Sunday, April 21, 2013
Comparing Special-ed Placement and General Education Placement; What did you learn?
Most of you have had the opportunity to have two very different placements. How were they similar? How were they different? Which did you prefer? What were your take away lessons from each? Have the experiences solidified what you hope to do in the future?
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Over the course of the semester I’ve had the opportunity to work in both a fourth grade classroom and a mathematics learning support classroom with seventh and eighth graders. Each experience has brought about a great deal of growth both pedagogically and professionally.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are more differences between the two experiences then similarities the one thing that remained prominent in both experiences is the level of differentiation needed. During my time in fourth grade, leveled groups for reading and math were carried out to ensure that students were being given the needed amount of support. Each group’s assignment/ activity were modified to accommodate for their skill level. In seventh and eighth grade learning support I was constantly modifying assignments as well as my instruction to meet the students learning needs. Sometimes I would need to change the pace of my lessons as well as the progression of my lesson when a lack of understanding became prominent. One thing that I noticed between the two placements was that in learning support the pace of instruction was more flexible and the level of support was of course more intense. Being in the general education classroom, when differentiating it was harder to measure where each student was at and meeting all students was more of a challenge. Being in a small learning support setting I was more able to meet every student’s need and slow down the pace of instruction when needed.
When reflecting back on both placements there are a multitude of differences among the two. Although there are many evident ones; grade level, content, class size, class layout, demographics; there are also others. Initially, aside from being nervous about teaching math everyday, all day, I was apprehensive about working with the age group. Up until now I had never been in a classroom with students older then 9. I wasn’t sure how I was going to interact with them. As time went on I was able to build a strong relationship with each of my students. It was odd at first not having the same students for the entire school day. I would only have them for a period, about 45 minutes a day. Despite this I was able to build a good relationship with each of them. In the beginning I got to know their likes and interests and build these interests into instruction to get them motivated and engaged in instruction. So, one main difference was my interactions between the two age groups. However, with each I was able to build a strong and positive rapport. Another difference was the format of my lessons. In my fourth grade placement many of the lessons involved peer interaction and collaboration. In my learning support placement much of the assignments carried out were done independently, mostly because they could not handle working with others and would become distracted and off- task frequently.
Although it has been a really challenging placement, I prefer the learning support placement. There have been many challenges everyday that I never imagined I would have to address. However, I am a better and stronger teacher and professional because of it. Despite this I’ve liked the one on one/smaller group instruction, as well as having the ability and freedom to modify instruction to accommodate for each student’s needs. During my time in learning support I’ve seen the motivation and desire to learn grow in my students. As the weeks progressed they handed in more and more of their work and in turn excelled on both formative and summative assessments. They deal with so much outside the four walls of the classroom and I am so proud of them and all they have accomplished in just the eight weeks that I have known them. Between the two placements I’ve found my Special Education placement more rewarding.
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DeleteWhen looking back on these past sixteen weeks so much has been learned and accomplished. I’ve grown so much as an educator. Flexibility and responsiveness has come about with practice. Professional growth and my wealth of knowledge has increased due to the numerous learning experiences I encounter in the classroom daily, as well as the numerous faculty meetings, in services, department meetings, professional development days, IEP meetings, GIEP meetings, and AT meetings. During my special education placement I was even given the opportunity to write an IEP.
I would have to say that the lesson I took away from my general education experience is one dealing with the instructional aspect of teaching. During my time in fourth grade I was able to learn how to mold and modify my instruction to meet the needs of a diversified general education classroom. I also acquired a multitude of resources from my teacher that I will be taking and integrating into my future classroom. For my special education placement the main lesson that I took away is one dealing more with the classroom management aspect to teaching. During these past eight weeks I’ve learned that you can’t let negative behavior impact the flow of instruction. You have to pick and choose your battles and can’t let students see that you are frustrated and upset with them because that will only intensify the behavior.
I could not have asked for a better student teaching experience. I now feel prepared more then ever to become the teacher that I have always wanted to be. These experiences have solidified my lifelong goal of wanting to be a teacher. I am eager and excited to apply the knowledge that I have acquired during my time at Elizabethtown to a teaching position that I love.
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DeleteI was nervous like you were when I changed placements because I went from 1st grade general education room to 5th/6th grade learning support room in my student teaching placements. There is a major difference teaching elementary and middle school students. You have to really get to know the students and know how to best interact with them.
DeleteAdditionally, I was unsure how to build relationships with students I only see for 40 minutes a day in my special education placement. Like you, I have learned that it is easy to establish a professional student-to-teacher relationship. One thing in the area of relationship building that I have done and plan to continue doing is to take the first few minutes of class and ask how everyone is doing. Starting the class off by having students informally share helps to build a close class community and shows the students that you truly care about them.
I completed my general education student teaching experience in a 1st grade classroom. My special education student teaching experience was in a 5th/6th grade learning support room for math and reading. The main similarities between these two placements are that a teacher needs to truly known all the students and the students’ learning preferences/styles. Additionally, a teacher needs to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies to help all students reach their highest learning potential. The main differences between these two placements are the pacing of instruction, collaborating with related professionals, and handling of paper work (IEPs). Frequently communicating with other teachers and attending various team meeting occurred on a weekly basis in my special education placement.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to which type of placement I prefer, it is very difficult for me to pick. I enjoyed my special education placement because it was rewarding to work with small groups and individualize the instruction to help students who struggle excel in school. I also enjoyed teaching a variety of subjects in my general education placement. After much consideration and reflection, I favor a learning support special education classroom.
The take away from my general education placement was to know the schedule of the day and to be prepared to make last minute adjustments. Sometimes my cooperating teacher had other important tasks the students needed to complete, so the teaching schedule was rearranged. Therefore, a teacher needs to be flexible.
The take away from my special education placement was to make school become an active and enjoyable learning adventure. Crafting engaging lessons, such as a readers theatre play, meter city measurement adventure, and traveling on the Silk Road, helps the students to participate and experience the joys of learning. Overall, I have learned and further developed skills in being flexible and creative.
