5K8: Ways to create learning environments that allow individuals to retain and appreciate their own and each other’s respective language and cultural heritage.
Creating a learning environment that allows individuals to retain and appreciate their own and each other's cultural requires the use of the same instructional strategies that are used to teach curriculum content to our students. Among those instructional strategies are making concepts meaningful and purposeful, allowing for many opportunities/ways to respond, and linking new concepts to previous knowledge (covered in Class 5). For student's to really appreciate different cultures they need to feel a meaningful connection to that culture. Even if the culture seems very different than their own, I as a teacher can find ways to make it meaningful through my teaching and classroom environment. Additionally, allowing my students multiple opportunities and ways to respond can offer them a medium of expression that reflects their own culture of language. LInking concepts, an instructional strategy that teachers use everyday, is an instructional strategy that is also applicable to teaching students to appreciate various cultures because it allows them to see connections between seemingly different groups of people.
5S3: Identify supports needed for integration into various program placements.
One student on our caseload is visually impaired, but this impairment does not affect her academic and cognitive abilities. To support her in the regular classroom large print books, a pair of monoculars, a global magnifier, and a seating arrangement close to the front of the room are provided to her in all school settings. In providing her with these visual supports this student could be integrated in the general education setting throughout the entire day. Although we did not cover the topic of VI too in-depth this semester, the methods used to integrate my VI student are very similar to the ways in which teachers try to integrate students with learning disabilities; without supports put in place, students with any disability would fail to succeed in the general education curriculum. Similarly, the article about students who are deaf or hard of hearing by Antia titled, Developing Membership in the Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Inclusive Setting, talks about the importance of full time inclusion in general education settings for students who are D/HH because they should be seen as, "members," not, "visitors." To be a member of the classroom means that the student is accommodated, held to the same responsibilities, and provided with the same rights as other general education students. Without the accommodations my MT and I made for my VI student, she would not be able to fully participate in the general education setting, which would therefore be denying her access to the least restrictive environment.
5S4: Design learning environments that encourage active participation in individual and group activities.
In the Learning Center, groups are arranged based on students with similar skill levels and similar IEP goals and objectives so that students could work in pairs with student's who have similar learning needs. My MT and I purposely set up the groups based on skill level and learning needs rather than grade level so that students could work actively with peers at their appropriate level of learning. To encourage student's to participate, my MT and I try to provide our students with multiple representations, specifically in mathematics, so that all students can access the content. In providing our students with representations that fit their learning needs, our student's feel more confident to take risks and participate in discussions and activities that may otherwise give them anxiety.
5S6: Use performance data and information from all stakeholders to make or suggest modifications in learning environments.
Progress monitoring and data tracking are done in a daily basis for each certified student. In doing this, my MT and I can collaborate with each student's general education teacher to monitor growth, or make changes if a student is not sufficiently meeting their goals and objects. The picture below shows a data tracking/progress monitoring binder created by myself that is divided into sections based on the groups we work with each day. Under each category is a chart with a list of student names that have learning goals for that content area. Each name has a space next to it for writing notes and observations based on what was done in group for that day. By tracking this data on a daily basis for each student we can collaborate with parent and general education teachers to consider what skills the students are making progress with, and which skills needs more focus and support. This binder is also where I record daily observations notes for each student which is the type of informal assessment we use most often in the Learning Center. The results of weekly performance-based and curriculum-based assessments are noted in this binder, which are later used for progress-monitoring purposes.
Creating a learning environment that allows individuals to retain and appreciate their own and each other's cultural requires the use of the same instructional strategies that are used to teach curriculum content to our students. Among those instructional strategies are making concepts meaningful and purposeful, allowing for many opportunities/ways to respond, and linking new concepts to previous knowledge (covered in Class 5). For student's to really appreciate different cultures they need to feel a meaningful connection to that culture. Even if the culture seems very different than their own, I as a teacher can find ways to make it meaningful through my teaching and classroom environment. Additionally, allowing my students multiple opportunities and ways to respond can offer them a medium of expression that reflects their own culture of language. LInking concepts, an instructional strategy that teachers use everyday, is an instructional strategy that is also applicable to teaching students to appreciate various cultures because it allows them to see connections between seemingly different groups of people.
5S3: Identify supports needed for integration into various program placements.
One student on our caseload is visually impaired, but this impairment does not affect her academic and cognitive abilities. To support her in the regular classroom large print books, a pair of monoculars, a global magnifier, and a seating arrangement close to the front of the room are provided to her in all school settings. In providing her with these visual supports this student could be integrated in the general education setting throughout the entire day. Although we did not cover the topic of VI too in-depth this semester, the methods used to integrate my VI student are very similar to the ways in which teachers try to integrate students with learning disabilities; without supports put in place, students with any disability would fail to succeed in the general education curriculum. Similarly, the article about students who are deaf or hard of hearing by Antia titled, Developing Membership in the Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Inclusive Setting, talks about the importance of full time inclusion in general education settings for students who are D/HH because they should be seen as, "members," not, "visitors." To be a member of the classroom means that the student is accommodated, held to the same responsibilities, and provided with the same rights as other general education students. Without the accommodations my MT and I made for my VI student, she would not be able to fully participate in the general education setting, which would therefore be denying her access to the least restrictive environment.
5S4: Design learning environments that encourage active participation in individual and group activities.
In the Learning Center, groups are arranged based on students with similar skill levels and similar IEP goals and objectives so that students could work in pairs with student's who have similar learning needs. My MT and I purposely set up the groups based on skill level and learning needs rather than grade level so that students could work actively with peers at their appropriate level of learning. To encourage student's to participate, my MT and I try to provide our students with multiple representations, specifically in mathematics, so that all students can access the content. In providing our students with representations that fit their learning needs, our student's feel more confident to take risks and participate in discussions and activities that may otherwise give them anxiety.
5S6: Use performance data and information from all stakeholders to make or suggest modifications in learning environments.
Progress monitoring and data tracking are done in a daily basis for each certified student. In doing this, my MT and I can collaborate with each student's general education teacher to monitor growth, or make changes if a student is not sufficiently meeting their goals and objects. The picture below shows a data tracking/progress monitoring binder created by myself that is divided into sections based on the groups we work with each day. Under each category is a chart with a list of student names that have learning goals for that content area. Each name has a space next to it for writing notes and observations based on what was done in group for that day. By tracking this data on a daily basis for each student we can collaborate with parent and general education teachers to consider what skills the students are making progress with, and which skills needs more focus and support. This binder is also where I record daily observations notes for each student which is the type of informal assessment we use most often in the Learning Center. The results of weekly performance-based and curriculum-based assessments are noted in this binder, which are later used for progress-monitoring purposes.