Reflection:

The brochure, padlet and video were created for the disAbility Presentation in partnership with Jill Anderson and were not only informative with regard to strategies for working with students with Down Syndrome, they were also demonstrative of the importance of presenting information in a variety of different ways in order to reach different learners. The additional resources were located to supply information on other disability categories for this portfolio.

I learned that while students with Down Syndrome have a number of academic needs and may struggle with expressive language and number work (arithmetic), students with Down Syndrome also have strengths, including visual short-term memory and receptive language. I also learned strategies for supporting these students, including using video modeling and rehearsal training using picture cards as well as supporting students’ math skills by supplying a calculator.

Creating these artifacts put the teaching of students with Down Syndrome into the context of capitalizing on all students’ strengths and providing support for their weaknesses. It also drove home the fact that, like all students, students with Down Syndrome are all unique individuals. Thinking about how to represent the information in a variety of ways provided practice in how I might design teaching materials for use with different kinds of students based on their needs.