AFCEC SuperConference
Breakouts and Posters: Thursday February 3, 2005         click here for Friday's
Breakout I
11:00 – 12:00 

Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted Learners
Dr. Carol Tieso, The University of Alabama
Participants will discuss the rationale behind differentiation for gifted learners, the different types of differentiation, and the different ways participants can preassess and group high ability students for appropriate instruction. Materials and sample lesson plans will be discussed and examples provided. Time will also be provided for questions and discussion.
where: Rast A

The Journey into Successful Inclusion in General Education.
Blanche F. Colley, Jacksonville State University
This presentation will explore opportunities for successful inclusion in the general education classroom. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and was written specifically for students with disabilities. Many aspects of the legislation have important implications for students with disabilities. This presentation will offer strategies to empower teachers to extract the
best from each student. The journey will concentrate on learning styles, team work, creativity, leadership, research based doctrine, teacher training and motivation.
where: Rast B

Seeing is Believing: How Visual Schedules Can Benefit Your Classroom
Beth Thead, Tuscaloosa County School System
The presentation will provide participants with an understanding on how visual schedules aid exceptional children, as well as the skills needed to successfully incorporate visual schedules into their classroom routine.
where: Wilson

CANCELLEDMeeting the Needs of Students with Standard Based Instruction
Eleanor A. Bailey, Fran Cox & Tammy Knott, Demopolis City Schools 
The presentation will include a brief introduction about using the standards to guide instruction in our school setting. Following the introductions, two teachers well share ways they have used the standard to meet the needs of the regular and special education students. A motivational video will be shared to encourage motivating students to achieve.
where: Lackey

Effective Visual Strategies for Students with Autism
Amy Mracek, Montgomery County School System 
As a first-year teacher of students with Autism, I found myself struggling to communicate and relay information to a population of students that I knew very little about.  After the discovery and integration of visual strategies within my classroom, teacher and student understanding and communication was greatly facilitated while the amount of confusion and distractibility greatly decreased.
where: Central

CANCELLEDPositive Behavioral Supports for Individuals with autism, Aspergers Syndrome (AS), and PDD, NOS 
Dr. Karen Dahle, The University of Alabama Birmingham 
It is not unusual for an individual within selected pervasive developmental disorders to demonstrate challenging behaviors. Positive behavioral supports are used to establish stability as the individual attempts to learn new skills or decrease inappropriate behaviors. The variety of support that can be used from least to most restrictive will be discussed in this workshop. 
where: Birmingham 

Ensuring That Alabama’s School Facilities Support Successful Learning for All Children
Dr. Bob Meadows, Auburn University
Alabama’s school leaders need the knowledge, understanding, and skills to promote the success of all students by managing operations and resources that ensure a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.  This activity prepares administrators and other educational leaders to accurately define accessibility, to describe an appropriately accessible facility, and to better understand administrators’ responsibilities to all of Alabama’s children.
where: Mason

Accommodation tools for middle school and secondary content classrooms
Stephen Wills, Birmingham City Schools 
Are your students with disabilities struggling to compete in general education content classrooms? This session will demonstrate and explain how graphic organizers and think sheets can be used as accommodation tools to help students with disabilities succeed
where: Mobile

Read, Rhythm, & Rhyme-Low-Tech
Lisa Berger, Cindy Lee, Tuscaloosa City Schools
Assistive technology provides students with disabilities access to instruction. The implementation of technology increases student motivation. Students are motivated by music. It is our philosophy to pair these two factors to achieve student success. The participants will learn how to adapt familiar songs, books, and activities to increase student participation. 
where: Nichols

Designing Challenging Research Projects for Primary Students Through High School: What Really Works!
 Dr. Jane Newman, The University of Alabama 
Do you want to differentiate by including open-ended independent study, research/inquiry-based projects for your students?  This session focuses on the "how-to's" of implementing high quality investigative research and on motivating your students to finish their projects.  Strategies based on research suggest "what works" in guiding students to product "high quality" studies and products, as well as on how to motivate students to finish their long-term projects.  Handouts include sections of book accepted for publication by Talents Unlimited, Inc. 
where: Logan

