Portfolio of Katherine Hossler Masters of Science in Education August 2005

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Portfolio of Katherine HosslerMasters of Science
in Education August 2005
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Table of Contents
Dedication Description of portfolio Importance of
self-control Initial plan with reflection Letter
to parents piece with reflection Literature
Review piece with reflection Making Predictions
Lesson with reflection Rubric with
reflection Analogies piece with
reflection Collaborative Action Research
conclusion with reflection Facts/Strategies for
working with aggressive kids References Reflection
Letter from principal with reflection
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To My Dad1942-2004

• My father was and always will be the strongest
  person in my life. If it werent for him I am
  not sure if I ever would have gone back for my
  Masters degree. I am so glad I listened to his
  wisdom before he was gone. My only regret is
  that he wont be here to see that I actually did
  it. I Love You Daddy.

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My Portfolio The following portfolio reflects
the pieces of work that I have completed during
my Masters Program at the University of New
England. Each piece is significant to me for a
different reason. Some depict the growth I have
made over the past two years, while others are
just personal favorites of mine. As you view my
work I hope you are able to see the depth of
learning that has taken place.

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Having self-control is critical, probably the
most critical skill we can develop in children
and adults. People who have the ability to
control themselves when they are emotionally over
aroused or upset, disappointed or feeling very
depressed and lonely are much less likely to
engage in behaviors that will put them more at
risk. Its probably the single most important
skill. But it is a very, very, very complicated
skill.
(Dr. Mark Greenburg, 1997, Rhode Island Emotional
Competency Partnership Address)
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My plan as I saw it in the beginning

• My goal is to prepare mainstream teachers
• with comprehensive information about how
• students learn and why they behave the
• way they do. I would like to focus my project
• on implementing a positive inclusion plan for
• my students back into the academic part of the
• mainstream setting.

Continued
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Cont

• I believe students can successfully reenter the
  mainstream setting providing there is a slow and
  well thought out plan that works for everyone
  involved. Both classroom teachers I will be
  working with use a differentiated classroom
  approach particularly for certain subject areas.
  I think helping these teachers understand what
  modifications are necessary for these students
  will be essential to the reintegration process.

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Reflection

• This was both my initial plan and I am grateful
  it was my ending plan as well. I think it is
  interesting to look back and realize that I
  actually did end up where I planned to way back
  in 2003 during my High Performing Teacher course.
  That is one of the benefits I have experienced
  through out this program. It allows you to
  really delve into specific areas of interests.

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Letter to parents

Dear Karen and Bill, I just wanted to let you
know the Jimmy is doing a great job since our
last problem solving meeting. While playing with
his peers today at recess, Jimmy invited 3
students from another classroom to help build a
fort. This effort really helps the other
students see how hard he is working at being a
good friend. When Jimmy elicits help from the
other students like this, he is building
positive relations with peers. It is thoughtful
acts like this that will build a sense of
teamwork for Jimmy and his friends. Thank you
both for all of your help and continued support.
Jimmy seems very happy at school. Please let me
know if you have any questions. I can be
reached during my break period every day between
1000am to 1100am and am always available to
talk before or after school. Thank you, Ms.
Hossler
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Reflection
This was a letter I wrote to parents during my
Effective Classroom Management course. It really
points out the students strengths and how his
skills will benefit him with his peers. I also
tried to reinforce the parents for their efforts
and give examples of how their child is
progressing socially. These types of letters are
essential when building healthy relationships
with parents.
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Literature Review
Along with the hard work and energy necessary in
the classroom, parents have a responsibility to
do their part at home as well. In the book Power
of Positive Parenting, S.W. Bijou states, That
the most effective way to reduce problem behavior
in children is to strengthen desirable behavior
through positive reinforcement rather than trying
to weaken undesirable behavior using aversive or
negative processes.
Continue
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Cont.