My student teaching experiences have helped solidified my future plans. I hope to become a teacher who opens the doors to endless learning to all students. My second and third grade teachers did that for me by making school become an active, student-centered learning adventure. Those two teachers inspired me to become a teacher. The experiences in my student teaching placements have helped me to further enhance my ability to become a teacher who puts the students first and makes decisions in their best interests, helping them all to reach their highest learning potential.
I favor the learning support special education classroom as well. Having a more individualized instructional setting and being able to work one on one with students more frequently is something I enjoy doing.
DeleteEven though I am in an Emotional Support classroom for my Special Education placement, I also enjoyed the individualized instruction I was able to give. It is very rewarding and I feel most students learn better that way. I don't want to teach Emotional Support as a teaching job but have been thinking about finding a teaching job in Learning support. I find that you are able to teach a smaller group of students and it more individualized, which is what I really like to do!
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ReplyDeleteDuring my student teaching experience, I was able to work in a 4th grade classroom in general education and a learning support classroom for 3rd and 4th grade. I was fortunate enough to stay in the same district for both placements which allowed me to get to know the district, faculty, and students a lot better than if I would have been in two different placements. I feel that I have learned a great deal from both of these placements in both the content area and teaching in general.
ReplyDeleteLooking back now, there are a few similarities that stand out to me when thinking about both of my student teaching experiences. As far as cooperating teachers, I couldn’t have asked for better ones. They were both very helpful and taught me more than they probably are aware of. They both gave appropriate and helpful feedback on my lessons. I appreciated their advice as well when it came to applying for jobs and also offering to be references for me. Another similarity was having the same grade level in both placements. I was still able to see some of my students from the general education placement and even had one of my previous students in the learning support classroom. One more similarity that was prominent in both classrooms was the need for differentiating instruction. In the general education classroom, my cooperating teacher and I saw the need for differentiated instruction in math class. He decided to split the students up into four groups and conduct the classroom then in stations. Students were doing independent work at the same time as him or I were teaching another group. It worked out exceptionally well and it allowed us to work longer with the group that need more explicit instruction with the material they were learning. As far as the learning support classroom, the instruction was based on the student’s levels. The students came at different times to work either one-on-one or in small groups to work on building their skills in either reading or math. The type of instruction was different for each group or student to help them understand the material they were currently working on.
There were also some differences between the placements. In the general education classroom, it was a very fast pace and set routine. Things needed to be done and taught in a certain amount of time in order to move onto the next subject. In the learning support classroom, it is more laid back then the general education classroom. The morning is busier then the afternoon, but it isn’t as fast paced. Students are coming and going in the learning support classroom as well unlike the general education classroom where they are in the classroom at all times. Another difference is having more adults in the learning support classroom then general education classroom. In the general education classroom, there were aids that helped out at different times during the day but it was pretty much just myself and my cooperating teacher. In the learning support classroom there are PCA’s, teaching assistants, TSS’, my cooperating teacher, and myself. Most times, there are adults in the classroom then there are students. In the learning support classroom, there is smaller group instruction although I did that in the general education classroom as well, it is more noticeable in the learning support classroom.
As of right now, I honestly do not have a preference between the two placements. I have had incredible experiences in both placements which would make it hard to pick which one I liked more.
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DeleteThere are a number of lessons I have taken away from each of my placements. From my general education placement, I have definitely learned more about classroom management as a whole. I feel like I have made great gains in that area by implementing the use of Class Dojo and understanding how to have control of the classroom but allow the students to be involved when making the rules of the classroom. I also took away the ability to implement different technology strategies into the classroom. The students really enjoyed using the technology and it motivated them inside the classroom to be engaged with the material they were learning. I also learned how important it is to differentiate instruction in both the general education and special education classroom. It is very important to tend to all of the needs of the students in the classroom and figure out different ways to do that.
By having these experiences, I know that teaching is the profession for me. I have enjoyed these past 16 weeks immensely and I couldn’t have asked for better placements. My teachers and students were both a joy to work with and I count myself very lucky to be able to have the positive experience that I did. I am hoping to one day have my own classroom where I can implement the different strategies I learned through student teaching.
I feel the same way about the pace of instruction in the general education classroom verses the learning support setting. When in the general education fourth grade classroom only a day was spent on one math section and then you moved on until by the end of the week students were taking a test on the entire chapter. In my special education placement an entire week is spent just on one section. Weekly quizzes are carried out just like in my previous placement; however they just serve as formative assessments to see where students are at in regards to the single section learned that week. In my last placement I felt rushed and pressured to fit everything in where as in my current placement the emphasis is placed on student understanding and not so much on a rigid schedule or written agenda.
DeleteI agree as well! In the general education classroom I felt the need to teach what I had to and move on the next day with little time to reteach if needed. In my life skills class, we spend a whole week of writing on one letter. I like that I can be more flexible in the special education setting, but I do enjoy being more challenged in the general education setting.
DeleteI agree with that as well. In my learning support room, we cover the same topic for days on end because the students need to master it before we can continue onto anything else. Whereas in my general education placement, we kept moving, reviewing little bits throughout the lessons as it reappeared in the everyday math book. I was able to be flexible in both settings, but learning support and urban kids, really try your patience and I've learned that if you make them deals with food, life is golden.
DeleteI was also in the same school for both placements, which I was very thankful for because I feel very acquainted with my surroundings, students, and fellow teachers. It was nice not to have to adjust to a different school setting. I also agree with differentiating the instruction because that was definitely something very important in both of my classrooms.
DeleteI feel like my special education placement is more fast paced. For example, in the morning, I have to make sure I touch base with all of the teachers of the students we support/co-teach with so we know what to expect for the day of how we will be supporting our students or what needs to be modified. I am constantly going from one end of the school to the other, unless it is support time in our room for 4th or 6th grade, but even then it is busy trying to make sure you are checking in with everyone and multi-tasking instruction and questions other students may have. In my general education placement, I would check in with my learning support co-op to inform her of the lessons for the students so she knew how to support them, but other than that I knew I could change the schedule around if I needed more time or continue with a lesson the next day from where we left off. However, in learning support those students have due dates for some work and we can take a little longer, but it still needs to be completed and it's hard to juggle when that will be sometimes because we are pull out and push in through the entire day.
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ReplyDeleteMy general education placement was in a second grade classroom. My special education placement is in a learning support classroom for seventh and eight graders. Both of placements are very different, however there are some similarities.
