Observe this week how your cooperating teacher effectively (or ineffectively) teaches the students with special needs in the classroom. Reflect upon the following questions as you post your blog entry.
What modifications or adoptions are made wtihin the course content or curriculum to meet the needs of the individual learner? How does the teacher utilize large group, small group, and/or individualized instruction to meet the learning needs of students? How are student interests and student choice incorporated in to the students' learning opportunities?
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There isnt wasnt any special need children in the classroom i was observing but my teacher did do hall duty between classes and there was this one boy that always walked by coach in the hall ways and talked to him. so even though he didnt have them in class he still achknowledged them and spoke where as some teachers might not talk to a ki like that especially if they dont have them in class
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom I observed there was a 6 years old very thinny little boy adopted from Vietnam when he was 2. The teacher explained that it was the child's second year in pre-kindergarten. When he first came to her classroom, she said that the child had a very hard time talking. He was also very shy and extremely quiet. She worked very hard with him, she started by teaching him basic English, giving him different exercises, some homework to do at home with mom and dad. At the end of this first year, she told the parents that it would maybe be better for their child to stay in the pre-kindergarten for a second year because he was still very behind all the other children in the classroom. Today, after almost 2 years in this classroom, the child is still very thinny; but he talks...even louder than all the other children!!! he has many friend, and he now follows the same learning instruction as the other childern in the classroom! The teacher told his parents that they should try to find a kindergarten class where the child could receive more attention, maybe by having a teacher aid, to keep improving his learning level and finally get to the same level as the other students.
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom that I observe there was special needs children but you really did not know the special needs children from the typical children. The children that had special needs were children with speech and tube feedings. The speech children had speech therapist come in the classroom and do activites with them sometimes inclusive and sometimes on the side. Th children were not treated any differently in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteElise
ReplyDeleteI bet it is hard having a child in the classroom and you know their needs are not being met. this would be the best time for the parents to look in to more resources to find better help for their child
One of the girls in the class I am observering has autism. There is a helper for her all day in the classroom. Without her having someone right there for her she wouldn't be able to get anything done. Also, for the students that have learning disabilities with spelling. The teacher gives out 20 words a week for them to learn. But, for the students who have problems those students get ionly the first 10 and noone notices the difference. The students are usually in pods. Their desks are into groups of 4 unless a student does not work well with others. My host teacher is always walking around the class making sure that all the students are getting the attention that they need. she will also redirect the directions if need be. If there is a certain way the class likes something done and they do well with the way it is taught she will continue to teach them that way as long as it is effect. If they seem to get board with it she will change it up. I watched her the other day with a math lesson and she changed the lesson 5 different times in 40 minutes. It was amazing that they were so excited to learn math. The students seemed to do well with all the different ways and they stayed focused the entire time.
ReplyDeletetrey,
ReplyDeletethat was nice what your teacher did. all children want to know is that you like them. they want to please you if you let them.
I was in all Honors Spanish classes at Lindbergh, and there were no students with special needs. My teacher utilized the large classes by dividing them up into small groups of three, to go over any problems with their daily homework. I thought it was a great idea because after they all went over their homework, the students told the teacher what they were having the most difficulties with. The teacher gave the students a choice if they wanted their test on Thursday or Friday and if they wanted their review due on the test date or the day before the test. I liked this strategy because it makes the students feel like they have a say in something, and the students might be more obligated to study.
ReplyDeleteLatasha,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to hear that the classroom that you were observing treated everyone equally. It is sometimes hard to figure out who has needs and who doesn't because sometimes the students with needs, strive to learn and to get good grades.
In the classroom I was observing there is one boy who has a learning disability. The teacher works with him in the same way she works with the other students when as a whole class. If he has any questions understanding she takes the time to clear is question to him and the rest of the class. When she works with him individually she will help him work through the books that he is suppose to be able to read. She makes him more simple books of the computer because he isn't at the same reading level as the other students. He has a hard time focusing so she often has to help him stay on track. For a small portion of the day he is removed from the class to work with the resource teachers to help with his learning disabilities. I think that the teacher I am observing is an effective teacher to all the students because she does not single the students out that do not preform at the same level as the others and she thinks out side of the box to make kindergarten fun to keep a hold of their short attention spans.
ReplyDeleteBrittany ,
ReplyDeleteI like the way the students had a say in what day the test would be on and the review. I remember loving when the teachers left it up to us to decide if we need more time to review. It is very fitting for high school or middle school.
trey
ReplyDeleteits cool that that teacher talks to that special needs student that walks by. i know people tend to feel depressed or discouraged when no one talks to them so i do my best to greet them as well. this would be very effective especially in a high school setting
my teacher really doesnt pay attention to the special needs person in the classroom. at times almost looks over them. the teacher doesnt check for understanding or ask the special need student if he or she needs help, that i have seen. maybe at another time she contacts the student. but nothin i have seen in the class
ReplyDeleteThe classroom I am observing doesnt have any studnets with Learning Disabilities, but I asked my cooperating teacher what accomodations she would use if she had any. She states that for students with ELL, she would pair them up with a hgiher level student. If we were doing a class project using the SmartBoard, she would print off teh notes so the ELL student could have more time with it.
ReplyDeleteMy class I observed was all hearing impaired students. These students were all ages between 3-5. Academic learning is not what teachers teach. They teach these students how to speak correctly. The biggest class the teachers have is four students so having big groups is not a problem. When all the kids are in a big group, all the 5 teachers are in the room with them so it is not a big deal to keep them under control. Some of these students having no speech at all so they don't have a say in what they want to do. Many of these students don't have a say at all of what they want to do because they need all the help they can get to start speaking and speaking correctly. They may want to play a game so the teacher will play it, but the teacher will incorporate speech somehow.