Latham reinforces this notion by stating, It is
a parents responsibility to do all they can to
create an environment that comes forth with an
abundance of positive consequences for
appropriate behavior rather than punishers for
inappropriate behavior. It is a matter of people
interacting well with people (Children are
people!)
Latham, G.I., Bilou, S.I., (2000). Power of
Positive Parenting A Wonderful Way To Raise
Children. No. Logan, UT PT Ink.
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Reflection
This is a piece from my literature review that
was written during part I of my Collaborative
Action Research. This class made me realize I
was really in a Masters level program. I had
completed basic research in college but hadnt
reviewed and analyzed literature for years. It
made me feel like I was on my way to being a
masters level professional.
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Strategy Making Predictions
In my lesson I used the making a prediction
strategy. I introduced the story Danger on
Midnight River, by Gary Paulsen. I showed
students the front cover of the book which
displayed a broken bridge and a van floating down
the river. I asked students to make predications
about what they thought the book may be about.
This strategy was very motivating to my students
because they all came up with similar but
different predictions. Some said that the bridge
collapsed because it was old, others thought that
the van had swerved off the bridge avoiding an
animal and so forth. As students shared their
predictions, they because increasingly excited to
see what really happened in the story.
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Reflection
This lesson was an assignment in the
Instructional Strategies, Part 1 Motivating
Todays Learners course. This course was
interesting to me. As a behavior specialist, I
am not used to designing my own lessons, but
commonly use the types of instructional
strategies that were introduced in this course.
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Rubric
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Reflection
I created this rubric during the course
Strategies for Self Directed Learning. When I
took this course last winter I was just beginning
to learn how to design effective rubrics. One of
the most important things I remember is that when
students utilize rubrics like this they are able
to self analyze their work and self critique
areas they strive in and are able to see specific
areas they may need improvement in. This can
help them become more aware of their own
strengths and weaknesses and in return be more
clear on how they want to improve upon their own
skills.
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Analogies
Direct analogy A sensing-feeling learner is like
a sunbeam because both a SF learner and a sunbeam
are sociable. They both like to make others feel
good. SF learners are motivated when others are
happy, and a sunbeam is something that tends to
make people happy. They are both spontaneous and
can act quickly and without notice. Like an SF
learner, sunbeams bring out the best in people
and make the world a brighter place to live in.
Continue
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Cont
Indirect analogy I am a visual organizer thats
not filled in. I have trouble remembering what I
need to do unless I write it down. I know
exactly what needs to be done but often do a
better job if I organize my thoughts and
prioritize my time. Compressed conflict A
teaching strategy is like both a sunrise and a
sunset because a teaching strategy starts by
introducing a concept to be learned at the
beginning and works until the concept has been
obtained. When it has, the strategy
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Cont
may be put to rest for a bit, but always has the
ability to come out again when it is
needed. Three other things that are like both a
sunrise and a sunset are Life and death Rising
and falling of temperature Movie previews and
movie credits Movie previews and credits are
least like a teaching strategy because they have
no relationship to the plot of the feature
presentation. A direct analogy How is a
teaching strategy like a list of movie producers?
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Reflection
I added this into my portfolio because analogies
are one of the hardest things for me to figure
out. This activity was a real challenge for me.
I am not sure why analogies are so tough. The
course was helpful for me though because it
required me to practice a difficult skill and
over time get better at it. I do feel more
skilled after this class in the art of analogies.
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CAR Conclusion
Challenging behavior does not happen over and
over unless individuals periodically get
something they want or avoid something they do
not want. These are the consequences that
influence the challenging behavior. An effective
positive behavioral support plan ensures that
challenging behavior does not produce a desirable
consequence and positive behaviors do produce
desirable consequences. Positive behavior
support avoids aversive procedures. One key
aspect of positive behavioral support is
appreciating positive behavior and letting the
individual know that.
Continue
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Cont
It can be easy to fall into the trap of
responding to challenging behavior without
recognizing how much appropriate behavior goes
unnoticed or unappreciated. Increasing the
number of positive, appreciative affirmations of
positive behavior can go a long way in
encouraging individuals with challenging behavior
to replace the challenging behavior with more
appropriate alternatives.
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Reflection
This just gives a brief idea of what was
involved in my Collaborative Action Research
Project. The study was very specific to one
child so it resulted in a comprehensive action
plan that benefited not only the child, but her
teachers, administration and her peers.
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Facts About Hostility and Defiance

• Students who are hostile are generally attempting
  to meet their need for power.
• Many hostile or aggressive acts are their
  attempts to communicate feelings or hurt and
  inner pain.
• Some students do not even know that they are
  feeling hurt or pain. Their anger and defiance
  has become a SHIELD to cover up those inner
  feelings.
• Some hostility is learned. Children learn what
  they SEE. If they grow up with an adult role
  model who expresses all feelings in the form of
  hostility and defiance, they may imitate that
  behavior. It is what they have observed their
  entire lives.

R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
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Strategies for Handling Angry, Hostile and
Defiant Children

• Teach social skills and appropriate ways to deal
  with the anger.
• Be consistent with enforcing rules and
  consequences.
• Establish clear consequences. Appropriate
  consequences are
• Related to the misbehavior
• Reasonable
• Respectful and conscious of the students
  self-esteem
• Use time outs in the same room or another
  location have a place where the child can go to
  calm down.

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Strategies for Handling Angry, Hostile and
Defiant Children

• Use when-then statements.
• When you do this behavior, then___________ will
  happen.
• Remove the child away from the audience, or the
  audience away from the child.
• Conflicts may intensify when others are watching
  to see who wins.
• Realize that you cannot make children do
  things.
• We can threaten, take away rights and privileges,
  and send notes home, but until the child chooses
  to do the work, it will not get done.

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Strategies for Handling Angry, Hostile and
Defiant Children

• Avoid a head on fight or power struggle.
• If you win the fight, you may win the battle, but
  lose the war.
• Limit exposure to TV.
• By the age of two to three, most children
  regularly watch 26-33 hours of television each
  week.
• Of all prime-time network dramas, 75 contain
  some act of physical, mental, or verbal violence.
• Of parents, 78 have used the television as a
  baby sitter at one time or another.
• Of all households, 98 have at least one TV
  turned on an average of 6 hours per day.
• Teach problem solving or conflict resolution
  skills.