ReplyDeleteFirst these two experiences are similar in sense, that most of my learning support students are reading or performing math on a second grade level. It has been very helpful to pull from my prior experience when planning. They are also similar because I am modifying each and every lesson to meet the needs of my students. My second grade students required a few modification or adaptation. Whereas my seventh and eight grade students require modification and adaptations each and everyday.
Although these placements did have a few similarities they are both very different. For instance in the second grade class the students stayed with me all day; with the exception of lunch and special. My learning support kiddos, change their classes twice a day. Because we are a self-secluded learning support room, the students are with me most of the day. However, each of their needs differs; therefore, some students are being mainstreamed. I also noticed in the second grade class, that the students were able to read a book and answer questions with no problem. However, my LS students need much more hands-on lessons.
I honestly prefer my special education placement. The students seem to have taken to me as their teacher, and I feel more comfortable teaching students with SLD. Being in this classroom I have been able to create my own lesson plans from scratch because we do not have Basal's. This alone has allowed to enjoy this teaching experience more than the other. I knew going into Student Teaching that I would enjoy my special education placement more. I guess when you know what you are supposed to be doing, you tend to love it. Kid with disabilities are my passion, which is partly why I have enjoyed every moment with these kids.
My take-away lesson mostly stem from the special education placement. One lesson that stands out in particular is my unit on Elapsed Time. I created worksheets and Smart board activities for the kids to become actively engaged. Additionally, I put clocks on the floor to allow students to "walk out" the elapsed time. This unit has been a great success thus far!
After being in and teaching a LS classroom for almost eight weeks, I know this is what I need to do. I never once doubted that special ed was my calling, but after completing this experience I am sold in the fact that I will be a special education teacher.
My first placement was in a second grade classroom while the placement I am in now is in a life skills classroom. Both classrooms were very welcoming and the students all adapted well to my presence in the room.
ReplyDeleteMy special education placement pace is WAY different than my second grade class, which was expected. I loved both placements, but I do really love the fact that I get to work individually with each student. Although the days are already long, I still feel like I need more time to work with each student though.
In my general education class, I found it difficult to work one on one with students throughout the day especially during math instruction at the end. This made me frustrated especially when I began teaching time because my students were challenged greatly by this topic. I began to have to shorten my math lesson to provide opportunities for one on one instruction at the end of the day.
I honestly cannot pick which one I like better; they both were amazing experiences. I find it hard to say one was better than the other because they both have their pros and cons.
My take-away lesson from my general education experience would probably be my geometry unit because I spent so much time planning and prepping my students with manipulatives to use and fun games to play after lessons. I was so proud because it was the second unit I ever planned and I did not have to reteach anything from it!
My take-away lesson from my special education experience would be my writing lesson on the letter U. In the morning students learned about the letter U and the sound /u/. In the afternoon, students were expected to retell me the letter and sound and then create a collage out of pictures that begin with the letter U. They turned out so well that my co-op started hanging them up without my knowledge.
These experiences have solified my passion for teaching. I discovered a lot more about the teacher I am than I ever have. Getting feedback from my supervisors and co-ops have really made me feel like I am in the right path. One supervisor told me that teaching is the greatest job for me to ever have; I hope I will get a job doing so.
Sam, I agree it is very hard to choose which placement I liked better. Both placements were so different!! I have learned so much from both placements. I feel that by teaching general and special education, has helped us to become better teachers. We have learned how to meet the needs of all students and developing good classroom management.
DeleteAlso, receiving positive feedback from your co-ops and supervisor can make all the difference.
I was also in second grade and then a life skills classroom! My students now are in 7th and 8th grade are so different than my first bunch, but at the same time there are some similarities. I completely agree with everything you wrote!
DeleteOver the last few months, I have had the opportunity to work in both the general education and special education settings. Although they were two completely different settings, student population and school, but no matter what class you teach, there are always children who need your help and that are there to learn. This was no different. I had to plan lessons that differentiated content just as I did in my general education setting because I had students with special needs in there as well. As far as differences, in my special education placement, I have a max of 8 students at one time, and that’s on a good day when they all decide to show up to school, compared to my 29 students at a time with my general education classroom. My students now are more intensive as far as needing more remedial work which can sometimes be time consuming figuring out what exactly to do to help them learn the material that they are struggling with understanding. I think my biggest difference is the amounts of ESL students I have in class this last half. It makes a big difference on how you word sentences and explain meanings of various topics. As of now, I have no preference as whether I want to teach in general or special education. Either job will have its high points, as well as those occasional frustrating points; it’s all in the job. My take away lesson from both my placements is to just get to know the students and other faculty and staff. That has been the greatest gift, these students have so much to offer and tell you. It is extremely important as a teacher is to get to know them and genuinely care about their lives. These experiences have most definitely solidified my choice for education as my future. They have helped me learn so much and I’m ready to see what the future holds.
ReplyDeleteMy first placement was in a third grade classroom. I am currently teaching Diagnostic Kindergarten for my special education placement. Both placements have been an awesome experience. I have grown intellectually and in confidence, that I have what it takes to become a great educator. My special education placement was very different from my general education placement. For instance, I loved that I was able to give instruction in small groups. I feel I had the opportunity to better learned about each of my students. Lesson planning was also very different from my general education placement. There was much more planning involved due to the various ability levels of the students and most of the lessons did not come from manuals. Most of the lessons I wrote, were written to meet the various ability levels of my students. I also made sure the lessons that I wrote would grasp the students’ attention. Also behavior management was a major aspect to this placement.
ReplyDeleteAs for my general education placement, content was the major focus. A lot of the lessons were scripted from the required manuals. Less time was involved in creating lessons. However, I would add or change some things in the lesson to better meet the students’ needs and to make the lesson more engaging. Behavior management was not a major concern, like that of my special education placement. Also the days would move a lot slower, unlike my special education placement. I am constantly up and moving from the time the bell rings to start school until the end of the day.
Both placements are similar in that they required planning, good classroom management, flexibility, and constant communication between students, parents, and colleagues. Also in both placements the environment of the classroom is inviting, print-rich environment and accepting of all students.
