Artifact Reflection Title of Artifact: Letter from Special Education Teacher Date Completed: 5/4/13 Artifact Description: This

artifact is a letter of thanks from the special education teacher at Platteville High School for the time that I spent in the summer class for high school students and students transitioning into high in order to complete my hours for my Introduction to Inclusion class that I took in the summer of 2013. WISCONSIN TEACHING STANDARD ALIGNMENT Primary Alignment 3. Diversity: Teachers understand that children learn differently. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities. In this experience I worked with special education students for my Introduction to Inclusion class. While I primarily just assisted with basic classroom operations and helped the running of the classroom with the other two teachers there I did work with one student in particular. He was a child that didnt communicate very much and was very limited in his learning capabilities. This however, didnt mean that he couldnt learn, it just took a special approach to teaching to get him to grow. On the first day I learned that he liked fire trucks, especially those in parades. So while the other teachers were working with the other students me and him sat down in front of the computer and began watching YouTube videos of fire trucks and parades. While this may not sound educational while the videos were playing I was asking what was one the screens and he would answer with fire trucks, which meant that I was getting him to speak and use his limited vocabulary through this medium. I also asked him what he did when fire trucks passed in parades and he would then wave wildly, smiling and laughing all the while. This got him to not only communicate once again even with only physical responses but to think about his prior experiences and come up with a response to my question which, from what I learned was sometimes a difficulty with him. The following days I helped him use an Ipad and the computer to go through electronic lessons. The teachers were using these electronic lessons because they were colorful, made noise, and sometimes included pictures of things that he took special interest in, all of which helped keep his interest on the lesson before him and allowed for the completion of the lesson. Without these elements it would have made it impossible for him to focus on the lesson and complete it. I apparently did a great job of working with him because he began identifying me as Mom which was his identifier for those he trusted and look forward to seeing. I also heard second hand that when I stopped coming he asked after me in his own way. What this experience taught me is that I am able to work with students with all kinds of disabilities as long as I have the knowledge needed to make appropriate choices. In order to gain this knowledge in the future I would use a multitude of resources

including the special education teachers, IDPs, and the student themselves. I know that once I know that a student in my class is having learning difficulties I would need to access all of these resources as well as research the specific disability both for the specific symptoms but also for things that I can do in my classroom in order to help the student do better. For example, for ADD and ADHD, two of the most common disabilities in todays society, some of the things that are suggested are putting an agenda for the days activities somewhere on the board in the classroom so that the student can find where the class is on that agenda, remove an moving objects or things hanging from the ceiling in order to eliminate those distractions, and provide different testing options for students including oral exams rather than paper tests. On the other hand, working with advanced students present a different challenge, because these students rather than having trouble concentrating or are overwhelmed with the challenge of the lesson, the exceptional students arent being challenged enough. There are the classic solutions of moving the child up a grade and AP courses but how can you work with the student in your individual without those strategies. One way to go is once they are done with their work that they help the students in the classroom that may be struggling. This is a viable option because the students are then working with their peers and may be able to relate the subject matter in a way that makes more sense to the other student. Another option is to have the student work on project based lessons that are more involved and potentially more tailored to the students interests and academic proficiency. This option could be in the form of several projects throughout the semester or one massive project over the course of the semester with the student making progress reports throughout the project to not only check on progress and keep the student on task but also to make sure that the student is not any difficulties. Obviously not all these strategies will work and there are many more that can be employed in order to help the student. These strategies can be decided upon and implemented in an almost infinite combination depending on the resources available and what works for the student the best. Working through the barriers of learning is a process of gathering information, conferencing with all those involved, and then implementing over a period of time that often includes many adjustments and revisions to the plans over time. Secondary Alignment: 4. Instructional Strategies: Teachers know how to teach. The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. UW-PLATTEVILLE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, DISPOSITION STATEMENT ALIGNMENT I believe that this artifact best aligns with KSD1.b. DEMONSTRATES KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS. The candidate displays knowledge of the typical developmental characteristics, learning styles, skills, interests, developmental backgrounds, and cultural heritages of students and is always aware of the broad ranges and variety present for each of these student characteristics and lifestyles.

I chose this alignment because in order to work with students in order to get them past certain barriers you need to understand the student. You need to learn their background, what works for them and what doesnt, and what interests them in order to possibly use that in order to use it as an instructional tool. I demonstrated this in in the case with the boy earlier. I used his interest in fire trucks to not just entertain him but to work on the skills that he was lacking. I also saw how the special education teachers had used their knowledge of the student in order to tailor his learning by using the Ipad and the electronic lessons. Secondary Alignment KSD4.c. COMMUNICATES WITH FAMILIES KSD2.c. MANAGES CLASSROOM PROCEDURES KSD4.e. GROWS AND DEVELOPS PROFESSIONALLY What I learned about teaching/learning: This experience got me to realize just how important it is to get to know your students because by knowing your students you are able to make your lessons tailored to a specific student that is having an issue or as the class as a whole. For example if you know that your students get more actively engaged when they can watch a video that pertains to the subject matter at hand, you can use that knowledge in order to make your lessons more effective, possibly through the use of multimedia throughout the lesson to allow for reliability and active engagement. If this knowledge was lacking then the students would be less engaged or even worse disengage because you are teaching a specific way. What I learned about myself as a prospective teacher: I learned that as a future teacher I have the capability to learn about the students in a way that will allow for coming up with strategies in order to catering to the needs of the students. I realize that I have the capability to work with the students and come up with an effective strategy in order to breech those learning barriers. I also need to keep in mind that as I begin teaching not to lose or forget this ability in all the hustle and bustle of actual teaching.