Ahad+Ahmad



A-Z
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SERVICE LEARNING PORTFOLIO BY AHAD AHMAD

Table of Content
 * (1)Title Page (Visuals/Pictures)
 * (2) Reflective Essay
 * (3) Smart Goal Sheet
 * (4) Updated Action Plan
 * (5) Journals
 * o 1
 * o 2
 * o 3
 * o 4
 * (6) Disability Research


 * __ Service Learning Reflective Essay __**

My service learning experience took place in the Al-Wadi Orphanage. I volunteered there last year, and decided to go back this year. The orphanage population’s was comprised of children from ages 4-16.This year; I was assisting one of the teachers’ of the orphanage. This class was mainly children that were 7 and younger. I helped the teacher in her daily class plan as well as instructing some lessons of my own. This year I felt I learnt more about the service I was giving to these children, this is because I had to revise and refresh the minds of the children, after the long Summer Break. This made me look at the service I was giving, because now I try to really make the children understand what I’m teaching them, so that it will stick in their minds for a long time. I also try to improve my quality of service, by collaborating with the teacher and trying to get a better understanding on how to really interact with the children. This helps my progress, because with her help I managed to teach them the alphabet, and now they can write simple sentences in English. I help them prepare for monthly tests I give to them, because I believe when children are tested, they try harder, and do better. I believe the biggest difference I made was giving these orphans someone to talk to when they were upset or happy, from small problems like a cut, too much larger problems, like the longing for parents. I think I have helped these children by being there for them, in times of joy and sorrow. I feel also this I have grown in my academic learning. I took this course last year, but this year I have learnt new skills. For example last year I really did not know how to communicate with the children, but this year because of what I learnt in class, I was able to better communicate with the kids in the orphanage. Also I feel I have a better understanding of the subject of service; because I now understand service does not have to be extravagant and spectacular. It can just be close and personal, spending time with children is service, putting a smile on their faces is service. I also learnt to think at a higher level, rather than just thinking about the hours, and myself I now think about the children’s needs and demands, I tried this year to make them happy, rather than myself. However, this did not come without problems, there were many obstacles, but I managed to solve most of them with the skills of problem solving and decision-making. I knew I could not have everything so I had to compromise, and decide what was best for the situation. I feel that this year the amount of particle academic learning I have acquired, will serve me will for future service learning projects. I feel that when someone participates in service learning, it is a great opportunity for them to become active in a community. It also allows one to grow and apply what is learned. I truly feel that service learning is an exceptional opportunity for someone who is ready to take advantage of everything learned and apply it to help out in a community. One does learn and become more understanding of his/her own likings. For example, as I was volunteering, I realized and learned exactly what I liked, how I liked to model the strategies, and what different ways I was able to help these children. I feel that my work at this orphanage has had a positive impact on my personal development; I have become more aware of myself and the world I live in, compared with the world that these children know. I believe I have developed a sense of belonging, or community. By helping the community I live in, I believe I have become more a part of that community. Lastly, I believe I’m now more prepared to face challenges I encounter in the future, and solve them in a more practical way. I believe I have grown as person because of this project, and I believe that will continue to endeavor in future service-learning project.

I feel that both the community and I benefitted from my volunteer experience from service learning. The students benefitted from an extra person helping them learn. I was able to make a difference in these children’s lives by just being there for them, and teaching them some new skills that will be useful for them for rest of their lives. I feel I also improved the quality of service at the site, before I came, there was good care for the children, but the actual orphanage had limited resources, so I tried also making the orphanage a better place. I did this through, like painting a wall, or by fixing some appliances that would by beneficial for the children. All these things I feel helped me improved the quality of service at the site. War, disease, and society all effect the situation of orphans. An orphan does not simply become an orphan. Many factors effect the lives of these children, from disease to violence, all have left these orphans the victims of life. However, if we help these children, and share our time with these orphans, they can forget their past and look to a better picture. There are several problems affecting this issue, from neglecting or deceased parents, to a world that does not want to accept them. Specifically, in the Al-Wadi orphanage, these children have been victims of circumstances; all have lost their parents, and now left to go through life alone. However, we can make further applications this issue, applications that can make a difference in these orphans’ lives. Al- Wadi is located near the back gate of Cairo American College, please come and help these children, and make a difference in their world, and yours. ** Smart Goal ** My smart goal was to teach the children from ages 5-10 the alphabet from A-Z, and use it to construct simple sentences such as “what’s my name”

