Prior Learning Analysis

My third grade class at P.S 45 is an ICT class where half of the students are low-functioning and half of the students are general education. My classroom contains 29 children, 15 boys and 14 girls of mixed heritages. The majority of my students are Hispanic and African American; however, there are a few students who are Caucasian and Asian, too. The class consists of many students who have an impulsive tendency of constantly getting out of their seats. When this happens, it breaks the focus of other students and disrupts the lesson. Most students come ready to learn, but some of the students lack focus due to insufficient sleep and nutrition. Some students are more skilled than others; however, most of the class is struggling academically. My class requires special and differentiated instruction. Twelve students in this class

This is a 1st grade class made up of 12 first grade students. There are 7 Girls and 5 Boys. There is 1 male student with general academic IEP that covers all subjects as well as 1 male and 1 female student that have speech IEPs. The classroom is arranged in table seating with a large carpeted area in the front of the classroom for group learning. This lesson will be taught in a group setting at the carpet.

My observation this semester is in a self-contained classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The class is taught by one special education teacher who is assisted by a teaching aide. The desks are spaced out from one another, allowing each student a lot of room to move around. I believe the desks are arranged this way so that the students have limited contact with one another. There are books and games on a shelf that the students are allowed to use during break time. There are also two computers that they may use during breaks or after they have completed their work. In one corner of the room, there are two bean bags and a sign that says quiet zone. The students are taught reading, math, and language arts in this room. They go to an inclusion room for science and social studies. They eat lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of the fifth-grade students. They also leave this room every day to attend related arts with the rest of the student body.

A typical day consisted of, casual conversations between students, Mrs. Hughes, and myself while we wait for more students to arrive. The older female students often got side-tracked talking to one another and on their cell phones. I noticed the majority of the students who come to class are the intermediate/ advanced students, only two beginner students came throughout the entirety of my service. At most, only seven intermediate/ advanced students came to class. Yet, there were two constant students in attendance, Rose (intermediate) and Vicente (advanced). I consider both Rose and Vicente the most driven students in the program, their attendance and participation in class speaks for

These students make the students with disabilities feel they do not belong or there is something wrong with them when there is not. Additionally, I find the students who get along with students with disabilities are the ones who have taken the time to get the person rather than the label. Students who are introduced to other students with disabilities at young do not discriminate against these students. Their peers at younger do not see the differences as much an example is the comments made by the Patty’s sister how she did not realize until they were older there was some “wrong” with Patty. Another example from the film talks about the mother’s concern about how the students’ opinion might change about Samuel as he grow older. I think if the friends Samuel has, or people who really respect the individual with a disability growing up and learning stereotypes would not matter because they can see the individual for who they are and would not treat them any

St. Charles West High School has a vast array of students that attend the school. While I have observed 3 different classes, there are different students in each class. The Civics class consists of freshman, ages 14. These students are a bit rowdy and tend to act out when I am in the classroom. There is majority of mixed-race students in this class when compared to white students with an even amount of males and females. Also, 1 student with an IEP with ADHD. The next class is Contemporary Issues which consists of sophomores and juniors ages 15-16. Majority of white males with only 2 mixed males in the class. There is no special needs students in this class. Lastly, the AP class consists of 10 students with an even amount of males and females. Grades are sophomores through seniors, ages 15-17. This class consists only of white students and no students with special needs.

For my field placement this semester I have been placed in School Lane Charter school located in Bensalem, PA. This charter school takes great measures in making sure their students get the best quality education. School Lane is an inclusive school, which means that students with or without disabilities are able to learn together, in the most least restrictive environment. I am placed in a first grade classroom this semester in Ms. Cameron’s room. The student who I chose to observe is Ben. Mrs. Cameron picked this student for me because it appears that he has some academic struggles followed by some deficits in social interaction and repetitive behavior such as, rocking back and forth. However, he has yet to be evaluated thus

PS. 45 is a school in in Staten Island New York, serving 900 students, 61% of the students are economically disadvantaged. This is a diverse school where 5% of students are Asian, 17% Black, 48% Hispanic and 27% White. They have a population of English Language Learners that take up 6% and 23% of the school's population have disabilities. I am observing a 4th grade classroom at P.S. 45. This class is a general education class with 26 students, two of these students are English language learners and two others struggle with focusing. There are also a number of students in the class that need extra support.

Like all technology, the SMART Board has its glitches every now and then. Sometimes, Miss Hampton’s pens do not show up as the color she wants when she writes. The board can also cause stress on Kauth as well. If it is not working properly, it takes her quite some time to figure out what is wrong, this means that the class gets started later and there is not as much time to work. Some of Hampton’s students get distracted during her class and start to draw on her SMART Board, which definitely aggravates Miss Hampton. Bill Ferriter has nothing good to say in the article “Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards”. He believes he can do the same lessons without a SMART Board. Ferriter argues that it is a tool that does little to promote independent discovery and collaborative work. He mentions that interactive whiteboards are an under informed and irresponsible purchase and they are nothing more than vain attempts to buy change. Everyone has different views of the SMART Board, and some even wonder if it will continue to grow and change our

I again observed children in the special services department at the Coulter Grove Intermediate School building in Maryville, Tennessee. Though this department covers a wide variety of grades, I concentrated my attention on the second to fifth graders. These children were in the same room, with another special services classroom across the hall. My observation hours occurred between the hours of 12:00 PM and 2 PM. I focused a session and a half (or three hours) on observation of the social and emotional domain in child development. While the special services department does contain children with special needs (therefore, those who have not developed to their fullest capacity), it also features neurotypical children who work as “peer buddies” and are developing normally. The gender divide among the children was around even, although there was a definite race divide, with most children being white. One child out of all the children was black. As a result of the department being focused on special needs children, there were many more teachers than there is in a typical classroom, with the majority of these teachers having a calm approach to leading the children, although making sure to be very firm in their directions. The classroom differed from a “typical” classroom, with a couch on one side of the room and space to sit down on the floor and work. There was also a special area dedicated to children to have time to “cool down” and a bathroom attached to the classroom. While I

I know that in today’s society more and more special learners are placed into the classroom. Getting to know your student will help you greatly. Parents can often be a huge help! Most are more than willing to help you understand their child more. I also believe having a welcoming environment for all students is greatly needed. If the student does not feel welcome in my classroom I will talk with other staff and parents to help see how I can accommodate. If the student does not feel comfortable in an elective class I could speak with the teacher and figure out ways to resolve this. Some special learners feel left out and have a difficultly interacting socially with other students. One way I can help with this is by assigning or having volunteers for lunch buddies. I believe this could help students to understand each other

The teacher needs to prepare students to be accepting of the special needs students by being honest about the nature of the child's disability and/or behavior difficulty. Although inclusion seems like a great idea that should be of some form of benefit for all involved, if not handled properly it can become a very stressful situation

There are three teachers in the classroom, one does reading/lesson circle with a small group of students, another does arts and crafts, and one of them circulates throughout the room helping students with their work-plans. The teacher that circulates around the room all the time appears to be the head teacher and when a conflict arises she is the one to mediate it. The way that the teachers speak with the children is as if they are equals, they aren’t talked down to and the students give the teachers complete respect.

needs are met and they feel as if they are respected by the teacher. Mutual respect is once again

Many workers have acquired knowledge and skills from prior study or training, volunteer work or career experience but lack the proper documentation to prove them. This is where Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) comes in. With RPL, you can obtain a Nationally Recognised Australian Qualification quickly without attending further classroom study.