Observing The Setup Of The Classroom

Usually around this time, the kids are outside with the staff’s (student worker) or the teacher. During this observation, all the children were outside on the playground. Being that they all know each other, everyone had someone to play with and nobody seems to be left out or felt alone while watching everyone having fun. Being that the children were all interacting with one other. There were about two children going up and down the slide, about three of them playing tag, couple of them who were playing by the door and a large group sitting in a circle. My main focus was the children sitting in a circle. While sitting in a circle, one of the boy within the group, decided to sing a Christmas song and then picked up a piece of log while acting as if he was playing the guitar for his peers. After singing alone for few minutes, three other children join him to

Autism is a disorder that is encompassed in the autism spectrum (ASDs) (Landa, 2007). Autism spectrum disorders describe the brain development disorders and encompass Asperger syndrome, autism, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) disorders. Features of the ASDs includes sensory and cognition problems, difficulty in communicating with other people, and repetitive behaviors. This paper will discuss autism with respect to what it is, the causes, autism in the inclusive classroom (what can be done to enhance total inclusion) and the role of the community.

Room 213 is located in Lillington-Shawtown Elementary School (LSES), a diverse and mid-sized school located in the Harnett county seat of Lillington, North Carolina. A classroom of five students with moderate disabilities, this EC self-contained setting is spacious and well-organized to address the needs of the four boys and one girl who are taught by Ms. Hatcher and assisted by Ms. Parrish and Ms. Roper. Most of the students are either 4th or 5th graders, half of whom are returning for their second year with Ms. Hatcher; there is also one student who is currently homebound who may be joining the class in September pending the results of upcoming conferences. The students’ classifications include autism and intellectual disability- moderate and per the county’s designation the classroom is listed as an Autism Self-Contained classroom. All of the students received additional support from the school’s occupational and speech therapists and half of the class receives additional support services from the school’s physical therapist. All students are provided transportation services as well.

Moreover, sights and sounds often distract students with autism, making it difficult for them to identify or attend to relevant cues. Blocking out as many extraneous sights and sounds as possible can help them focus on the most relevant dimensions of their activities. Dividers can minimize visual and auditory distractions. Bookshelves, window shades, the distribution of work areas around the classroom, and minimal use of decorations on the walls are other ways to minimize distractions” (Levidioti).

The No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act entail that students with disabilities or special needs to be open to the overall education and determine the progress of the child. Three unsurpassed practice strategies for supporting young children on the autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome) in an early learning environment. The first strategy is reinforcement. Reinforcement is a critical strategy of evolving and maintaining the enthusiasm of this type of student. A teacher must use objective or actions that the students would like or enjoy that can be obtainable behavior. In my field experience observed I have seen the Pre-K teacher use the computer and smartboard to interact with the class as well

For my ethnographic research I am observing a second grade classroom. I have chosen to observe classroom reading and writing time with the students. In addition I have decided to interview three people (teacher, parent, and student) from the school at which I am completing my observation hours, P.S. 152 Gwendoline N. Alleyne School in Woodside, Queens to have a solid understanding of my research. I will use alternative name for students and teacher. Mrs. S is piloting a writing workshop in her classroom and ELA/ literacy standards will be the primary focus throughout her teaching. My primarily focus will be on the classroom routine.

144). Some other techniques for improving the learning experience of students with autism are structured teaching, speech and language therapy, social skills therapy, and occupational therapy. Keeping a structured and predictable schedule is imperative when instructing a child with autism. The child will also, most likely, need some specialized classes in speech as well as instruction in appropriate social interaction, as one symptom of autism is a lack of comprehension of social norms. Educators need to keep in close contact with the team responsible for the student’s educational plan and diagnostic write-up to ensure that there are no large gaps in the educational programs suggested and the ones being applied.

