Intern Year: Fall 2013: Week 3

It was a difficult start to the week with a three day weekend.  Most of the students had a hard time getting adjusted back to the routine.  As I began planning my lessons for next week, I noticed the difficulty special education teachers face when planning.  They have multiple grade levels, multiple ability levels, and multiple modifications/accommodations they need to take into consideration.  Most of their plans are dependent on the general education teachers and their plans.  It seems that special education teachers have to wait to make their plans around the other general education teachers’ plans.

            I faced a situation today where I was not sure how to handle it.  While working with the 3^rd grade reading group, the students were following along, but the one student is not able to read at all.  I read most of the story to them so they would be able to understand, but the students asked why CJ didn’t have to follow along and could just listen.  I wasn’t sure if what I said what acceptable.  I said, “We are all different and learn differently, and the student learns best by listening”.  I did not want to make the student feel uncomfortable, but it seemed like my answered helped the other students to understand. 

            I feel that I am really starting to develop my research question and action research project now.  At first, I felt like I wanted to only focus on site words, but I see now that I am going to need to use many different strategies with the student.  I am going to use letter recognition, phonemic awareness, site words, and reading on ability level.  I am focused on assisting this student to read on some level.  At this point, he is not even able to identify most words or even letters.  Through my action research project, I hope to give the student the ability and tools to read more fluently and without having to decode each individual letter.  I hope that it will give him a better quality of life and make school more enjoyable.  He does not lack motivation and is not at a frustration level, yet.  However, I hope through my action research, he will be able to read at a level that is comfortable for him where he can participate with his grade level peers.  I know that I am not going to make miracles happen and have him reading on level, but I hope that he will be able to read more fluently to help him in every aspect of his life.

            I really see how flexible I need to be as a teacher.  Yesterday during my first lesson,  I observed that my students really did not understand the concept I taught them, and they were not able to apply what I taught them.  Therefore, in the afternoon I switched up my lesson and extended what I was teaching in the morning.  It took some quick thinking and some Pinterest ideas to get myself ready for the second lesson.  I am even going to take it further this morning and have the students apply what they learned about sequencing by relating it to their own life.  I have learned that even if you make plans, you don’t always follow your plans.  The plans are mostly an outline of what you will do throughout the week, and they are not set in stone.  Things change, and it is important that I am able to be flexible and have other ideas ready to make sure the students are able to understand and apply what they learned during my lesson.

            I was co-teaching in the 4^th grade math class today assisting with the students with special needs.  They were working with money and making change.  I was working and focusing on the students with special needs.  General ed. Students were also asking for some assistance, and one boy asked for my help and was in tears.  He was so upset that he did not understand how to count up from a price to make change from $10.  I acknowledged that he was really upset that he did not understand.  So, even though he was not a student I normally work with, I took the time to reteach the lesson and work through a few problems with him.  By the end, he was calmed down and seemed to understand the concept.  I then told him that if he needed more help or needed it explained more, he could come to my classroom and I would help him.  This really showed me that even though I am in a special ed. Resource room, I am actually there to help all the students, because not all general ed. Students are going to understand the concepts and material right away.  All students, general ed. And special ed. Included, will need my assistance while I am co-teaching in the classroom.

            I am having trouble with having a student of mine focus and complete work independently without sitting there and prompting him to complete the work consistently.  I do not know how I can keep him focused, engaged, and completing his work.  I feel as if I keep using different teaching strategies and methods and I teach in different ways, but nothing keeps him completing his work and on task.  His general ed. Teacher is having the same problem and cannot get him to complete his work.  She sends the work home that is not finished, but it is never returned.  The only way that he will finish his work is if someone sits with him one-on-one and prompts him continually.  I am lost as to what I can do with him to get him to focus.  He has ADD, and I need to find strategies that I could use with him.