose the “Finding Scholarly Articles” video.)
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2. The second article is published by a journal and found through the Georgia Southern database. Yet, it is not a scholarly article with data presented. It is for informational purposes as is subjective. This is NOT the type of article you will want for your annotated bibliography. On the other hand, these articles are important contributions to teacher knowledge as they can summarize perspectives, opinions, and practices found to be helpful. Read the article “BRIDGES”. Not that the author is still an expert in the field, but data and research are not the focus of the material.
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3. The third article is published by an agency or group that supports its agenda. You will often find reports summarizing actionable items, data, or proceedings of the organization. These reports are published through the organization or agency’s own website and, therefore are NOT peer-reviewed. In this case, the article does not meet the requirements for your annotated bibliography as it may be subjective to assert the position and function of the organization, and the data may be skewed. Read the report “One size does not fit all” and look for any indication of the article supporting a specific political or social agenda. Is the article objective?
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4. The other two resources for this week are blogs. Blogs are examples of popular sources that provide quick, organized information on a topic. Specific educational resources are helpful to educators, like Edutopia, which broadcasts on social media platforms and hosts a website. Sometimes, they reference articles and other information, yet this is NOT peer-reviewed. Please read the two blogs assigned for this week, “Using Technology…” from Edutopia and “Two-way Communication…” by Waterford.org. How are these articles or blogs organized to be easily read as popular sources? 
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For Module 3B, you will create a Module 3B discussion – Communication post. Please summarize at least five (5) points from the articles regarding how to communicate effectively with family members of students with disabilities, as outlined in the articles from this week. Be sure to cite evidence from the research-based, empirical article (resource #1) and the other non-empirical articles. At least three citations must be used in correct APA, 7th edition formatting. Your post is due by Saturday, June 29 at 11:59 pm. After posting, comment on the work of at least two peers. Your work should comment directly on a key point, extend the conversation, or ask a question. Comments on the work of your peers are due by Sunday, June 30 at 11:59 pm. 
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Requirement
Points
Comments
Posts from at least three provided resources (empirical article and at least two others)
0.5 points
Includes at least five (5) tips from articles with APA citations
1 point
Explains provided tips in reference to a secondary classroom
1 point
Comments on the work of at least two (2) peers to highlight a key point, extend the conversation, and/or ask a question
How K-12 Teachers Can Use Technology to Connect With Parents | Edutopia 
Importance of Family-Teacher Communication – Waterford.org