Some of the interventions that IDEA suggests that students be included in the regular general education classroom as much as possible with their peers, because it helps them gain social relationships with others (McCurdy, 2014). But there are some negative aspects to having children included in the classroom. One of the roadblocks that schools come across is having to gain support from the school officials and staff members (McCurdy, 2014). The second barrier is having a student with autism spectrum disorder is risking them having a disruptive behavior or witness an off-task behavior that would disrupt other students in the classroom (McCurdy,

This paper has been composed to discuss the formulation of a plan for a student, who has been identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder, and is currently receiving support services for speech and occupational therapy. An effective plan for collaboration with the occupational therapist and speech therapist as well as how the general education teacher will be supported will be described in the document. This paper will also discuss how behavioral observations have been used in the general education classroom to develop an intervention program that will meet the student’ s IEP goals and the services that are being provided meet those goals. The following will furthermore describe how the environment will support the student within the general

The observation sites selected were selected for their stark contrast thus allowing for the most in depth analysis of the differences and similarities in play at these two different locations. The two locations where Central Classroom Building (CCB) 117 from one to two pm on the 22nd of September and traditional equipment play structure park area in Morgan Hill form three to four pm on the 23rd of September. There were eight kids surveyed at these two locations, they were all partaking in play of some sort and in a setting that encouraged it.

While many individuals may have racial categories in mind when they are presented with a topic about minorities, autistic individuals are rarely brought to the surface of this conversation. This means that one should consider those with disabilities as another minority category. Those with autism cannot express their thoughts well, showing their lack of socialization with anyone. Knowing that autistic individuals are born with this genetic disease serves as a detriment when they face a classroom environment, where communication is quite important, especially in the K-12 system of the United States. Therefore, not supporting autistic students to their fullest potential serves many problems to the student, parent, and educational system.

Therefore, because students with autism have difficulty processing the most obvious information environments, it is essential to incorporate visual instruction, visual organization, and visual clarity. Visual supports allow students with autism to engage in life. In addition, providing visual cues provide opportunities of structure, routine, and sequence that many children with autism required to participate in daily activities. Furthermore, providing visual supports combined with systematic instruction provides the opportunity to ensure learned skills, while promoting high levels of engagement. Communication is essential and has a significant purpose for a child with autism spectrum disorder. It is necessary to build on these communication skills, once a student understands how to interact with others and communicate wants and needs the student will improve their quality of life. Understanding your student’s strengths and weaknesses, talents and interests, and other areas of difficulties will allow opportunities to create design effective approaches and strategies that can substantially affect your student in every phase of their

Conducting classroom observations are very important to the prospective teacher. Observing helps show how experienced teachers manage their classroom. For this observation it was important to notice how the classroom was arranged, how the teacher interacted with the students, the teacher’s management style, and interview the teacher.

At this point, I felt that it was more important to first gain fundamental experience by focusing on teaching methodologies in order to be successful in the MSED in Special Education. In the past year and a half, I have worked with numerous children on the autism spectrum, varying in symptoms and levels of impairment; however, the majority of methods I utilize are primarily for students with mild-moderate autism. A large percentage of my students participate in small group sessions, which emphasize the development of social-emotional & behavioral growth, to introduce appropriate behavior in natural social situations. My youngest client, 3, up to my adult client, 25, participate in a weekly group session tailored to his/her age, needs, and developmental levels to effectively provide the tools to meet such unique needs. By participating in a small group session, I am able to analyze the differences and similarities of children with exceptionality, then utilize the data collected to assist developing individualized intervention strategies. By focusing on building background knowledge in this field, I bridged a relationship between experience and fundamental framework of

Meehan (2014) argues, "Better teaching never comes from a political mandate...it comes from the heart of a prepared and caring teacher." (para 2). Ms. Fairchild, a 4th-grade teacher at Samuel Staples Elementary school in Easton, Connecticut, has an approach to teaching that follows Meehan’s words. After observing her class for a semester, I notice she designs her classroom with her students in mind. She does an excellent job preparing her students for academic success and carefully provides them with the adequate tools they need to achieve their goals. In addition, she encourages her students to be driven and attentive learners. Based on my observations, I have determined that she conducts a classroom in a way that is inspired by the ideas of Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory and Dweck’s attribution theory.