ReplyDeleteCourtney,
ReplyDeleteI agree that an ELL student should have more time with notes, so printing them off is a great idea.
Chris,
That is really sad that the teacher does not pay attention to the special needs student. That probably makes the student feel unimportant. The teacher isn't doing her job if she doesn't pay attention to anyone since teachers are not suppose to judge others.
In the class i observed there were certain kids who were a little behind the rest of the class, so the teacher would go over the lesson for a certain subject, but then would have a modified lesson for some of the children. I remember the class was doing a math flashcard game and the teacher had flashcards that had more basic problems and she also had flashcards with more advanced problems. She was able to break up the class into groups were all the students needs were met and all the students felt comfortable in the group and had a great time playing the game.
ReplyDeleteIn the class I observed, my host teacher had many students with special needs. Because it was a kindgerarten class, she fortunately had the help of an aid in her room, as well. They would teach the class in groups. One group would work on a puzzle, one would have busy work to do, one would do a math lesson with the aid and the other small group would meet with the host teacher and either delve a bit more into the math lesson of the day or they would spell, study science and measurements or read aloud. My host teacher was sure to keep a close eye on the children who had learning disabilities, and before they had the chance to become discouraged she was already at their side helping them through. If a student was not focusing, she would go over to their table and reread the question or help them and ask them to please keep up with the others. I feel as though each student's individual needs were met in the classroom I observed!
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI think it is awful your host teacher does not help the student(s) with special needs. He/she is expected to teach--EVERY child in the classroom. Students with special needs find it especially hard to stay motivated and focused, and how does the host teacher expect the child to even wish to be there if he/she does not even offer help! I feel very bad for that student, because if they already find school tough, because of their individual need(s), I am sure the teacher's inability to teacher him/her does not help the situation or the attitudes of the student on bit!
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad story...a teacher is suppose to teach every students in the classroom, no matter if they have learning disabilities or not.
At the school I am at there are no special needs students in my classroom. There are students I suspect have learning disabilites, but nothing was ever said about them. I have mentioned to the teacher about the student I am concerned about, and she doesn't think there is a problem with his learning, but with his parents helping him with his schooling.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteThat is very sad that your teacher doesn't seem to care very much about having everyone learn, it will really hurt the students in the long run and the teacher needs to realize that.
In the classroom i observed special need students weren't treated that much differently. The teacher might give them some extra hands on time to make sure they grasp the material but mainly teachers just give them support and the work gets done.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteI think that in every classroom there will always be some students behind and some ahead. The ones behind should be given more hands on so they can grasp the material however if they don't choose to learn the material or put in work then I wouldn't be a teacher to spend more time on someone if they werent trying to learn the material as long as the students puts in effort i would help them as much as possible.
There were no special needs students in the class I observed. There were some students with learning disabilities. The teacher treated them the same as the other students. Another teacher would come in and ask for some of the students that were the slow learners and would take them somewhere else and I'm assuming they would give that student individual attention. Mostly the students worked on their own. I didn't observe any group work while I was there. The teacher had done an oreo story that the students had to write about. I believe the students loved tis activity.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn,
ReplyDeleteThat is sad that the teacher did not take you observation seriously. Most teachers are acceptable to help for outsiders. I would think that teacher would be more observative to the student.
My teacher has a aid in his room that takes notes in first block and then makes copies of them for the students that are special needs and are under her in the grading system. Both teachers explain the concepts and I say there is nothing more they could do than what they are already practicing. They allow students to usually work in groups on homework so they can teach eachother except on the review for the state math testing where they will have no group help at all or anyone to ask questions too.
ReplyDeleteWith the subject being math the teacher trys to incorporate things in society like sports to make students see the numbers but sometimes in math it is almost impossible to make the lessons more enjoyable for the students
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI sometimes find it to be sad when teachers don't have group work. In any subject group work can benefit the students causing them answer their peers questions, and each of the students learning at the same time. I think every classroom in some way should have the group activities.
My teacher allows the students with special needs to feel like they are just like everyone else. She does not pay more attention to them and lets them work on their art at the same tables as the other kids. Some of the students will make fun of the children with special needs though and my teacher either ignores it or just makes the mean kids be quiet. I think the teacher needs to make it very clear to her class that everyone should be treated equal.
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteI had a math class like that in high school and it really helped me to work in groups. I think that is an important concept because that way students are not afraid to ask for help and do not feel like they are less smart if they are confused about a problem. As long as the teacher makes sure that each group is actually working and helping each other, then I think it will encourage the students to do better and maybe enjoy math more.
The only special needs students in my class are two who have ADHD. For these students the teacher has them sit on an exercise ball instead of in a chair. She said they were all over the place when they sat in chairs, they would lean back on two legs, etc. The ball makes them sit a little more still because they have to balance on it and it improves their posture. She commented that they bounce on it at first but the bouncing quickly dies down. So that these students don't feel like the odd ones out for sitting on a ball, she makes it a privelage by having an extra one that she draws a name for every morning and who evers name she draws gets to sit on the ball for the day. I thought this was a really neat idea! She also places velcro strips underneath all of the desks even though they are really put there for the ADHD students, but placing them under every desk again keeps from singling out these students. Other than these modifications, the students are treated the same as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteBecca,
ReplyDeleteI agree that your teacher needs to have a class discusion on how to treat others, as well as respect. She should not ignore when the students with special needs are made fun of by the other kids. I think she needs to pay extra attention to these students because they are special needs for a reason and can't realisticly have all of the same expectations as the other students. These students tend to need more instruction and guidance to stay on track. She also should pay them extra attention because it sounds like they don't have very strong peer relationships, and by her having a relationship with them will let them know someone around them cares about them.