Behavior Modification For Inclusion Into The General Education Classroom
Wayne Simon, John L. LeFlore High Magnet School of Communication and Arts 
This presentation demonstrates practical solutions on how to include special need learners with behavioral problems in the general education classroom settings. Methodology will be presented on how to accommodate special needs learners of different levels in the same general education class.
where: Thames

Curriculum Compacting:  “A Bright Idea” to Engage the High Ability Learner
April Newman, Tuscaloosa County Schools 
Are you effectively meeting the needs of all learners?  Are your high ability students bored, disengaged, and unmotivated?  Curriculum compacting may be the solution!  Specific, practical ways to differentiate curriculum for high ability students in the classroom will be offered in an interactive format.
where: Fitzpatrick

Non Assertive Intervention 
Dave Howell, Jacksonville State University 
This session will demonstrate some non-invasive techniques for protecting violent students during altercations in the classroom. Participants will be shown some non-violent strategies to intervene in crisis situations.
where: Bagby 

Using Movement, Dance and the Creative Arts to Bridge the Communications Gap with Limited/Non-Verbal Youngsters
Dr. Celia Hilber, Dr. Elizabeth Engley, Dr. Nina King, and Ms. Paula Napoli, Jacksonville State University 
Presentation includes activities that use the creative arts, dance and movement to teach basic vocabulary and emergent literacy skills to young non-verbal children with special needs. Also includes “Make It and Take It’ activities to be used while teaching the children to play games, dance or artwork.
where: Murphy

Autism from a Personal Perspective - A True Story of Beating the Odds and Winning
Jerimie Goike, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation 
Jerimie Goike is a very active person with the autism community in Alabama as a public speaker/presenter and an advocate for a better understanding of autism.  His presentation is called “Autism from a Personal Perspective – A True Story of Beating the Odds and Wining”.  His story will bring you hope and inspiration while you gain a new understanding from someone who has lived with autism while overcoming this great challenge.  Jerimie’s presentation features a personal story with a PowerPoint presentation that is put together like a storybook which helps bring his presentation to life. Jerimie Goike will speak about how an early diagnoses, early intervention and a family support system would play an important role in his early life.  The presentation is also followed by a very interactive Q&A and discussion time with the audience.  
where: Lackey

Thursday February 3
Breakout II
1:30 – 2:30 

Accommodations and Modifications Part 2
Dr. Mary Beirne-Smith, The University of Alabama 
Participants in this session will learn how to accommodate and modify reading and math instruction to benefit all students served in elementary grades inclusive classrooms. Participants will be provided with practical, easy to implement instructional strategies and methodologies.
where: Wilson

Autism from a Personal Perspective - A True Story of Beating the Odds and Winning
Jerimie Goike, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation 
Jerimie Goike is a very active person with the autism community in Alabama as a public speaker/presenter and an advocate for a better understanding of autism.  His presentation is called “Autism from a Personal Perspective – A True Story of Beating the Odds and Wining”.    His story will bring you hope and inspiration while you gain a new understanding from someone who has lived with autism while overcoming this great challenge.  Jerimie’s presentation features a personal story with a PowerPoint presentation that is put together like a storybook which helps bring his presentation to life.  Jerimie Goike will speak about how an early diagnoses, early intervention and a family support system would play an important role in his early life.  The presentation is also followed by a very interactive Q&A and discussion time with the audience. 
where: Lackey 

2003 National Teacher of the Year 
Dr. Betsy Rogers, Leeds Elementary 
where: Central 

An Examination of Teacher Shutdown in Inner City Schools
Dr. Jan S. Hogan, Auburn University Montgomery
The purpose of this study was to examine the stories of inner city teachers and to determine which factors played the greatest role in leading to teacher shutdown. Six teachers were selected as participants for a multiple case study. Interviews were employed to collect data from the participants about their experiences in inner city schools and their changing perspectives of themselves as educators. 
where: Birmingham

Digital Photography in a Life Skills Setting
Kandi Smith and Kim Hernandez, Bessemer City Schools 
Students involved in a Life Skills Curriculum often make achievements that go unnoticed by parents and educators. This session conveys how digital photography can (1) display students’ achievements and activities and (2) produce a comprehensive portfolio that can be shared with others and given to each student once they exit the program.
where: Mason