My goal is very concise. As the alphabet is key part of any language, it is important to know if you want to progress in that language. Furthermore, if you know the letters of the alphabet you can create sentences, by arranging the letters and forming a subject and verb.
 * Specific **

I have given examinations after covering any major topic. For example, after we covered letters from A-K, I gave them a short test on the letters. Furthermore, they also have some extra homework to do for each week, and I come back and check how well they did it.
 * Measurable **

Teaching a people another language is always hard. It was a real struggle at the beginning because some children were not interested, however, as time went by, everyone gained an interest, especially with the introduction of the Kids Club; In the long run, many students were able to grasp the concept, and learn what I was teaching them. However, others had a harder time. Overall, I managed to achieve my goals.
 * Achievable **

Since I was teaching a small group, and I had the teacher’s help. I believe that the goal I set for myself was realistic. Furthermore, I’m fluent in English, and can easily teach sentence structures and the alphabet to children. Lastly, the children, themselves, are enthusiastic about learning. I know this because I worked with them last year, as well.
 * Realistic **

Even though, the alphabet is easy for us, for these children it was a challenge. I spent a huge chunk of time, revising the subject. However, even with these difficulties, I was able to meet my deadlines and complete my goal, by the end of the school year.
 * Timely **


 * Updated Action Plan **

Target Problem: Low level of English comprehension among orphans Target Group: Children in Al-wadi Orphanage, ages 5-10 Project Title: A-Z Goals: 1. Teach the alphabet. 2. Understand common/basic words 3. Construct basic sentences, with verb and a subject Obstacles: Tasks: Reward the children for things that they do right. The Kid’s Club really helped, children competed to be the best in the class. Thus, everyone focused on the lesson. I assigned homework for every week, and also increased examinations. This pushed the children to understand the concept quicker. Many came to me with questions about a specific topic. I used the children as a way of communication, and tried to teach the teacher some English phrases, that made it easier for us to communicate in the classroom.
 * 1) 1. Problems in Behavior
 * 2) 2. Teacher speaks little or no English.
 * 3) 3. Children take long period of time to grasp the concept.
 * 1) 1. Problems in Behavior
 * 1) 2. Time for grasping concept
 * 1) 3. Communication with teacher

Journal # 1 Today was my first day back at the Al-wadi orphanage after the summer vacation. I came to the orphanage at around 10:00 A.M and left at 1:00 P.M. I realized that the children had forgotten some important material I taught them last year, such as letters in the alphabet. So, in order to overcome I plan to spend the next two visits revising old material with the children. I think I will begin with parts of the alphabet, and then move on to some simple sentence structures. Even though, I’m still formulating a clear goal for this year, I hope to build on what I accomplished last year. Things like, speaking simple English or even writing more complex sentences. Furthermore, this year I’m taking more of an assistant’s role, because there is already a teacher for the children. My job will be to help her in the classroom, and also to teach some new skills to the children. So, I will still be able to do my lesson plan, but I will also be helping the teacher implement her lesson plan. Also, this year I’m having some new children in my class. Fortunately, they know the basics of the alphabet, so I won’t have to do a through revision of past material. Unfortunately, I’m only one of the few people helping out at this orphanage, and these children need more help. So, I ask the CAC community, to start contributing their time to this project, and help these children have a brighter future. Ways that you can contribute include spending a couple of hours with the children, providing supplies for the orphanage, and teaching the children some new skills. Al-wadi orphanage is located close to the back gate of Cairo American College. It is a welcoming place, and is glad to receive help from who ever is willing. Please show your support and help at the orphanage.

