Practicum A Journals

9/5 9/8:

The classroom teacher that I have has not yet had students in her classroom, yet she is

already implementing many organizational strategies to ensure the day goes smoothly. One

strategy she has used is writing down student schedules to figure out what student is in which

room at what time. Another good organizational technique she used was writing down the

students bus schedule and placing it on the board. She also has a notebook of what guided

reading level her students were at by the end of the last school year. The techniques she used that

I would find of value to my own classroom would be scheduling. I really like how she figured

out the set schedules for everyone including the bus schedules. This way students know what is

going on throughout the day and this will make transitions much easier. Other strategies that I

could implement to enhance organization in my classroom is using file cabinets and making sure

I know where everything is in the classroom. I will have different containers for different

subjects such as reading and math. Therefore, I will know where all my materials are when I

need it. I also plan on alphabetizing my students IEPs and creating individual folders for my

students. In addition, I will write down when IEPs and evaluations are due and prioritize them to

ensure that I stay on top of my responsibilities.

9/11 9/15:

Student: N.K. Grade: 4

Reading Skills:
N.K. has trouble with decoding words he does not know while reading.
N.K. has a hard time reading grade level texts with proper fluency.
N.K. needs assistance in understanding what he reads to help properly develop
better reading comprehension skills.
N.K. can identify basic story elements and main ideas of a grade level text.
Math Skills:
N.K. has strong math computation skills.
N.K. has trouble with math fact fluency and is below his peers in this specific
area.

Written Language Skills:

N.K. has a hard time with spelling words accurately.
N.K. writes longer sentences about topics that interest him.

Expressive / Receptive Language Skills:

N.K. has good expressive language skills he is able to put his words into
sentences in a way that makes sense.
N.K. has trouble with receptive language skills. He has difficulty understanding
information and what is read to him.

Notes:
N.K does not get frustrated easily when given challenging assignments. He
shows having issues with working memory and his ability to learn new skills.

Student: L.M. Grade: 4

Reading Skills:
L.M. is a fluent reader she reads with accuracy and very quickly.
She sometimes adds extra words while she is reading or pronounces he as she
and she as he.

Math Skills:
L.M. understands basic math facts and shows strengths in math computation.

Written Language Skills:

L.M. has difficulties in writing complete sentences and spelling words
correctly.

Expressive / Receptive Language Skills:

L.M. has very good expressive and receptive language skills. She is able to
express her wants and needs. She also able to make sense of information and is
very receptive to directions when given an assignment to complete.

Notes:
L.M. has an IEP for an emotional behavioral disorder.
Most of the learners struggles are due to her aggressive behavior towards
staff.
The student did not exhibit any such behaviors towards me when I was working
with her.

Summary of my findings:

I had conversation with both the special education teacher and the general education

teacher who both work with these students. How these students disability impacts their

instruction is they have to adapt their instruction to fit the learners specific needs. For example,

the teacher may have to redirect inappropriate behaviors during work time or give directions

twice to ensure the student understands what is expected of them. There are many modifications

that the teachers use with these students. For math, the students will have the test read to them

and the number of problems will be shortened. When giving writing instruction, some of the

modifications include taking turns writing and not correcting every wrong word every step of the

way. In addition, the amount students are required to write may be shortened. Regarding reading,

the student read a paragraph and then the teacher will read a paragraph. In the special education

classroom, the teachers use Read Well with the students to enhance their reading skills. Students
may also be given extra time to read if necessary. The special education teacher emphasized to

me that the students who have disabilities in the general education classroom are receiving the

same instruction, it is just not as vigorous as their peers who do not have a learning disability.

9/18 9/22:

The types of tangible rewards that are given in the classroom I am placed in is mostly snack

foods. This includes items like Reeses Puffs cereal, mini candy bars, pretzels, cheese balls, and

M & Ms. The kinds of praise that are used in the classroom is more general such as good job or

great work. Specific praise is also used with the students. For example, the special education

teacher told one of her students that she liked the direction he was writing his letter ps in. This is

the most common type of reinforcement I have seen being used in the classroom. A lot of the

teachers at Washington-Koscuiosko Elementary specifically point out what the student is doing

correctly. I think that it is a great way to reinforce positive behaviors within the classroom and I

feel that it instills confidence in the student because they know exactly what they did correctly.