As far as picking which placement I liked better…. I can’t really pick. Both placements were very different and I learned from both of them! Both placements had their pros and cons.
My take away lesson from my general education placement would probably be my Social Studies lesson on goods and services. I had students, pretend to be producers. They were to create a product/good, create a business name, calculate their profit for their product, and come up with an explanation for why consumers should by their product. The lesson was very hands on, and the students had a lot of fun! I was also able to assess whether students mastered the concepts of goods and services, by assessing their final presentation.
As for my take away lesson for special education, I would have to say would be my activity where I had students create rain sticks. Throughout the week I had taught the students various things that will occur throughout spring such as; flowers blooming and rainy weather. So to further carry out the lesson on rain the students created rain sticks. The students absolutely loved this activity! They were all engaged and were very eager to take them home to share them with their family. Not only did this lesson reinforce the concept of rain it also worked on the students’ fine motor skills. The students had to paint, cut, and write in order to design these rain sticks.
These experiences have solidified my passion for teaching. I have learned so much about myself and that I am so much more capable than I ever imagined myself to be. Receiving feedback from my co-operating teachers and supervisors has really made me feel like I am going down the right path. Having the opportunity to work with all the students, both general and special education has been a blessing. I will truly miss them all!
I agree with you that while both placements can be so different, I enjoy them for two completely different reasons and I could see myself working in either. My general education lessons were more scripted as well, but my students in special ed needed more supports and structure during the lessons that I planned for them. Sounds like you had a great experience!
DeleteThe first six weeks I was in a first grade classroom with 23 students. During full time I was in charge of teaching reading, math, social studies, science, WIN group, phonology, and writing. My students varied pretty dramatically on their academic levels; therefore in most of my lesson plans I either had to create groups for the students based on levels or I had to provide extra support for those students during the lesson. During WIN time my group of students changed to a group of 12 that were struggling in reading. Since all of the first grade teachers were very close, I attended grade level meetings to help plan what was going on for the coming weeks. I got to know and become close with the first grade teachers and their classrooms/ students throughout the six weeks.
ReplyDeleteI was very lucky to only move down the hall to my special education placement in learning support. I was also very lucky because I had already gotten to know some of my identified students during the first six weeks. 4 of my second graders were in my WIN group and 1 of my first graders was in a classroom I had visited a few times. Since there is very little time to spend with the students during learning support time it is important to get to know the students quickly and have them trust you. During my time in learning support students were pulled out of class into our classroom, as well as I pushed into their classrooms during certain subjects. Since co-teaching is somewhat of a new concept in our school, it mostly consists of the general education teacher teaching and my job would be to pull the students to the back table when they needed support. Since I pushed into four teachers classrooms, I got to know those teachers and had to effectively communicate with them on a daily basis.
The similarities between my general education placement and my special education placement, were that in both placements I had to differentiate instruction based on my students' needs. I also really got to know my students, and the teachers in the building.
Special education involved a lot more paper work than general education. Also with special ed I had to keep up with the schedules for three grades and not just one. My students' needs were also more intensive, and I needed to follow IEPs.
I have learned so many lessons from both placements. The first lesson I learned is how important it is to have a team to plan. Having a cohesive grade level is so important, not only for planning but also when one teacher doesn't know an answer to a question someone else will. Another thing that I have learned is how stressful working in special education can be. Especially during the end of the year, there are a large number of newly identified students for learning support, so there may be three or more IEP meetings in one day. Finally I learned that being organized is essential!
After both placements I could really see myself in either position. I know that I have the skills and the knowledge to lead my students, and make sure they are getting what they need in my classroom. These placements have definitely solidified for me that teaching is the career for me.
I definitely agree with the fact that special education is much more stressful at the end of the year, but like you said, it's great to have a team to work with. I just went to an IEP meeting for a new student in our autistic support classroom where 12 other adults were there trying to make a plan for this boy. While it was VERY stressful trying to straighten out 12 people's opinions, it was also very helpful and amazing to see how many people stood behind this boy and wanted to see him succeed. I think that those rewarding moments help the job to be a little less stressful.
DeleteI am immensely grateful for the experiences that I've had over these past 16 weeks. Each experience was so rewarding in so many different ways. Above all, I found myself falling in love with the art of teaching and seeing the lives that I was able to touch in just a short time. My first placement was in a 3rd grade classroom while my special education placement has been in a middle school life skills classroom. The two placements were extremely different from one another. However, the one main similarity that sticks out at me is the need to differentiate. In 3rd grade, there were essentially three levels that were being taught to at all times. In life skills, we also follow a three group rotation of differentiated lessons. With both placements, I began finding ways to not only teach to these groups, but also teach to the individuals. I was able to get to know the students and their individual needs and design lessons that they would be truly engaged in.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest difference between my two placements was the overall goal of teaching. In regular education, the students were being taught to simply "do". They were generally only taught the information that they would see on the test and in the format that they would see it. I was always amazed at how much this class of students struggled when trying to explain how they did something. Learning is set at a significantly slower pace in life skills which is actually very refreshing. Students are able to truly master a concept as well as learning the "how" and "why" behind it. In this classroom, I felt as if I was helping to mold "thinkers." It would be easy have a child memorize what his/her numbers look like, however, we always took it a step farther and had students practice saying the numbers and sequencing. Even if it isn't part of their IEP goal, it is still important to master all of a concept.
For this reason, I have to admit that I enjoyed my special education placement more. I loved going into school every day to watch my students grow even more and get closer and closer to their goals. Even though things were set at a slower pace, the end result was so much more rewarding. I've always known that my heart is rooted in special education, this placement just solidified for me so much more.
Both placements have allowed me to grow and develop as a professional and an educator. I've learned so much from my co-ops and even more from my students. While I know I'm making some difference in the lives of children, they are really making all the difference in the world to me.
For my general education placement I was in a second grade classroom and I am currently in a Life Skills support room for 7th and 8th grade students. Needless to say they are very different settings! I did enjoy both settings and getting to know both sets of students.