Journal # 2 Today, I chose to go to the orphanage at 11 and come back 2. I’m finally done with my revisions, and now I can focus on challenging the children with new material. The reason I chose to go further with my plan was because I feel that the children have grasped the main concepts of the alphabet, and simple since structure. While I am there to the children, I feel the extra help is looking to be useful for the teacher and the children. My main job is to assist the children in any area in which they may need extra help, as well as helping with preparations that need to be made for activities and trips. This project, I believe, is finally going to make some progress, now that I can continue to enhance the learning of these children, and hopefully teach them some valuable skills. Another thing that I’d like to mention is, that the children in the orphanage are eager to learn, and absorb knowledge. There are no grades in their world; they just want to learn something new and interesting. Furthermore, in order to increase competition among the children, the teacher and me has created something called the Kid’s club. In order to get into this club a child must answer more then five questions, and always participate. Also, the children in this club get a small prize, like a treat. This club has had a great impact on the children’s learning, they absorb much more, and we can go through the lesson plan faster. The club also gives the children time to participate in various activities, such a question and answer session. This club and various other activities have allowed me to build a trust with these children, especially the new ones. They are now more engaged in class, and are always happy to see any visitor. This environment gives the children numerous opportunities to help one another. It is also great that the children are able to associate with different age groups; they are always able to teach each other new things and be able to ask advice from someone that they might feel more comfortable talking to since they are closer to their own age.

Journal # 3 Now it’s the middle of the school year, I have made much progress in my teaching, an example this is that now the children answer to me in English, and can even write some simple sentences. Such as “How are you” or “My name is Mohammed, what is yours?” I’m feeling in really proud of achievements so far. Furthermore I have seen that the children are always happy when they learn more. Even when, it’s a couple of words, they are filled with joy. I think the thing that makes them the happiest, is when they get recognition or praise fro their efforts. I always reward them with some gift, so they are always very happy to see me (when I give them a gift they say “thank you”) At that moment, every time they say thank you, I feel appreciated for the work I put in, and also thankful for what God has given me. These children don’t have parents or home, and we complain about our insignificant problems. I get food on my table every single day, I have the best car, and go to the best school, and still I complain. These children have nothing, and are filled with joy when they learn something new. For us a person coming into our classroom is not a big deal, but these children wait for it every single day; these children have few reasons to be happy, yet they always are. I believe I learnt so much this past semester, I learnt to be grateful, and kind to others. I have learnt how to teach children, and understand their problems and beliefs. Service learing is truly a wonderful experince, and I hope that anyone who reads will understand what I’m saying.

Journal # 4

Today was my last visit to the orphanage, I feel really sad, but at the same time proud of what I have accomplished this year. The last three hours really touched, because for the last time I was able to hear the children communicate what I taught them. For the last time, they said “thank you” when I gave them all gifts, and recited their ABC’s to me. It’s hard because, I know this summer I will move somewhere else, and leave Egypt, forever. Furthermore, I don’t if anyone will come next year to continue my teachings/lessons. I do know this though; that the children will never forget my name, and what I’ve taught them. The teachers too have promised me to implement some of my methods in the classroom. I hope that the children continue to learn, and make progress in what ever they do. I hope that these children continue to find education as fun, and a good experience. I certainly, do not want them to hate learning, and I hope that the teachers’ will continue to make education fun for them. Finally, on this last day the children showed me their progress, from when they could speak English to them writing good sentences; After, this I said my goodbyes to everyone, and played with children on the make-shift playground. We played hide and seek, and tag. In the end, I have made a difference and I’m proud of what I accomplished here, and I hope others take note of my message.

Down Syndrome

General
 * Down Syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in a way a child develops, both mentally and physically
 * Many children with Down syndrome who have received family support, enrichment therapies and tutoring manage to graduate from high school and are able to do paid work, and some participate in post-secondary education as well.
 * The average IQ of young adults with Down syndrome is around 50, compared to normal children with an IQ of 100 . A large proportion of individuals with Down syndrome have a severe degree of intellectual disability.

Characteristics and Symptoms

There are estimated to be over 100 characteristics of Down syndrome. Common characteristics of Down syndrome can include: Early Symptoms: Intellectual deficiencies, Problems with heart Causes: Occurs due to extra chromosome, genetic disorder Treatment: Each case is different. Every patient with the genetic disorder has to be treated as an individual. Regular check-ups are necessary, as different diseases come with Down syndrome. Attention and care for your child is crucial, make sure he does not feel alone, help him adjust to social and physical changes, and promote him to be more independent.
 * A flat facial profile
 * An upward slant to the eye
 * A short neck
 * Abnormally shaped ears
 * White spots on the iris of the eye (called Brushfield spots)
 * A single, deep transverse crease on the palm of the hand
 * Smaller than average size
 * Exaggerated space between the first and second toe
 * Poor muscle tone (called hypotonia)
 * Joint looseness
 * Broad feet with short toes
 * Learning disabilities.