Emma Bauman

Final Project Ivy Tech Community

College
Classroom
Space
Classroom
Space
Having a positive and inspiring classroom
space is something that I have always wanted to have as
a teacher. Since I have begun college, I have been
collecting different tools and visual aids to display in my
classroom. “Ability of the teacher to create
an environment in
the classroom where all learners experience a spontaneous
elevation of behavior; Ability to create a
learning environment that is literally transformational.”
(London & Freyermuth, 2004) It is very important that I
create a place in my classroom that every student can
benefit from. It is important to find the balance between
my gifted students and students in my class with learning
disabilities.
I also plan to have an area in my classroom
where children can go to decompress and take a break. It
is very important to me that if I have students with
behavioral disabilities or ADHD and need a place to
collect their thoughts and get some stimuli in order for
them to be able to join back in with what they are learning
without disrupting any other students. It is also important for
me to be sure that all of my students are aware of the
accommodations that they can receive if they need them
and to also learn different strategies to help them get
through the day. Having visual aids on the walls of the
classroom can help to remind them of other options they
have to keep moving.
Additionally, I would love to have a space in
my classroom where students can collaborate. I want them
to be able to sit in an environment where they can lean on
their neighbors when ever they need to in order to
encourage them to do things independently and to share
ideas with their peers. All of these components will lead to
a positive learning environment for my students to enter
everyday and gain a good education.
 Exceptionalities

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

 Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Gifted & Talented Students

(Hallahan, Kauffman, Pullen, 2015 p.154,180, 376)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

There are three types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The first type
is Predominantly Inattentive Type, students with this have a difficulty paying attention to
details, difficulty sustaining attention, problems with organization and they are easily
distracted. Next is predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type. With this type, students struggle
with hyperactivity, fidgeting, leaving their seat at inappropriate times, and talking excessively.
Lastly, combined type; these students struggle with symptoms from types one and two.
Students with ADHD are in every classroom. The severity of every child varies so it is
important that I have a classroom that allows my students to remain focused so that they can
focus on what I am teaching. In order to do this, I will have a schedule displayed in the
classroom that the students can refer to which will help them stay on track or get back on
track if they need to. Providing consistency will help the student understand what they should
be doing through the day. I will also provide an organized environment that will help them
find the tools and manipulatives that they may need to help them. (Hallahan, Kauffman,
Pullen, 2015 p.165).
Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) can have symptoms that vary
on a very on a large spectrum. Students can experience anger, loneliness, even happiness.
Often times a student will have behavior that will be extreme, have a chronic problems that
do not quickly go away, or have behavior that is unacceptable. (Hallahan, Kauffman, Pullen,
2015 p.183) It is often difficult to know what will trigger a student and to figure out what will
work best for the student to help them cope.
In order to support my students, I want to create a safe place in our classroom from
the beginning of the year and maintain it throughout the time that the student is in the
school. Often, students with EBD do not have a stable home environment and that makes it
more important to me that I make school a place that they love coming to. Developing trust
with my students is important because once we trust each other, episodes that students have
do not have to have as big of an impact on the rest of the classroom. The most important
thing for me is to teach my students how to cope on their own without disrupting classmates
so if that is writing in their journal, going to a quiet corner in the classroom, or expelling some
energy doing some exercises in the back of the classroom to help them calm down.
Gifted & Talented Students