ReplyDeleteMy second graders were little balls of energy! I taught Reading Core, LA Block, Math, Science, Writing, and Vocabulary. Most of the time, it was just my co-op and myself in the classroom. My 7th and 8th graders are not so energetic. Despite any “label” or “diagnosis”, it’s important to remember that they are middle school students and they should be treated like that. I’m not a fan of “baby talk” with them. Teaching goes a little bit differently in this room. I plan and prep for all the different groups, but most of the time I teach 1 or 2 students and the para educators in the room have the other groups. Just like most people said, there are about the same number as adults as students in the room. There is my co-op, a PCA, 2 para educators, a nurse, and various therapists that float in and out of the room. I teach many different things because there is no set routine for every day, but a set routine for every Monday, every Tuesday, etc. I like how what I’m teaching them is relevant to their lives because we take field trips into the community to practice social skills and money in the real world. We also do cooking in the classroom!
Even though the settings were very different, my students now are learning some of the same things as my second graders were. Also, I think that it is important to build rapport with any group of students because as excited as I am to graduate, I will miss this group of kids too.
I think I preferred my general education setting, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t teach middle school life skills or special education in general. I think I am still learning what I like and what I teach best. I did enjoy the elementary setting more, and also, my first co-op and I clicked and we got along really well. My take away lessons from these experiences are to work your butt off because it doesn’t go unnoticed and also give everything the old college try. It just better prepares you. These experiences have 100% solidified what I want to do for my career; I can’t imagine any other career path right now.
I agree with your statement about "baby talk." My students were also in middle school, and one of our PCAs always talked in a baby voice to her student. We had to remind her that he was in middle school and should be talked to as any other middle schooler would be.
DeleteFor my General Education placement, I was teaching both an AM Kindergarten class and a PM Kindergarten class. Each Kindergarten class consists of 24 students. For special education placement, I am in an Emotional Support classroom. There are 11 students in the class in grades Kindergarten through second. There are few similarities and many differences.
ReplyDeleteSome similarities are both my co-operating teachers were great. They were very helpful throughout my teaching experience. Also, it has been helpful having taught Kindergarten before and being able to use the same skills for the kindergarten students in the Emotional Support classroom. Both placements had a good system for managing classroom behavior.
However, there are many differences between my General Education placement and special education placement. In a special education placement you don't just plan and write lessons, but you also have a lot of paperwork to complete on each individual student. Also, with these students there is a lot of data collection to help students with coping skills and eliminate inappropriate behavior. In my General Education placement a lot of whole group instruction occurred. Whereas a lot of small group instruction occurs in an Emotional Support classroom. Classroom management was easier, since students listened to me when I corrected their behavior. However, in this Emotional Support classroom it more challenging to correct students’ behavior since they are defiant and physically aggressive.
After both student teaching experiences, I really enjoyed both. However, I like the more individualized instruction in special education. I also enjoy teaching a smaller group of students. Don't necessary want a job in Emotional Support but maybe learning support or work with students who are struggling academically or need help learning daily skills to be successful in life.
What type of strategies are used to manage the behavioral issues in the Emotional Support classroom? What do you do when students become physical?
DeleteDuring my student teaching experience, I had the opportunity to teach in two very different placements. Throughout my first 8 weeks of student teaching, I was in a 2nd grade classroom in Manheim Township. The last 8 weeks of my student teaching experience took place in Elizabethtown with 7th and 8th graders in an emotional behavioral support classroom. Entering my experience, I knew that each placement was going to be extremely different than the other, which was exciting, yet challenging for me.
ReplyDeleteAs expected the content across grade levels was extremely different. I also made adjustments in my instruction, as I started to get used to working with older students. It was at first shocking to me how much they were capable of doing individually, simply because I was so used to second graders responses. The content was not as difficult in 7th and 8th grade as I had expected. However, in this classroom there was more an emphasis on behavior, rather than academics. Both classrooms had a classroom behavior management plan, in which students worked towards a goal and when met received a reward. Classroom management remained similar just made appropriate for each grade level.
The relationships established with students were completely different as well. I was expecting this, but was not quite sure how to interact with 7th and 8th graders. It definitely took me a little time to get used to speaking to middle school students, as opposed elementary school students. The middle school students still cared about their teachers and learning, but did not make it as known as my second graders did. However, I was also surprised at the lack of respect the 7th and 8th grade students for their teachers and administrators at times. Not just my students, but several of the students throughout the school.
In my first placement, the atmosphere was much more welcoming, supportive, and positive than my second placement. The faculty and staff at my first placement were a close knit family that worked together to benefit the learning of the students. In my second placement, each teacher taught within his or her own walls. I felt that this changed the atmosphere of the classroom and the school.
I enjoyed being able to interact with the other teachers in my first placement and share ideas and experiences.
I preferred my first placement over the second because of the atmosphere and the relationships I established. It was a school that I made close connections with and saw myself most fit to teach there. The involvement of parents and community members in the education of my students made my experience rewarding. Working closely with several different professionals to grow in my field was also rewarding. It was a welcoming, supportive, and positive environment in which I felt as if I was surrounded by family and individuals with same passion for education as I have.
WOW1 that is very awesome that you were able to find a placement with an atmosphere like that. It seems like you enjoyed your first placement a lot and that is good. I am sure you will succeed in any placement you have though. I can see you being a passionate and successful teacher anywhere!
DeleteThe past sixteen weeks have probably been the most beneficial sixteen weeks of my college career. My two placements were worlds apart. My general ed placement was in a suburban school in a second grade classroom, where I was in control of 20 students on my own each day. There were no aides or assistants in and out of the classroom. My special ed placement where I am now is in a suburban school in a third through fifth grade autism support classroom. There are now 6 students in the classroom with seven other adults plus me. Being in a classroom with more adults than students was definitely overwhelming at first, but now I am so used to cooperating with them and coteaching with them that it feels like I have always done it.
ReplyDeleteThe two placements are similar because there are so many ongoing assessments each day to complete and a ton of responsibility. In 2nd grade, we dealt with power standards, PA state standards, and standards that the school itself wanted teachers to fulfill with regards to academics and behavior. In autism support, we are assessing students each day on a VB-MAPP type of scale where they are constantly learning and mastering new skills and vocabulary, as well as trying to master their current IEP goals. Even though some of my second graders had IEP's, I felt like they were not as seriously considered as my autism support kids are. I also found it similar how welcoming all the staff and students were and how fast I was able to get into the swing of things and begin to feel confident in my teaching.