The types of social reinforcements that I see in the classroom is the teacher smiles at the student

or nods their head when they are doing good work. What I would do to change the ways the

teachers implement positive reinforcement in their classroom is to provide more types of tangible

rewards. The types of rewards I would give would be stickers, colorful erasers, and bouncy balls.

Another thing I would do is have my students fill out the reinforcement menu to see what types of

tangible rewards they would like to receive in the classroom. Then I would go out and buy those

items for my students. Pertaining to social reinforcement, what I would change would be using

more types such as telling another teacher about something positive the student did while the

student is listening, clapping for the student, giving the student a high five or a thumbs up, and

calling a parent and telling the student how well they are doing in school.
9/25 9/29:

Hart and Risley in the article The Early Catastrophe did extensive research on the 30-

million-word gap among children living in poverty compared to children in prosperous homes.

They did this by observing 42 families for two and a half years. Their rationale was to obtain

information on what is happening in homes with children that are just learning how to talk. One

of their findings concluded that families differ in how much language interaction they present to

their children. Hart and Risley determined that 86 to 98 percent of the words they recorded

contained words that their parents use in their vocabulary. The study that the authors enacted also

came up with some alarming data. It was found that childrens vocabulary significantly varies

amidst income groups. Additionally, the number of words addressed to students differs immensely.

It became apparent to Hart and Risley that in four years, children in professional families will have

experience with 45 million words, children in working class families will gather 26 million words,

and an average child on welfare will collect 13 million words. The data provided gives proof to

the extent of just how big this issue is. However, I can help students develop their vocabulary in

my own teaching. One way I can do so is by introducing a new word a day to my students. I can

read the word out loud to them and explain the definition of it to them. I would also have the

student read the word as well and have them use it in a sentence. The next way is to have my

students write in a journal about new words they come across and have them look up the definition

of those words. The third thing I can do to infuse vocabulary development into my teaching is by

engaging my students in vocabulary games. These games would consist of activities such as word

scramble, crossword puzzles, and word searches. Another way I can aid in developing students

vocabulary is through participating in conversations with students and introducing new words to

them during these interactions. The fifth and final thing I can do is teach my students how to find
words in the dictionary. I would encourage my students to look up words they do not know about

or are confused about when they read in and outside of the classroom.

10/2 10/26:

One child that is having difficulties this week is N.K. The issues he is having during class

is paying attention to the teacher and listening to instructions. In addition, he also looked very

sleepy and was having a hard time putting in effort while reading. When he was reading he was

speaking very softly. He also would read very fast just so he could be done with reading. One

possible reason I came up with as to why he is having obstacles in learning this week is because it

is his birthday. I think this student was very excited about it and he was more worried about

ensuring that everyone received the cupcakes he brought than actual learning. The next possible

reason I came up with was that the student has not been getting enough sleep at night. I could tell

from his behavior and from the bags under his eyes that he was clearly tired. The final reason that

N.K. was having such a hard time with getting his word done was because he informed me that

his mom was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night. This student clearly has a lot of things

going on outside of school and in his personal life that are causing him stress. An intervention that

I feel would help the child would be taking a break from instruction and letting him talk about

what is going on in his life. When I was teaching N.K. this week, it seemed as if all he wanted to

talk about was what has been happening at his home. I think this intervention would work because

once the student has been able to discuss his issues at home with me, he will be able to focus more

since he got to openly express to me what he wanted to talk about. Overall, I feel this would have

saved more time for instruction if we would have discussed this at the beginning of the week right

away. Another intervention I came up with to help the student would be to take a five-minute break

after completing a task. These breaks would consist of playing a game on the IPad, playing a board
game, or coloring. This would be a motivating factor for the student to get his work done so he

could enjoy participating in these activities.