Along with having students in your class who are struggling, you
will also have students who are have special gifts and are exceling in
the course work that other students are still working hard to
understand. For this reason, students can easily become bored or
disengaged in course work and begin behaving poorly or just not
enjoy coming to school anymore. Because classrooms are full of
students at all levels of learning, it is important to be sure that as a
teacher, you have a curriculum to accommodate students who have
advanced cognitive skills and provide grouping so that students can
work with the peers that are on their level. (Hallahan, Kauffman,
Pullen, 2015 p.390) Providing enrichment for the students will help to
keep them engaged in what they are learning.
 Classroom management is something that a
lot of teachers struggle with. Every year, you begin
with a new group of students that you need to get
to know and who need to get to know you.
"Teachers
reported classroom management problems in
relation to physical environment, planning,
time management, relationship management,
and behavior management that have a
connection to students, teachers, schools, classes,
curricula, courses, and parents.”(Akın, Yıldırım, &
Goodwin, 2016) It is important that teachers do
their best to develop a trusting relationship with
their students because if students know that their
Classroom teacher has their best interest in mind, they will
have their best interest in mind as well. When a
teacher and her classroom have mutual respect
Management for each other, things will move much smoother.
Establishing a routine and a set of classroom
and building rules at the beginning of the school
year is important to lay a foundation but it is also
important to remind your students of the routine,
rules and expectations will help to keep your
students on track. It is also important to have a
discipline system in place that the students can
understand so that they are not surprised when
they get in trouble or are redirected. These
strategies are helpful in managing a classroom but
it will always be something that will need to be
adjusted and modified to accommodate different
students.
Teacher
Support
 Learning Disabilities Association of America

https://ldaamerica.org/educators/
This website provides support and resources for teachers who have students with a wide
range of disabilities. I chose this recourse because the home page shares some information
that is helpful for educators but it also provides links to other resources for specific disabilities.
This is helpful because as a teacher, you could be very good at working with children with
more of the common disabilities but if you have a student that joins your classroom with a
disability that you are not familiar with you can turn to this site and learn more about how to
help your student.
 Special Education Guide

https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/tools-and-research/support-and-
resources-for-parents-and-teachers/
The Education Guide is an awesome resource! Not only does this website offer help
for teachers, it also provides information for parents and families. As a teacher, parents
expect you to know everything about how to work with their children. While that is the
goal of teachers, there is always more to learn. This is a great recourse that I can use as
a teacher to share with the families that I work with so that they can also receive more
support and gain a bigger understanding of what their child is going through. I also like
this resource because it gives you an option to find local programs that match your
child’s age to gain even more support.
 Division for Learning Disabilities

http://teachingld.org
The Division for Learning Disabilities is an international professional organization
consisting of teachers, psychologists, clinicians, administrators, higher education
professionals and parents that have goals to promote education and general welfare of
people with learning disabilities and to advocate for them. Not only is this a great
website that helps you understand learning disabilities, it also gives you a community to
join and collaborate with. They hold conventions where you can meet people in the
same shoes as you and where you can find people to discuss your stories and learn new
ways to cope or to benefit a student with learning disabilities.
 This course has taught me much
more than I was anticipating. When I joined
it, I was excited because I was considering
becoming a special education teacher
and now I am sure that is the direction that I
want to take in my education. I have
learned that I will have many different
students in my class over the time that I will
be teaching who will all have different
needs and it is important that I educate
Summary myself to help them succeed.
I have learned that there is so much
more to being a teacher than just teaching.
It is building relationships, being a
counselor, and creating a support system
and a safe place for your students. It is
important that as a teacher you can
understand your students and provide them
with tools that can help them cope with
whatever they are struggling with.
 Akın, S., Yıldırım, A., & Goodwin, A. L. (2016). Classroom Management through the Eyes of Elementary

Teachers in Turkey: A Phenomenological Study. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 16(3), 771-797.

doi:10.12738/estp.2016.3.0376

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., Pullen, P. C. (2015). Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special

Education, 13th Edition.

London, P., & Freyermuth, V. (2004). The "Wonder Full" Teacher Project. School Arts, 104(1), 55.

Special Education & IEPs. (2015, February 23). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/61291244904734489

Reference: Special Education Resources and Links for Parents and Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/tools-and-research/support-and-resources-for-parents-and-

teachers/

Support and Resources for Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

https://ldaamerica.org/educators/

TeachingLD. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://teachingld.org/

Projects. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.pinterest.com/laurenzoecc/projects