The differences in these placements are SO completely opposite. Working with 20 second graders did not allow for much one on one interaction, where in autism support that's all we do. Each day I work with one or two students on their academics for the full day, and we rotate between teachers through the cycle days. I am much more aware of each student's abilities and am able to make lessons more personalized and individualized for them. Another difference is how much more interaction I have with adults in this placement. Working with seven other adults has improved my relationships with adults and allowed me to be more comfortable with asking adults for help with lessons and procedures.
I definitely prefer the special ed environment over general ed. I love how individualized the education programs are and I love being able to focus on one student at a time to make sure they understand something before moving on. I also am really enjoying being in an autistic support classroom because there is something new everyday and the littlest achievements to the students are full out celebrations in our classroom. Something as simple as writing their name allows us to have a class celebration. I also like that the special ed classroom is smaller and more personal. I can totally see myself working in an autistic support classroom in the future.
What I am taking away from these placements is way too much for words. I have learned how to be confident in my teaching and pedagogy, how to work with others and communicate with adults, students, and parents in an effective manner. I have learned how to plan and carry out effective lessons and not get frazzled or discouraged when my lessons do not go as planned and how to handle the constant decision making and flexibility a teacher encounters each day. I never knew how important and fast decision making had to be as a teacher until I began student teaching.
Luckily, these placements have solidified my plans for the future. I have always been interested in teaching in an autistic classroom. When I requested to be in one for student teaching, I knew it was a make or break kind of situation. I was hoping I would love it, but I knew that if I hated it, it would only last six weeks instead of my whole career. After being in this classroom, it has assured me that it is what I want to make a career out of and has allowed me to gain the experience I needed to apply for jobs in this field.
General Education: 4th grade
ReplyDelete• More of a workload since I had to lesson plan every day for each subject and keep track of absent student work.
• Mostly the same routine unless special events occurred.
Special Education: Learning support (4th and 6th grade)
• Wrote present levels of IEP’s and got to do specific assessments with them to include in the IEP.
• Co-teach a lot of subjects.
• Modifications for student work and a lot of decisions about what work was really important for students to do depending on daily challenges.
• Schedule relied heavily on general education teachers’ schedules and could change on a daily basis.
Both:
• Worked with two of the same fourth graders I had in my general education placement.
• I also interacted with my learning support co-op before I student taught with her due to filling her in on lessons/support she needed to provide for a student.
• Attended IEP meetings.
• Working with students (individually, small group, whole group)
• Learned a lot from the students and teachers.
I enjoyed both placements a lot. I think I preferred the general education placement more though because I got to teach all day and it was more of a routine (and I like having some sort of knowing of what the day will be like), whereas the learning support teacher role focuses more on the individual support and growth of a student based on their IEP and plans and could change any minute, but I was a lot closer to my learning support co-op. I loved working with the students because I didn’t know what to expect from day to day and also because of how many teachers I got to work with because I saw a lot of good strategies I plan on incorporating in my future classroom.
Take aways:
• Teaching is a lot of work and we have to have an outside life also.
• You have to be able to work with others and think on your toes.
• Reflection is critical as well as bettering yourself in order to benefit your future students.
Yes, this student teaching experience definitely helped solidify the fact that I want to be a teacher, however, I am not sure which way I would go (in regards to general vs. special education), but I did enjoy working with the more mature students because they already had those basic skills and facts down and you could really get to the meat of a lesson you were teaching instead of going through all of the expectations for every step of the lesson you teach when thinking about the directions. However, I’m very flexible, so I feel I would be happy at any grade level.
Mindy, I also had the opportunity to co-teach during my special ed. placement. Actually, that is what I did 6 out of 7 periods a day. I really enjoyed that experience of working with another teacher and getting their feedback after lessons. Did you enjoy your experience?
DeleteMy general education placement was in a 3rd grade classroom, and my special education placement is in a k-5 life skills classroom. I have found two similarities between the two placements. One, the staff is very welcoming, and made me feel as though I am a part of the school. Second, each placement has been a challenge, but the challenges have been different. These two placements I feel have been extremely different.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Education:
* I enjoyed teaching all the subjects, and each came with a specific curriculum that provided specific material and objectives to be covered during a lesson. It gave me direction when planning, but I was then able to decide how to and deliver the lesson.
* I enjoyed how creative I was able to get with the different lessons. I was able to use more independent, intricate and in depth activities with students.
* I often felt as though I was working alone, and needed to find the answers to problems by myself.
Special Education:
* The reading and math curriculum is very scripted, and does not leave room for creative lessons.
* Working with a smaller group has allowed me to get to know students better, and because they have greater needs I am able to form a stronger bond.
* In working towards each students' IEP goals I have had the opportunity to develop creative group lessons.
* There is a greater sense of teamwork at this placement. There is a sense that all the special education teachers are working to educate and do what is best for the students in our special education programs. Even within the classroom I am comfortable bouncing ideas around with my cooperating teacher and instructional aide.
I feel as though both experiences overall have been positive and reinforced for me that I do want to teach. The special education placement especially has shown me that I would love to teach in special education. I had originally added the concentration due to the push towards inclusion, but now I feel I would be very successful and happy in a self-contained classroom as well. Kids are kids no matter what, and the ultimate goal of any education is to improve their quality of life.
I felt the same way about teamwork in special ed -- there is so much collaboration between the teachers, paraprofessionals, and OTs that wasn't really there in the last placement.
DeleteMy first placement was in a 4th grade general education classroom in Manheim Township SD. My second placement was in a 7-8th grade IU-13 ES classroom in Donegal Junior High. The two placements were very different and so were the Co-Ops. My first Co-Op was very “on top of” things and somewhat of a perfectionist. She had all lesson plans and copying done a week or 2 in advance. She was the team leader of the 4th grade hallway and took care of scheduling all the meetings and organizing events. My second Co-op was much more laid back and relaxed in her teaching style and it was ok if things did not always go perfectly. I think the difference in her character comes from the difference in the students, which is another major difference between my placements. The students in my general education classroom were very obedient and listened to instruction. They did not like consequences and often followed the rules to try and avoid them. The students in my ES classroom often had the “I don’t care” attitude. They would often sleep, disobey, disregard staff instructions, and did not seem to really care about their grades or their performance. The two placements were not very similar other than the fact that they both involved teaching.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I would have to say that I liked my special education placement more. I this is because was able to connect with the students more since they were older and there was a lot more downtime during the day to communicate and build rapport. With this better connection I felt as if I was able to have a stronger influence on the students and I was able to really “get through” to a few of them. I learned a lot from both placements. My general education placement taught me how to be organized and really get stuff done properly. My special education placement taught me how to work with ES students and how to appropriately assign consequences to specific behaviors. The experiences have solidified my love of teaching and I plan to always be teaching and educating people in some way or another.
