Elizabeth Curtin

E-Portfolio

Integrative Reflection 1

William Feather once stated In education it isn't how much you have committed to memory or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't. It's knowing where to go to find out what you need to know and it's knowing how to use the information you get. In education, teachers are consistently learning. In special education, specifically, teaching seems to be a continuously changing practice which sometimes can seem impossible to keep up with. As William Feather said, though, it is imperative that teachers know how to use the information they receive to better themselves and their students. To do so, teachers must reflect on their work and learn from themselves, their students, and their experiences. The field of special education is constantly changing, and teachers must learn to adapt their knowledge and instructional practices to meet the needs of each and every student. Not only should a special education teacher be teaching his/her students, but he/she needs to be a consistent learner who strives to most effectively cater instruction to meet the specific needs of every student. This past semester, my experiences in classes and my practicum site have provided me with amazing opportunities to better myself as a future educator. I have developed my own skills through my experiences, and am grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. To begin, these experiences have shown me effective strategies to handle problem behavior and consequences in an educational setting. Fostering a positive learning environment for all students can be done by effectively monitoring and managing student behavior (Learning Environment; CC & LBS1, IPTS). It is imperative that teachers provide positive behavior supports for any students that need them. These supports will encourage students to develop more acceptable behaviors in school, at home, and in the community. While I know it is necessary to provide these supports, I have also realized that this is not always an easy task. This past semester, I was able to do a managing the learning environment assignment in my elementary school practicum site. For this assignment, I worked with a student on hand-raising and blurting-out. I experimented with a variety of strategies to help this student, and finally found that it was most effective to provide this student with continuous, yet subtle, reminders to raise his hand. Through my continuous efforts, I was able to find the most effective strategies for this student. As well, I implemented a group focus behavior intervention plan on transitioning. Managing a large group of students is an imperative skill for special educators. This program provided me with crucial experience in providing a well managed and facilitated learning environment. Still, it is sometimes important for teachers to provide each student with an

Elizabeth Curtin

E-Portfolio

Integrative Reflection 1

individualized form of behavior supports. Each student may needa different type of intervention because each student has his/her own individual behavior challenges. Teachers experiment with each student as an individual to find the most effective behavioral supports. Finding what works most effectively with a certain student or group of students will allow that student to develop positive behaviors in a variety of settings, allowing for a more positive classroom climate. Like all behavior supports, teachers must develop an individualized plan or strategy for each student of group of students to help students maintain positive classroom behaviors. In addition to maintaining a positive learning environment through the use of behavior supports for all students, this semester provided me with great information regarding curriculum (Planning for Instruction CC & LBS1, IPTS). Special education calls for the development of a specialized, unique curriculum that caters to a variety of learners. I learned a great deal about adapting and modifying curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Specifically, using differentiated curriculum is an effective way to provide instruction to students at a variety of ability levels. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to meet the needs of all students, while making instruction engaging, relevant, and interesting. Using differentiated instruction within a developed curriculum, I have learned, is a positive way to foster education for all learners. To develop this type of curriculum, though, teachers must discover not only the most effective content to teach, but also the most effective environments to provide instruction. Some students with special needs learn best outside of a classroom setting. These settings might be in the community, at home, or in other places at the school. To decide on these environments, teachers must look very specifically at the students needs. In my curriculum development III class, I preformed instructional setting inventories to determine appropriate instructional locations for a student with a disability. I was able to find appropriate environments which would allow me to provide instruction in the most effective and helpful manner to a student with various needs. Being open-minded to instructional environments will allow teachers to provide instruction in non-traditional but effective manner. Secondly, using a person-centered planning approach, teachers can develop curriculum, goals, and instruction for any student. I was able to practice person-centered planning and surveying environments this semester when I preformed a person centered planning assignment (Write-Up, Charts). Discovering a students individual desires and needs will allow teachers to provide instruction in a manner that is engaging and individualized. These assignments gave me great insight into these processes and a better understanding of their

Elizabeth Curtin

E-Portfolio

Integrative Reflection 1

importance. Using these processes, teachers can best develop a meaningful curriculum by adapting instruction to meet a variety of needs. In order to provide a positive learning environment and effective curriculum to students, it is imperative that teachers implement useful instructional strategies. There are numerous instructional strategies that teachers can implement in a classroom (Instructional Delivery CC & LBS1, IPTS). First, teachers must know the different levels and abilities of their students. Teachers should determine what stage of learning their students are and their students strengths and weaknesses. Afterwards, teachers should determine the best strategies to use with their students. Many times, this process requires experimentation. Teachers might try a variety of strategies to find the best one. These strategies may include task analyses, most-to-least prompting, graduated guidance, various curricula programs, etc. Teachers may also use other materials such as adaptive technology to implement these instructional strategies. Once teachers have implemented a strategy, though, it is important to assess student development. Teachers can use a variety of assessment techniques to monitor student progress and response to a specific strategy. Assessment allows teachers to see if a strategy is appropriate for a certain student and ensure that students are making adequate progress. This semester, I was able to experience prompting, assessment, task analyses development, and providing instruction through a variety of assignments. Doing a sight words informal assessment and instructional program allowed me to practice providing a variety of instructional strategies, prompting, reinforcement, and generalization. I gained much knowledge in the area of providing instruction that will better allow me to teach my current and future students. These experiences also address the common core standard of reflecting on instruction and providing appropriate instruction to facilitate a positive learning community. In all, behavior intervention, curriculum development, and instructional strategies can be used together to create positive learning environments for all students. Facilitating successful learning outcomes requires careful planning, experimentation, curriculum accommodations, differentiated instruction, assessment, and reflection. Through my practicum and classes this past semester, I have gained essential knowledge of these topics. I look forward to using this knowledge to better myself as a teacher, and will continue to develop myself through my future experiences and opportunities.