Flexible Grouping with Gifted Students: A Primer
Dr. Carol Tieso, The University of Alabama
In this session, participants will learn the rationale behind grouping students for instruction, the different types of grouping arrangements, how you can successfully advocate for grouping in your school, and how you can make grouping work successfully in your school.
where: Mobile

Learning from experience: What successful college women are telling us about their transition into postsecondary education.
Dr. Catherine M. Blansett, Colorado State University
This project presents the results of interviews held with college women with learning
disorders who attained the success of junior standing or higher at a university. Through 
these interviews, participants reveal their use of the compensation strategies that helped 
them navigate their early school years and influenced their postsecondary experiences.
where: Logan

Thursday February 3
Breakout III
2:45 – 3:45 

Online Instruction. I know what we think -- What do we think students think?
Lawrence Beard, Gena Riley, Jennifer Strain, Selenda Haynes, and Dale Campbell, Jacksonville State University 
Online instruction is quickly becoming a trend in university classroom instruction. Many of these classes are established without proper input from students. The purpose of this study was to compare student attitudes and perceptions toward in-class and/or online course instruction.
where: Wilson

2003 National Teacher of the Year 
Dr. Betsy Rogers, Leeds Elementary 
where: Central 

Five Steps to Great Functional Behavioral Assessments
Jennifer Sellers and Jonte Taylor, Auburn University 
There are five basic steps to Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA): identify and define target behaviors, collect data, identify antecedents and consequences, formation of hypothesis of purpose of target behavior, and develop an intervention plan. 
where: Birmingham 

Functional Behavioral Assessment
Abigail Baxter and Dr. David N. Ellis, University of South Alabama
Tammy Carroll-Hernandez, Partlow Developmental Center 
This presentation will focus on functional behavioral assessment (FBA). When FBA was emphasized in IDEA 1997, the field of Special Education recognized its behavioral roots. However, practitioners have had difficulties with conceptualizing classroom behavior using behavioral principals. What is needed is a paradigm shift embracing the behavioral zeitgeist.
where: Mason

Life-Long Learning: Developing a Meaningful Professional Development Plan
Laura Bowden Carpenter, Auburn University Montgomery
Teachers must be life-long learners. The process of determining the most appropriate plan to continue learning can be overwhelming. The Council for Exceptional Children standards have relevance for the special education teacher’s practice. There are numerous ways that special educators can and should develop a Professional Development Plan using the Council for Exceptional Children standards. 
where: Nichols

CANCELLEDBreaking News: Update on IDEA
Dr. Karen Bowen Dahle, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Currently the Senate and House have agreed to appoint conferees to the committee on IDEA reauthorization. It is unlikely that the conference committee will work quickly enough to ensure reauthorization before Congress adjourns. This session will update participants on the current state of IDEA and CEC recommendations.
where: Logan

Teacher Idea Exchange
Traci Hollyhand & Kristi Goins, Sprayberry Regional Education Center 
Come meet with fellow colleagues in this roundtable discussion to share teaching tips, ideas, and techniques. 
where: Smith Board Room

Thursday February 3
Breakout IV
4 – 5

Constructing Gendered Identities: 
Youth with Intellectual Disabilities Talk about Desired Postschool Outcomes
Dr. Kagendo Mutua, The University of Alabama
Since transition planning became federally mandated in 1990, schools and researchers have more than doubled their efforts to develop and implement programs that enable adolescents and youth with disabilities meet their desired postschool goals. However, current efforts, both in research and practice, have not critically examined the impact on transition planning of adolescence as the period for the articulation of gendered identities. Drawing from interviews of youth with intellectual disabilities, this presentation focuses on how youth with intellectual disabilities construct their gendered identities in the context of articulating their desired post-school outcomes. 
where: Wilson 

Non Assertive Intervention 
Dave Howell, Jacksonville State University 
This session will demonstrate some non-invasive techniques for protecting violent students during altercations in the classroom. Participants will be shown some non-violent strategies to intervene in crisis situations.
where: Central 

Differentiation:  From Knowledge to Practice
Dr. Jane Newman, the University of Alabama 
How do teachers learn to differentiate for heterogeneous learners (including gifted).  Participants will leave with a new understanding of differentiation; organizational strategies which differentiate curriculum; a plan to implement differentiation; and specific tools and activities to use immediately in the classroom.  Great handout includes contracts, accountability logs, sample tiered lessons, etc., which can be copied and used Monday morning in your classroom.  (This session is a practical session which focuses on "how to" implement differentiation!)
where: Birmingham

