The special education class was for moderate to severe children with autism and consisted of four students, one for each grade. The classroom was primarily decorated with the students’ work but also had a class schedule, alphabet wall cards, students’ birthdays poster, class helpers list, calendar, class rules, days of the week, and months of the year. Two teacher assistants were present in the class. Mr. Ayala plays music throughout most of the day which I think is good to create relaxing environment for the students. During breakfast the students are allowed to get out of their seats and retrieve their own breakfast. Most of the students remain seated but one child constantly gets out of his seat and has a habit of hitting and scratching …show more content…
I enjoy the idea of having the students exercise in the morning since it would benefit them to feel energized and perhaps help them work better throughout the day. The exercises are done to music and incorporate jumping, walking, galloping, gliding, tiptoeing, and skipping. The jumping exercises proved to be the difficult for the class since some did not understand what they were supposed to and others simply refused. The teacher and the assistants all did the exercises along with the students and acted in lively manner to motivate the children to participate. After, they give the class a short break to cool down and then begin their unique reading …show more content…
Although I am working towards my Education Specialist credential I was required to spend most of my time in the general education class which, I found to still be worthwhile learning experience. Susan Curren was an effective and experienced teacher, teaching for seventeen years, and I learned several different teaching methods she used to help her students understand and remember the lessons. Her variety of methods were effective because they acknowledged the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic type of learners. My only criticism was her lack of classroom management when it came to how loud the class was being. The children needed to learn to quiet down when the teacher or a classmate was speaking. Also, I did not agree with her lack of acknowledgement of the children’s altercations with each other. I believe it is important to teach the class basic conflict resolution skills early on in school. The short time I spent in the special education class with David Ayala helped to reassure my choice in teaching credential. I enjoyed my time in that class the most and found it to be much less stressful than the larger general education class. I enjoyed how Mr. Ayala and his assistants were always animated and cheerful with the students and created a great atmosphere in the class by playing music the children enjoyed. I also though having physical education in the morning was
Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in
This Semester I observed a three-year-old girl named Allie. Allie attends preschool at Land of Learning; she is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. It was my pleasure observing her and getting to know her. She is a very sweet outgoing girl that doesn’t let her disability get to her. I observed and assisted Allie throughout her days at preschool. I assisted her and observed her with recess activities, eating lunch, and daily school projects. My past observation experiences I observed at Westgate elementary school in a class room mixed with students with learning disabilities, ADHD and also ELL students the class was taught by Ms. Lewis. I observed a second grade ELL classroom and also a fourth grade classroom. I observed these students during school
My personal philosophy of special education drives not from teaching in the field, but from, observations, and personal experience, and the workshops I attended. I have had the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs in many different settings, all this help cultivate my knowledge in handling the needs of the special needed student. Special needs students have the ability to learn, to function, to grow, and most importantly to succeed. The difference comes into how they learn or how they need to be taught. There are as many beliefs about the "hows" as there are teachers and each of us forms our own philosophy through our experiences and research. As a student in a special education teachers’ program, learners with special needs includes all students in special education programs in the public school system or other appropriate settings. However, the students I would like to focus on in my career are students with learning disabilities and therefore when thinking about learners with special needs, my mind focuses on this population.
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.
Informing teachers of the areas that students with autism spectrum disorder struggle in will better help them understand...
There has been a debate for years on whether autistic students should be in all mainstream, mixed, or all inclusion classes. In this report, the reader will learn the benefits of mainstream classes, how they started, how inclusion classes started, what made the people separate Autistic students, and how parents feel about which option is better.
As a student living with no impairing physical or mental disability, it is difficult to imagine life any other way. On the other hand, when taking the time to contemplate what people with disabilities, such as Autism have to cope with, I realize just how much I take for granted in every day life; such as options to any class, learning at a normal pace, and peer interactions, to name a few. Autism not only affects people physically, but socially as well, ensuing subordinate self esteem, meager social skills, and poor peer relationships, aspects of maturing which are crucial to proper development.
I have been a Special Education Para-Educator for eleven years now. My decision to do this was based on the needs of my family and kids. When my last child was born, the doctors did not think that he would make it. He had a heart malfunction and was born with RSV and Von Villibrantds disease (which I did not find out until he was three); those factors lead me to want to work with special education kids, knowing that I could make a difference.
Inclusion of all students in classrooms has been an ongoing issue for the past twenty-five years (Noll, 2013). The controversy is should special education students be placed in an inclusion setting or should they be placed in a special education classroom? If the answer is yes to all special education students being placed in inclusion, then how should the inclusion model look? Every students is to receive a free an appropriate education. According to the Individual Education Act (IDEA), all students should be placed in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment (Noll, 2013).
Winterman, K. & Sapona, R. (2002). Everyone’s Included: Supporting Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Responsive Classroom Learning Environment. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35 (1), 30-35.
In the classroom I am observing in I have watched how the teacher and the students start and end their day by following different procedures for ex: attendance, portfolios, grades, and class rituals like morning meeting, transitions and end of the day procedures. All of these procedures and rituals contribute to the classroom culture and are parts of instructional practices. So when the students come first in, in the morning they have morning circle where they do attendance, weather, lunch choices, how I feel today chart and much more. Each student has a job during morning circle which rotates every day so not every student has the same job. So attendance is kept and done at morning meeting everyday which is important for the teacher to keep
Have you ever imagined the world of teaching through the eyes of a special education teacher? It takes a unique person to educate children with disabilities. The career of a special education teacher is an interesting career, because you get to help children overcome obstacles and become productive citizens. The research will describe the career of a special education teacher, what is required to become a successful special education teacher, and the impact this career has on society.
As I ponder over my personal professional development experiences as an educator the realization of how one has developed over time is personally satisfying. Educating children especially children with special needs is a challenge within its self. As a teacher it is important that this writer makes a positive influence with students. There are going to be certain ideas that one tries to uphold and other discriminations that one will not allow. Everyone has their own beliefs teachers should do what is necessary not to infringe on others, but show children different way to think so that they have all the information needed to make educated choices. Children are open-minded they have not yet had to deal with or understand the injustices that they will encounter. If children are taught from an early age they will have the ability to succeed especially children with special needs as an educator my main goal is teaching the purpose of public schools, and education reform. It is my purpose to influence children and be positive influence.
Special education is an incredibly important, but often underappreciated aspect of education. There is a stigma around individuals with disabilities, that leads people to assume those in special education are less capable or smart as their peers in in a strictly traditional classroom setting. That could not be farther from the truth though, and the individuals in special education are just as capable of learning and maturing in to successful adults. As a future teacher, I was not really aware of how little I knew about special education until I enrolled in this course. This course has helped change and shape my views of special education, and helped me gain a better understanding of what exceptional children are and how I can better serve them
...ities and that I have done a complete one-eighty in my view of these students. There was several times where I caught myself using the term retarded, in describing something that was unintelligent. I must understand that my advocacy towards this issue will only grow if I continue to find out more about learning disabilities, to watch what I say, and to be careful when trying to teach others to change their views.