3K1: Effects an exceptional condition(s) can have on an individual’s life.
I have worked closely with a 1st grade student who has a severe emotional impairment. I have seen first hand how easily he can be triggered into a fit, and have no means of controlling himself. His impairment does not only have an affect on his academic success in the classroom, but it also majorly impacts his family dynamic and peer relationships. Many interventions have been put into place including five minute Ipad breaks as a reward for getting through his work and following directions, social stories outlining appropriate behavior, and a behavior management chart that documents his day in half hour intervals. With these interventions in place, this student has started to show amazing progress in all academic areas. A reoccurring theme that was presented in multiple readings and class discussions throughout the semester is that teachers need to directly address a students' learning barriers, whether it be in mathematics or any other academic area. For this student, his emotional outbursts were triggered by loud noises, stressful situations, and unexpected changes in schedules and would not only affect his academic performance, but had a negative impact on his social relationships in the classroom.
3K2: Impact of learners’ academic and social abilities, attitudes, interests, and values on instruction and career development.
In assessing a third grade student to determine his strengths and weaknesses in mathematics, I conducted an attitude survey to determine his feelings towards mathematics. This survery allowed me to better understand how much this student values mathematics, and how he feels about mathematics as part of his everyday life. The results of that attitude survey made it clear that this student does not see math as a meaningful subject, therefore I made sure my math instruction made clear connections between content and real world examples.
Had I not conducted the suggested Attitude Survey assigned for our Assessment Report I would not have understood it's importance in effective mathematics teaching. Interviewing and surveying a child with learning disabilities is important because you may gain incite to information that could be useful in planning a lesson that fits the need of that particular student. For example, the attitude survey might reveal that your student dislikes math that involves paper and pencil. To accommodate his feelings, I could create lessons than involve a more hands on, minds on approach to learning.
3K5: Differing ways of learning of individuals with exceptional learning needs including those from culturally diverse backgrounds and strategies for addressing.
Multicultural learning is a familiar topic in education that goes back my first TE course at MSU. The reoccurring idea of appreciating and preserving a student's cultural identify is one I am familiar with, but CEP802A was the first course I have taken here at MSU that showed me how cultural diversity can be preserved within the curriculum. The shift to using Common Core Standards requires teachers like myself to educate students how to engage in higher level thinking, problem solve, and learn through exploration and discovery. As we have discussed in multiple class sessions, learning must be meaningful to each student so that they feel accountable and take responsibility for their learning. As a teacher, I can incorporate what I know about a student's culture and background into my lessons across the curriculum so that the content becomes meaningful to them and my teaching reflects a multicultural perspective.
I have worked closely with a 1st grade student who has a severe emotional impairment. I have seen first hand how easily he can be triggered into a fit, and have no means of controlling himself. His impairment does not only have an affect on his academic success in the classroom, but it also majorly impacts his family dynamic and peer relationships. Many interventions have been put into place including five minute Ipad breaks as a reward for getting through his work and following directions, social stories outlining appropriate behavior, and a behavior management chart that documents his day in half hour intervals. With these interventions in place, this student has started to show amazing progress in all academic areas. A reoccurring theme that was presented in multiple readings and class discussions throughout the semester is that teachers need to directly address a students' learning barriers, whether it be in mathematics or any other academic area. For this student, his emotional outbursts were triggered by loud noises, stressful situations, and unexpected changes in schedules and would not only affect his academic performance, but had a negative impact on his social relationships in the classroom.
3K2: Impact of learners’ academic and social abilities, attitudes, interests, and values on instruction and career development.
In assessing a third grade student to determine his strengths and weaknesses in mathematics, I conducted an attitude survey to determine his feelings towards mathematics. This survery allowed me to better understand how much this student values mathematics, and how he feels about mathematics as part of his everyday life. The results of that attitude survey made it clear that this student does not see math as a meaningful subject, therefore I made sure my math instruction made clear connections between content and real world examples.
Had I not conducted the suggested Attitude Survey assigned for our Assessment Report I would not have understood it's importance in effective mathematics teaching. Interviewing and surveying a child with learning disabilities is important because you may gain incite to information that could be useful in planning a lesson that fits the need of that particular student. For example, the attitude survey might reveal that your student dislikes math that involves paper and pencil. To accommodate his feelings, I could create lessons than involve a more hands on, minds on approach to learning.
3K5: Differing ways of learning of individuals with exceptional learning needs including those from culturally diverse backgrounds and strategies for addressing.
Multicultural learning is a familiar topic in education that goes back my first TE course at MSU. The reoccurring idea of appreciating and preserving a student's cultural identify is one I am familiar with, but CEP802A was the first course I have taken here at MSU that showed me how cultural diversity can be preserved within the curriculum. The shift to using Common Core Standards requires teachers like myself to educate students how to engage in higher level thinking, problem solve, and learn through exploration and discovery. As we have discussed in multiple class sessions, learning must be meaningful to each student so that they feel accountable and take responsibility for their learning. As a teacher, I can incorporate what I know about a student's culture and background into my lessons across the curriculum so that the content becomes meaningful to them and my teaching reflects a multicultural perspective.