Integrating the Expanded Core Curriculum Robbin Keating Clark, vision rehabilitation therapist Expanded core curriculum coordinator, Utah schools for the deaf and the blind

What is the Expanded Core Curriculum? The Expanded Core Curriculum is a disability specific curriculum that is designed to address the unique needs of children with vision impairments. The Expanded Core Curriculum is a great idea that has gotten stuck in a box of myths and obstacles. What are the myths? What are some obstacles for teaching the ECC? Myths: functional curriculum, its for teaching ILS, Obstacles: No time to teach it, SPED teams don’t understand, parents don’t want to sacrifice their child’s academic time

A review of the Expanded Core Curriculum It is my experience that teachers are not completely familiar with the nine areas of the ECC. They seem to know an abbreviated version of it. Let’s review the nine areas the comprise the Expanded Core Curriculum: http://www.familyconnect.org/info/education/expanded-core-curriculum/13

Compensatory Academics Compensatory academics—critical skills that students need to be successful in school, such as concept development, organizational skills, speaking and listening, and communication skills such as braille or print reading and writing.


Orientation & Mobility Orientation and mobility—skills to orient children who are visually impaired to their surroundings and travel skills to enable them to move independently and safely in the environment, such as: human guide techniques (also known as sighted guide) using standard and adaptive canes recognizing cues and landmarks moving through space by walking or using a wheelchair requesting assistance

Social Interaction Social interaction—skills needed to respond appropriately and participate actively in social situations, such as: shaking hands turning toward others when speaking or being spoken to using language to make a request, decline assistance, or express a need expressing emotion and affection appropriately participating appropriately in conversations in various situations

Independent Living Skills Independent living—skills needed to function as independently as possible in school and at home, including personal grooming, time management, cooking, cleaning, clothing care, and money management.


Sensory Efficiency Skills Sensory efficiency—skills that help students use the senses, including any functional vision, hearing, touch, smell (olfactory) and taste (gustatory). Examples of sensory efficiency skills your child may learn include: using optical aids using augmentative and alternative communication devices using touch and vision to identify personal items using sense of smell to know when nearing the school cafeteria

Recreation & Leisure Recreation and leisure—skills to ensure students' enjoyment of physical and leisure-time activities, including making choices about how to spend leisure time actively participating in physical and social recreational activities trying new leisure activities following rules in games and activities at an appropriate level maintaining safety during leisure activities

Technology Use of technology—skills to use devices such as computers or other electronic equipment that make it easier to function effectively in school, at home, and in the workplace.

Career Education Career education—skills that enable students who are visually impaired to move toward working as an adult, including exploring and expressing preferences about work roles assuming work responsibilities at home and school understanding concepts of reward for work participating in job experiences learning about jobs and adult work roles at a developmentally appropriate level

Self-Determination Skills Self-determination—skills to enable students to become effective advocates for themselves based on their own needs and goals.

Resources for ECC content areas Research has repeatedly indicated that a major factor in ECC instruction is lack of teacher preparation for the ECC. Where can you find more information on understanding and explaining the ECC? http://www.familyconnect.org/info/education/expanded- core-curriculum/13 http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/expanded-core-curriculum http://www.eccadvocacy.org/default.aspx http://www.perkins.org/news- events/eNewsletters/insight/inside-story/expanded-core- curriculum.html http://adifferentkindofvision.blogspot.com/

TVI: “I’ve explained the ECC every school year and still there is no buy in from the general education teachers!!” Ever feel like this title? You’ve explained the ECC at IEP meetings, at parent meetings, with special ed directors, general education teachers and paraprofessionals and yet there is still NO buy in? What are we doing wrong? Think back to the myths about the Expanded Core Curriculum It’s too easy to lump vision impairment into the general disability atmosphere The main thing that we are doing wrong is we are not teaching the ECC effectively integrated with the Core. We are teaching the ECC in isolation.

Strategies! What to include in the handout: Put together a better handout with useful meaningful information about the Expanded Core Curriculum. What to include in the handout: Clear information about what the Expanded Core Curriculum is (go to informational sites such as FamilyConnect.org) The ECC is a disability specific curriculum (see The National Agenda) How the school and home collaborate in instruction (see next slide) The exclusive responsibility of the Special Education Director Specific responsibilities of the education team (includes related services)

How to use Family Connect…

Strategies! Engage the parents. Teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum is not limited to teaching at school. Parents can’t teach everything at home but ask parents what can they teach or support? What are parents willing to work on at home? Shared meaningful goals between parents and child? Take time at the beginning of the year to lay out who will be responsible for what.

Strategies! Stop giving the impression that both the Core and the Expanded Core are taught in isolation. It’s not just “something else” that has to be taught if there’s time. How can we teach both the Core and Expanded Core at the same time? Classroom example Related services example Extra curricular activities example

Strategies! Teach the paraprofessional! “The paraprofessional should learn to come in and fade out as needed, rather than hover over and smother students.” Paraprofessionals working with students with visual impairments need additional training. They need to know about a particular student's visual impairment and how that impairment will affect learning. They need to know how to modify materials for that student. They may need to know the braille code. They may need to know how to use a computer to assist in producing braille. They may need to know about the technology a child is using so they can help troubleshoot. They may need to know how a child should use a particular low vision device. They need to know basic orientation and mobility techniques, such as sighted guide. They may need to know how to help a student organize her space. They need to know how to deal with a student's emotional responses to being different. They need to know how to reinforce social skills and daily living skills. -- The Paraprofessional Working with Students with Visual Impairments By Jim Durkel, Statewide Staff Development Coordinator with help from Cyral Miller, Outreach Director TSBVI, Outreach Program

Strategies!

Check out my blog! The focus is the Expanded Core Curriculum