My general ed placement was in a 2nd grade class in Columbia, and my second placement was in a middle school Life Skills classroom in Middletown. One similarity between the two placements was the content I was teaching; most of the students in my current placement are at a first or second-grade level academically,so I am seeing many of the same concepts that I saw in my first placement. One difference related to content is, of course, the way it is presented, seeing as my current students are teenagers/pre-teens, and not 7-8 year olds.
ReplyDeleteOne other major difference between the placements is the complexity of daily schedules. In my 2nd grade class, the students generally traveled together, and we followed the same subject schedule each day. While the subject schedule stays the same in my current placement, the students also follow the middle school bell schedule and participate in PE/adapted PE, health, and creative arts classes. My class is all grade levels 6-8, and each grade has a different schedule of when to leave for classes. I'm finally used to it, but it took quite a while to remember who was going where on which day (there are odd/even cycle days on top of the class changes, which further influences the schedule)! Additionally, some students take place in adapted gym (which occurs at a different time than regular gym, depending on grade level), and speech on an individual basis. Outside of the class changes, keeping track of the weekly assessments within the classroom has been challenging, too! One student has a math assessment on Mondays (the assessment type alternates between weeks), and the other students have theirs on Fridays, though one student only takes his every other week. Tuesdays are MAZE days, Thursdays are Aimsweb timed readings, and additional timed readings take place whenever a student finishes their lesson in reading. Basically, that was just a really long-winded way of saying that keeping the schedule straight has been the most challenging part of this placement, and was not something I struggled with in my previous placement.
Overall, I really enjoyed both placements, and learned a lot from them! At this point, I think I enjoyed my special education placement more because it was less overwhelming. I really struggled with/was overwhelmed by the large-group classroom management in my first placement, and I didn't like the push to keeping going in the curriuclum. Since we were following certain programs, I pretty much had to just keep on going with the content, even if I knew a couple students were still confused. While I tried the best I could to catch them up and support them, I was frustrated at the lack of flexibility in the schedule. In my special ed placement, everything moves at a bit slower pace, and the emphasis is on whether or not the students really grasped the concepts or not. If it takes a student three days to get through a math lesson, it takes three days. Unfortunately, that wouldn't have been an option in my previous placement, and that was difficult for me. Overall, though, I really enjoyed both placements, and feel that they both really affirmed my decision to go into education.
My first student teaching placement was in a second grade general education classroom, whereas, my special education experience was in a seventh grade learning support itinerant program. Although these grades are drastically different, I did find many similarities between the two.
ReplyDeleteThe first similarity that was noticed was some of the underlying basic strategies and concepts that were being learned in second grade and stressed in seventh grade. One of those skills being editing papers and sentence structure. While in my second grade placement, I was teaching my students what types of words receive a capital letter and what does punctuation means. While I was not not "teaching" these skills to my seventh grade students, these skills were reviewed daily during lit. lab. before responding in the students journal. Another similarity was the amount of students my cooperating teacher and I were "responsible" for. In my general education classroom, I had 23 students that were in my class on a daily basis. In my special education placement, I was responsible for "tracking" 25 students. This involves homeroom check-ins, support in the classroom, test and quiz pull-out and preparation, and after school support. Although I was not the direct teacher to the 25 students throughout the day, I was still responsible for their learning and making sure their needs were met.
While the two placements did have common themes between them, they were also completely different. While in my second grade placement, I was responsible for writing all the lesson plans for each day. This amounted to about 35 lessons per week. However, the itinerant position requires you to be in all the general education classrooms. All the of the students I was tracking during my placement are in the general education classrooms 98%-100% of the day. This being said, I was required to write one to two lesson plans per week. In many cases, the general education teacher would write the lesson plans and my cooperating teacher and I would go off of what they had planned. This was a major difference between the two placements. Another difference was the content change. I was a little intimidated with the material the seventh grade students were learning my first two weeks at my new placement. My last week in second grade, I was teaching my students about counting money and three digit subtraction. On the other hand, my first week of my seventh grade experience, my students were learning corresponding, adjacent and vertical angles. I had to realize that they content my students were learning in seventh grade are the concepts that were learned in elementary school just build upon.
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DeleteWhen someone asks me "which did you like better" it is hard for me to answer the question because the two experiences were completely different. I enjoyed both of my placements and I gained A LOT of knowledge through both of them. However, I enjoyed my general education placement a little more. This is because I was able to establish a routine within the classroom. I also had the opportunity to "teach" all day. During my first placement, I also had the opportunity to work with parents of my students as they volunteered in the classroom.
One major lesson I learned (especially my Special Ed. placement) was COMMUNICATION! Because of working as an itinerant teacher, I was working with 12 different general education teachers which are all on different "things." It was extremely important to communicate with these teachers regarding content, lessons, tests, quizzes, projects, assignments and behaviors. I also believe both placements stressed the idea of organization. Being organized will help the classroom environment move more efficiently and allow the teacher to communicate more efficiently with others. I also learned that it is okay to laugh at yourself and you will make mistakes. What is important is how you respond when you do make mistakes. By admitting you made a mistake and working through it, shows the students that you are human and that not everyone's perfect. It also shows them that working through a math problem that may be difficult happens but to continue to push through.
I believe these past 16 weeks have been the most beneficial in my college career. I was able to implement strategies and skills and I learned into the classroom and see my knowledge come to life. I was able to take risks and build confidence as a teacher. I believe after these two experiences I am truly doing what I am supposed to do... teach!
