Anthony Lawlis

Special Education Program Reflection

December 10, 2014
The five-year special education program at Manhattan College is one that has given me a
lot of learning experiences. Throughout each class as I reflect back on them I can say I have
learned at least one major thing from each course I have taken. I have taken all the information I
have learned from my classes and utilized them this semester. This fall I began my student
teaching experience at the John Cardinal OConnor School where I was able to teach on a
continual basis. Teaching lessons in my class allowed me to draw upon prior knowledge from
the content courses I have taken in the special education program.
One of the great courses that I took while in the program was the Life Science for the atrisk an disabled student, which was taught by Raymond Loverso. He was a great professor who
gave us real strategies and activities that could be used in a self-contained or ICT classroom.
The other aspect of the class that I enjoyed was the lesson demonstration. I thought this was
beneficial because the professor acted like a student that was at the grade level your lesson was
for. It helped me develop my behavior management during a lesson. The field trip and the
assignment we had to complete after was another useful learning experience for me. Overall,
this course was filled with a lot of learning experiences for me as a future special education
teacher.
Another strength of the program is the amount of hands-on experience we had with
students who had special needs. One of the classes EDUG 778 requires you to complete hours in
the field. I think this was great because I had the opportunity to tutor a student with special
needs. Having the chance to tutor this student gave me an opportunity to try out different
techniques and strategies to help the student understand the concept better. One reason I also

really thought working with a student was a great learning experience was because you have to
find new ways to explain concepts. Until you are working with a student and they are struggling
thats the first time you actually have to think on your feet. It is a hard thing to do and it takes a
lot of practice. Working with this student and tutoring them really helped me in perfecting this
skill so that when I went into student teach I was ready for any questions that were going to
come my way. In the end, completing hours for courses really does help you become a better
special education teacher.
One of the classes that I felt I learned a lot of information about special education from
was Nature and Needs of the Exceptional Individual. This course really educated me on the
various disabilities that students with special needs may have. One of the aspects of the course
that I thought helped me learn a lot were the presentations on all of the disabilities. Each group
did a phenomenal job and really helped me to understand the various disabilities that students
with disabilities could have. Another part of these presentations that I was able to gain a lot
from was all the accommodations and strategies you can use to help teach the students. As a
whole this was another strength of the five-year program here at Manhattan College.
One of the important aspects of special education is assessment and here at Manhattan
College we have a class solely dedicated to this. I was enrolled in the course this semester and
feel that I have become a better and well prepared special education teacher because of it.
Assessment is a major area within the field of special education. This class aided me in using my
interpretation skills to read scores that were on assessments. One example of how it helped me
in the field was when I began student teaching at the John Cardinal OConnor School. Each year
teachers complete a form called a student at a glance. On this sheet the teacher fills out
important information pertaining to this student such as the WISC results, accommodations,

strengths, and weaknesses and so on. I think this course is a strength of the special education
program at Manhattan College because as a special education teacher you are always looking at
students scores on assessments. You need to be able to take the scores you are given and make
sense of them and EDUG 787 really helped me to do this.
The last strength of this special education program at Manhattan College was my seminar
class this semester. It really is beneficial having professors who are in the field because they
know what schools look for in perspective teachers. The other positive note about this course is
that the professors shared their own experiences with us, which was very helpful. It was nice
being able to hear about what truly does go on in the classroom. Another strength of this
particular course was that we had a presentation focused on IEPs. These are one of the most
important documents for students with special needs and to learn about them was a great
experience.
In conclusion, the five-year program at Manhattan College is one that I have learned a lot
from. I have had professors who have inspired me and who I look up to. I have grown so much
throughout this program as a special education teacher. I look forward to seeing where I will end
up teaching and to take all I have learned from this program into my classroom. My journey as a
teacher is only beginning but I know no matter what that I am ready and prepared because of the
education I have received in this program.