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SHAREWith Attention-Seeking Children

• S Show the child how to give and get attention in
  appropriate ways.
• H Humor is something learned. Model and teach
  appropriate humor.
• A Analyze the cause for the behavior.
• R Reinforce appropriate attention-getting
  behavior. Emphasize the childs strengths and
  ignore silliness.
• E Explore other strategies with the adolescent
  to meet the goal being achieved through clowning
  or teasing.

R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
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REMEMBER.

• Some parents/teachers, out of frustration, tend
  to beg and plead with their students, hoping they
  will self-correct their disruptive behavior.
• Some parents/teachers, out of frustration, tend
  to threaten difficult students with severe
  consequences.
• The key to working with difficult children is
  develop an individualized approach based on each
  students unique needs.

R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
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Hot ButtonsHow to Keep Your Children from
Pushing Yours!

• DO NOT REACT!
• Once the student has seen that you are upset,
  the student will engage in the activity more and
  more.
• Keep Yourself Calm.
• Use positive affirmations.
• Practice deep breathing.
• Count to 10 or even to one hundred.
• Send the student from the room on an errand.
• Take Care of Yourself.
• Eat right.
• Sleep enough.
• Do something good for yourself each day.
• Use Humor and Have Fun.

R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
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Ten Gifts That Will Help Students Feel More
Positive About Themselves

• Give them responsibility.
• Give them a part in decision-making.
• Give the permission for their feelings.
• Give them reasonable rules.
• Give them guard rails.
• Give them unconditional hugs.
• Give them permission to make mistakes.
• Give them the truth.
• Give them freedom.
• Give them themselves.

R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
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References

• R. Bowman, T. Carr, K. Cooper, R. Miles T.
  Toner, (1998). Innovative Strategies for
  Unlocking Difficult Adolescents, Youth Light,
  Inc., Chapin, South Carolina.
• Latham, G.I., Bijou, S.I., (2000). Power of
  Positive Parenting A Wonderful Way To Raise
  Children. No. Logan, UT PT Ink.
• Dr. Mark Greenburg, 1997, Rhode Island Emotional
  Competency Partnership Address

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Reflection
These last six slides are examples of slides I
have shared with teachers I work with. I often
speak with teachers about ways to work with
challenging students in todays classrooms. My
main goal is not to tell them how to run their
classroom, but instead, to offer them some extra
tricks to put in their own bag. I have found
that this is the most effective and
non-threatening way to help.
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Letter from my principal
August 9, 2005 To Whom It May Concern I am
writing this letter on behalf of Ms. Kate
Hossler. Ms. Hossler worked for the
Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor School District as a
behavior consultant during the 2004-2005 school
year. Kates primary focus was to work with
a Kindergarten student who entered Boothbay
Region Elementary School with several behavior
quirks. For instance the student repeatedly
refused to do what her teacher asked, and would
often leave the classroom without adult
supervision. When confronted by an adult, or
anyone in a position of authority, this student
would regularly display an outburst that included
yelling, screaming and physically assaulting
those that intervened.
Continue
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Through out the course of the school year Kate
worked with this student, her classroom teacher
and other members of the Boothbay Region
Elementary School staff to develop the strategies
and skills necessary to meet the educational
needs of this student.Kates guidance allowed
this student to move from having outbursts on a
daily, if not hourly basis to perhaps two or
three outbursts per month by the end of the
school year. When this child did experience and
emotional outburst, the duration and intensity
were much less than in the fall.
Cont
Continue
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As well, Kate has shared her research findings
from a graduate course with our whole lower
elementary staff. Her knowledge and skills have
been invaluable to our school. Through out this
next year, Kate will continue to speak and staff
meetings and present information regarding
positive behavior interventions. If I can
provide additional information regarding Kates
performance, please contact me at207-633-5097,
or email at mtess_at_bres.boothbay.k12.me.usSincere
ly,Mark J. TessPrincipal, Boothbay Region
Elementary School
Cont
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Reflection
This letter talks about my experiences at
Boothbay Harbor Elementary last year. It
summarizes my work with a wonderful but
challenging youngster. I found that I used a lot
of the knowledge I had gained from the MSEd
program to help both the child and her teacher.
Together, we made a difference.
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As I reflect on my graduate program, I can see
many areas in which I have become a stronger
learner and a more proficient teacher. I am more
invested in learning about current research and
practices and how they relate to my teaching.
This is has become a very strong interest of
mine. This graduate program has opened my eyes
to many parts of education that I knew existed,
just wasnt involved in. As a behavior
consultant, I now have a greater respect for the
teachers I work with. I see curriculum design
and assessment in a whole new light. My goals
for the future include learning more about
authentic assessment and how I can design
assessments specifically for students with
behavior disabilities. I am also interested in
digging deeper and deeper into the world of
research. I found that to be my favorite part of
this program. It was fascinating to see the
wealth of information that is available. My
mission will always be to find ways to adapt,
modify and create environments that are conducive
to learning for all kids.