Provisionally Certified Special Educators in Collaborative Settings
Dr. Alison Stafford and Dr. Kymberly Harris, State University of West Georgia
The presenters conducted a survey of educators who have provisional certificates to teach special education to determine their perceptions of their role in collaborative settings. The teachers were asked a variety of questions regarding their roles and status in the collaborative classroom.
where: Mason

Enrichment Clusters
Karen Pierce, Madison City Schools
Wouldn’t you love to walk into a classroom each day and find a small group of students that chose to be there and couldn’t wait to explore the topic of the day?  Come explore Enrichment Clusters with us and find out how you too can experience the joy of enrichment! 
where: Mobile

“Step Up To Writing” A Ladder or a Stool: An investigation into the claims
Dr. Darrell Pearson, Dr. Rhonda Bowron, & Dr. Jan Oliver, Troy State University 
An action research project involving fifth grade classroom teachers, pre-service teachers, and university faculty was developed in order to investigate the efficacy of the Step-Up-To-Writing program.  This study’s main focus was on the writing skills of the 5th grade students enrolled in two rural elementary schools.  The study design and results will be discussed by the researchers. 
where: Nichols

Does Highly Qualified Teacher Status Mean Better Collaboration? 
Dr. Cynthia Harper, Dr. Nina King, & Ms. Lynette Owens, Jacksonville State University 
This presentation will share a research study conducted with early childhood and special education teachers addressing how/if highly qualified teacher status affects collaboration. The results will enable teacher educators to better understand “real life” issues affecting hindrances to cooperation among and between teachers and design effective models of collaboration. 
where: Logan 

Thursday February 3
Two Hour Extended Sessions 

1:30 – 3:30
Putting the FUNK into Functional Behavioral Assessment to Develop Realistic Behavior Intervention Plans
John Sachs, University of South Alabama
Karen Dahle, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Steve Armstrong, Jacksonville State University 
Joycelyn Wortham, Alabama State Department of Education 
The purpose of this presentation is to provide the participants with illustrations of appropriate and inappropriate methods of conduction of Functional Behavioral Assessments, and to provide an opportunity to openly discuss real life situations that they are experiencing in their school settings.
where: Mobile 

2:45 – 4:45
Transition from Early Intervention to Preschool 
Cathy Jones, Alabama State Department of Education 
Betsy King, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation 
where: Lackey 

Three Hour Workshops

1:30 – 4:30 
Severely Emotionally and Behaviorally Disordered Individuals in Inclusive Settings
Dr. Aquilla Mims, Jacksonville State University
Jennifer Shultz, Hoover City Schools 
Kelley B. Winslett and Sara M. Brewer, Oxford City Schools 
Many teachers are working with students who have severe emotional disorders in today's classrooms. This workshop presents the following two objectives: (1) to inform the audience of specific definitions, causes, and characteristics associated with these disorders and (2) to present research-based strategies to be used in classrooms to foster a learning environment for all.
where: Thames

Accessing the General Education Curriculum 
This workshop, sponsored by the Alabama State Department of Education, is designed to increase participants' knowledge and skill relative to helping students with diverse abilities to access the general education curriculum.  Participants who attend all three workshops will be eligible to receive technical assistance and to participate in more in depth workshops in Year II of the Alabama State Improvement Grant.
The workshop is divided into three strands: 

CANCELLEDAccessing the General Education Curriculum Through 
Standards-Based Instruction 
Marla Holbrook, Alabama State Department of Education 
Cheryl Holder, Alabama State Department of Education 
Rebecca Stanley, Teacher, Chalkville Elementary School 
where: Moore 

CANCELLEDHelping Students to Access the General Education Curriculum Through
Consultation and Collaboration
Lou Anne Worthington, Associate Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Carol Standifer, Consultant, Alabama State Department of Education 
Veronique Zimmerman-Brown, Teacher, Montevallo High School 
where: Clay

Accessing Content in Diverse-Ability Classrooms
Ed Ellis, Professor, University of Alabama 
Theresa Framer, Alabama State Department of Education 
where: Fitzpatrick