Looking back at these sixteen weeks made me realize I have learned a lot that I will be able to use for the future. Student teaching has prepared me immensely for teaching in the real world. It was the experiences I needed to help me decide what I want to do for the future and it made me feel more prepared to leave school and get a career. The placements were similar in that I had to write lesson plans for every lesson. I used the same format for all of my lessons to promote constancy. Teacher affect was the same for both. You had to be enthusiastic for both placements and have good rapport with the students. They were also the same because I had two great co-ops that were willing to help and that I learned a lot from.
ReplyDeleteThey were both different because in general education you do a lot of whole group teaching but in special ed you do a lot of one on one. The lesson plans I made for general education were for the whole group or a small group. The lessons plans I made in special ed were for individual students. Special ed is all about the individual student and making sure the student is working towards mastering their IEP goals.
The placement I preferred was without a doubt special education. I learned so much from this placement and realized this is what I want to do with my life. I want to be an autistic support classroom teacher. I knew I would like this placement better and I am glad that this experience help solidify my thoughts and now I know what I want to do in life. I am so excited to start working the real world now and be a teacher of my own classroom. My student teaching experience prepared me and helped me realize me life's calling as they say.
I feel the same way about being in an MDS or Life Skills room. You get an impulse, almost like adrenalin, that you go home and feel like this is what I am supposed to do. My experience has also got me excited to start in the working world. I wasn't planning to apply to so many places and have already got a position for the summer and more interviews coming!
DeleteIn my student teaching experience, I had the privilege of having two placements, one being in a 4th Grade classroom and one being in an IU13 MDS room. Both had some similarities but also had some major differences.
ReplyDeleteSome similarities that these placements had was students with IEPs. I had to adapt lesson plans in both placements in order to fit all needs of my students. Another similarity in these placements I had to time manage well. Each placement had a very structured routine for me to adhere to. Finally, grouping of students seem to be similar. Both placements have group their students based on their level of academics or ability.
There were major differences in this placement. One of the major differences was the lesson planning. In my 4th grade classroom my teacher I had a very detailed lesson plan versus my special education placement which were very specific, direct, and short. Another major difference was the culture of students. I went from a room of 20 students to 5 students. It was a transition from high functioning students to low functioning students. Finally another major difference was instruction and the "flow" of the day. In my special education placement I had to give directions to activities to the paraprofessionals versus the 4th grade I gave directions to students. Also in the special education it was okay to have students not complete the activity in one day, they have free time throughout the entire day/week to complete assignments. In my fourth grade, if the student didn't not finish an activity they needed to complete it for homework or owe recces.
What I will take away from the lessons from each placement is how to be flexible and resourceful. It made me think on my feet, be creative with projects. I will also take away that its important to look at what the students interests are. Knowing what they are can really power a lesson plan. I take great interest in each of my students and then think how they would have fun learning the material rather than just a worksheet or problems out of a book.
I have been solidified in what I want to do and has motivated me to get myself out there in this profession in any way I can. My special education experience in an MDS room as challenging it was, I am supposed to be there as a teacher or as a paraprofessional. I like that just helping them succeed is where I succeed. They tackle milestones versus just getting a good grade. I would be happy to in a 3-5 grade classroom as well but not as solidified.
I have stayed with the same general education placement for the past 16 weeks instead of switching to special education. I was prepared to enter a general education classroom with at least one student with an IEP, however, I was placed in a 2nd grade class with not one student with an IEP. My co-op has said that this is her first year she has ever had a classroom like this and it is a world of a difference. Although several students get pulled each day to work on reading or math, they do not have written IEPs.
ReplyDeleteMy sophomore year of school here at E-town, I had a field placement in a multiple disabilities classroom where my experience was not what I imagined. I found that it was not where I wanted to see myself go in the future. I dropped my special education concentration and continued with early childhood general education instead, which is why I have not switched placements after 8 weeks.
For my general education placement I was in a fourth grade humanities classroom where I taught reading, writing, and social studies. My current placement is in a fourth grade learning support classroom. All of the students I work with remain in their classrooms and we give them support in the general education setting. In both placements I am part of a team of teachers but in my current placement the team works together to plan what we are going to teach where as before each teacher planned their own lessons. A difference was that I got to see all the subjects in my special education placement instead of just social studies, writing and reading. A lot of co teaching takes place in my current placement compared to my general education placement where there was only one teacher teaching for the whole day. In some cases we have had four teachers teaching a topic together because we combine two classrooms together.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed both placements and had great experiences in both, but I think the placement that suits me is the current placement I am in. I am an active person, so the bouncing around to different classes and the different formats we teach in work well with my style of teaching.
My take away lesson from both placements is a teacher must be flexible at all times. We have discussed flexibility in class before but it doesn’t really hit until you actually experience it. Also between both placements I learned the importance of differentiating instruction and how to do it and how to manipulate a lesson to accommodate all the different levels of learners in my classroom.
I enjoyed both student teaching experiences and they have solidified my decision in becoming a teacher. I have learned so much and had so many positive experiences I can’t wait to start my career as a teacher!
My general education placement was in a 1st grade classroom, and my special education placement was in 6-8th grade autistic support. Needless to say, they were drastically different placements, and not that much remained the same. Both placements required assessments, in-service meetings, team meetings, and organization and preparation of materials.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have said, the number of staff is much higher in the special education placement, sometimes with one adult per student. The class had a teacher, two paraprofessionals, a PCA, a TSS,and a nurse. In 1st grade, it was the teacher and 25 students. In 1st grade, there was very little down time, but in autistic support, the students need down time to recharge. Also, whereas in 1st grade, I had to write a number of lessons for each day, in autistic support, I basically teach the same thing everyday, with only a few changes, because the students need that routine. There is a lot more data collection in special education and much more paperwork.
It is so hard to say which placement I prefer, since I loved them both! I would be happy with a job in either setting, but I think I like autistic support a little bit more. I just love the atmosphere in the classroom and the group effort to get students to reach their goals. In general education, I feel like it's a little more "every person for themselves."
My takeaway lesson from 1st grade was the importance of setting expectations for students. Most misbehavior can be prevented by setting the students up to have good behavior. My takeaway lesson from autistic support is that it is impossible to do it all. We can only do as much as we can, and we need to be okay with that.
After these experiences, I know I want to teach!