This four weeks of practicum experience proved to be an important part of my training program as it exposed me to actual teaching and learning environment in which I could contextualize my theoretical knowledge gained during the class training. I witnessed the multifaceted role that the education assistant play in supporting the divergent needs of the learners with special needs as well as providing on going help to the teacher in day to day planning and implementing instruction. The key roles and responsibilities of the education assistant as observed and shadowed by me included the following , but were not limited to ;
Communicating appropriately with the students to maintain good relationship,understanding them to identify their unique
…show more content…
Providing support to students with special needs in coping up in times when they need socio- emotional support to adjust to any changes in daily routines, learning materials,teaching professionals and different learning environment.
Attending the parent teacher conferences and IEP meetings with the discretion of the teachers as well as Integrated support teacher to provide personal opinions and suggestions about the child 's learning in various settings.
Supervising children during recess and connecting with other students of different ages, class, gender, cultural background. As well as teaching social skills to students who were shy or were diagnosed with autism.
During the first couple of days of my practicum, I was undergoing mixed feeling of anxiety
…show more content…
I dressed professionally as per school policies. I adhered to the oath of confidentiality and handled situations diplomatically without hurting the feelings of others. I respectfully communicated with others, listened patiently and responded empathetically. Being hardworking, honest, reliable, quickly adaptable and committed towards my profession confirms to my effective team player abilities.
Well, my experience at the practicum stood shaken as I dealt with a grade 1 student who was non verbal and at the risk of seizures. During my first week ,I struggled in building up a relationship and interacting with her as she was stubborn by nature and not acceptable to changes. It was a challenge for me because this was my first practical experience of dealing with such student. Gradually I succeeded in developing a positive relationship by using simple sign language, direct words and pictures in communication book to give her directions. I also used her interest of listening to music as a motivator and reward to achieve desired
Lavoie’s workshop provokes an emotional response. After viewing life through the eyes of a child with special needs, I cannot help but have a more significant understanding of what people, especially children with disabilities, must deal with every day, everywhere. During the many years that I have worked with children with various disabilities, I have encountered each of the topics discussed in Lavoie’s workshop and agree with the points he makes regarding children with disabilities. Particularly impacting the way I interact with my students are the topics concerning: anxiety, reading comprehension, and fairness.
I help to select new items for the classroom and muscle room and rearrange the setup. On Fridays the morning and afternoon teachers along with all the student teachers meet to discuss what has been going on in the classroom and what is working out well and what needs to be changed. For example we recently change the setup of our lunch table from 2 long tables to 3 separate tables to facilitate better conversations during meals. We also have introduced dinosaur books, puzzles, block mates and toys after we noticed a class wide interest in them. My teacher has also given me the tools to assist children in conflict resolution when disagreements
I have had no experience with students who have a physical disability or have particular cultural requirements. Therefore, I will continually seek advice and direction from my experienced colleagues to develop my teaching skills. To become an authentic and effective teacher, I will need to know my students and how they learn, as outlined in The Australian Professional Teaching Standards (1.1 - 1.6 AITSL, 2011). Furthermore, to create the most effective learning environment for my students, I will need to continue to learn and improve my current skills and knowledge (6.1 - 6.4 AITSL,
Paraeducators are busy when special needs students are present. I and any teacher can use this article review as a way to implement his paraeducator in any class.
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
The students in our classrooms, both special education and general education classrooms, require individualized education to reach their full potential. Each child’s potential is different just as each child’s road to reach it is different. Our job as teachers is to be there for the student’s to help them reach their potential through their own unique way.
A walk through demonstration and rationale discussion completed the WinMed experience. Learning about emergency lighting, testing of emergency lighting, fire extinguishers use/deployment/charge monitoring, sprinkler systems with backflow prevention valve, smoke detector yearly cleaning, cleaning of general areas including bathrooms, trash pickup and disposal, biohazard disposal, sharp containers, standard precautions, and biohazard facility pick up opened my eyes wide to a whole new world.
Students with disabilities can have a smooth transition from school to post school activities. The transitional services and regulations provided by the government guarantee that students will be provided with the education, social skills and community support needed for the transition to be flawless and successful. There are many parts involved in the education, implementation and transition of students with disabilities. The parents, teachers, resource teachers, outside agencies and community partners all are involved to help transition the student into the post school world.
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
They can be personal aides for special education students and help assist them during the school day. The paraprofessional may follow the student to all of their classes and assist them with any tasks they need help with. Special education students have an Individualized Education Program, which states what accommodations they have and what they may need help with. Students who need more individualized attention can receive this when a paraprofessional is in the
Glazzard J, Hughes A, Netherwood A, Neve A, Stoke J. (2010). Teaching Primary Special Educational Needs. British library: Learning Matters. p7.
One of the greatest strengths I bring to the field practicum is optimism. In the helping profession I believe hope/positivity is very important because it affects how I see problems, how I solve problems, how I help my clients, and how I make decisions. Secondly, self-awareness would be another strength I have to offer. I am constantly doing self-evaluations of my heart, motives, biases, and good/bad habits. This allows me to continue to improve myself as an individual and as an employee. My greatest limitation would be fear of failure. I have this burning desire to help individuals, families, and communities, but in doing that I do not want to fail them. My desire of wanting to provide clients with the best and seeing them succeed is a strength
Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.
Over the last eight weeks this writer has learned a monument amount of knowledge in a short period of time. Each module and activity clearly defined each objective covered in the readings. Reflection plays a huge part in increasing one's self awareness, after having reflected on the course assignments writer is prepared to use the knowledge that they have attained. Having taken this course one feel comfortable utilizes the materials in the professional world successfully. Before taking this course many things about the laws and right guaranteed to students with disabilities were unclear. Knowledge is power and knowing has opened this writer up to understanding how a special educator a...
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to