Blog #8

   What is the most important thing you have learned during fieldwork observation? Why?

    I have learned that it is important to really look at each student as an individual.  Some students may be great in the main stream class setting.  While others really need the more personalized attention that one on one gives them.  These students that need one on one are not necessarily academically challenged but just learn differently.  I have learned that one student may need pull out classes and options in all subjects and areas.  While other students may only need help in one subject, and other in none.
     Working with students in a pull out setting has made me understand the importance of early intervention.  Many of these students are behind academically and feel inferior when around their mainstream peers because they do not meet the standard.  This is in no way their fault, they needed the intervention or a different way of learning.  If the students had received this at a young age they could still be on the same level as their peers and interventions would be in place so these students stay at or above grade level.   Look at each student individually and understand the importance of early intervention.

Blog entry #7

• What are the school rules/classroom rules and how are they enforced?

At the school that I have been at there is a dress code. This has helped make students on an even playing field.  You don't have the outlandishly dressed students or the misfit students. They all wear the same thing. If a student is out of dress code they have 2 options, to call home and get the correct dress code attire, or choose from the school closet so that they are always in dress code.  

 

They also do detention. If you are late, or unprepared, or disrespectful, it is up to teacher discretion. Then you are given a detention to be served within the next 5 days.  If there is a conflict you can talk to the teacher and they will work with you.  If you do not talk to the teacher and do not serve the detention then you will be given an office referral once an office referral happens you are called to the principals office, you will call home and make arrangements, and then you will be required to serve 2 detentions.  The original detention and another for the office referral.  This helps to keep the students in check. Detention is not long only 30 minutes after school but it seems to work well for the students at this school, many learn their lesson.  Others are frequent flyers  

Blog Entry #6

What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these?

The classroom that I have been in has students with very different needs.  There is the general population these students are great with going with the flow. The teacher tries to keep their attention and interests by changing up the delivery of information.  Smart board activities, hands on, lecture, games, etc.  This helps students so that they are able to have some wiggle time throughout the day.  This has worked great for all students in the class.   

Different activities throughout the lesson and the day have also been helpful for students with shorter attention span.  Students who have a difficult time sitting still the teacher has attached a pool noodle to their chair leg so the have something to wiggle without being a large distraction.  In the current class there is a student that reacts inappropriately in class with many outbursts.  Through reading his IEP it has been found that this student has some sensory issues as well.  The teacher has taken Velcro and placed them on the bottom of his chair.  He is able to quietly have sensory stimulation keeping his attention on the task and minimizes the inappropriate distractions to other students. 

The teacher has done a great job laying down the ground rules for the students who use the sensory tools.  If they are used as a distraction then they go away.  The other students in the class who are not in need of sensory aide understand the use and have found that the aides are less of a distraction then the students outbursts.  I think the aides help the students who need them but can be abused if not managed correctly.