10/9 10/13:

I have observed different types of environmental modifications implemented in the

classroom when persistent behavior problems occur. One type of environmental modification that

I have seen done is having everyone clear the room besides the teacher. This was done when a

student was having a temper tantrum and beginning to get aggressive with staff. Another

environmental change I have seen is when a students are getting distracted and overwhelmed with

all the noise in the room, the teachers have the students go into the conference room to work where

there are no distractions or noises. The last modification I have seen is changing seating

arrangements when students are engaging in conversation, rather than working on their work or

listening to instructions from their teacher. An additional change I would make to the classroom

environment would be closing the windows. Some of the teachers that I have had the opportunity

to work with leave their windows open and one of the classrooms I am in is right next to the

playground. There are many kids outside making loud noises and having fun. I have noticed that

students get distracted by the children playing outside. This would be an effective way to reduce

environmental distractions within this classroom. In the resource room, there is a student who has

frequent temper tantrums. I think a helpful environmental modification that would be appropriate

for this student is having a safe space for the student to let her feelings out that is away from other

students who are trying to do work. As a result, the student can express her feelings in a safe

manner without disrupting her classmates.

10/16 10/20:
 What I have observed about inclusion in my school is that the special education teachers

like to keep their students within the general education classroom as much as possible. This is so

they can be with their peers who are non-disabled and receive the same type of instruction in order

to not fall behind. What teachers have been doing especially well within the general education

curriculum is providing accommodations to students. For example, a student will be working on

the same assignment as everyone else, but may have the questions read out loud to them by a

teacher. What I would recommend to enhance inclusion efforts is in the regular education

classroom, you can tell who the general education teacher is, who the special education teacher is,

and who the educational assistants are. This is not true inclusion. Inclusion is when you cannot tell

who any of the teachers are in the room. What I would suggest the teachers do is go around the

room to assist other students as necessary, instead of solely focusing on the student that has a

disability. Therefore, no one knows which students have a disability in the classroom besides the

teachers making this a true inclusive effort.

10/23 10/27:

My classroom teacher deals with persistent off-task behaviors by creating a reward system

with students. If the student is on-task for the majority of the lesson, then they get a treat such as

a mini candy bar. If they are not exhibiting on-task behaviors, then the student does not receive a

reward for that day. In the article, Off Task and Persistent Behaviors conducting a Functional

Behavioral Analysis on a student who exhibits problem behaviors was addressed. All of the

components of this analysis were focused on including explaining what happened before the

behavior occurs, describing the behavior that did occur, and explaining the consequences of the

behavior. The purpose of this is to see what may be causing the problem or off-task behavior.

Another item the article discussed was the relationship between curriculum difficulty and on task
behavior. It was found that the more difficult the task was for a student to be able to perform, the

more likely the student was to display off-task behaviors. I have noticed this correlation with the

students who I have been working with in the classroom. When given a difficult assignment that

they do not want to perform, they exhibit avoidance behaviors such as attempting to distract me

by changing the conversation or not paying attention to me. This is where I redirect their behavior

and break up the task into smaller chunks to make it not so overwhelming for students.

10/30 11/3:

The article The Teachers Role in Developing Social Skills, described how students with

disabilities are often apart of the more isolated groups when it comes to social settings within the

school. How the teacher can help students with exceptionalities develop social skills was

addressed. These included showing acceptance and affection for the student, assign the student to

work in pairs with another student, pre selecting groups to work with from a hat, and providing

students at secondary levels with access to guidance and support services if they are socially

isolated from their peers. There are multiple types of social instruction that take place within the

special education resource room. One way is we tell the students to look us in the eyes when they

are speaking to us. We have the students practice this frequently with their peers as well as with

the special education teachers and paraprofessionals. Another way is we talk about what is socially

appropriate such as hitting a person. The teachers talk to the students about how we do not hit one

another in the classroom. In addition, social emotional learning is emphasized within my

classroom. For example, the teacher may say, You hit me, how do you think that made me feel.

The student then responds and says, Sad, I am really sorry for hitting you. In particular, the

teachers use students improper social behaviors as teachable moments for the students.

11/6 11/10:
 On the website stopbullying.gov, it gives helpful information on how to respond to bullying

within the classroom. In summary, teachers should do the following: intervene immediately,

separate the students, model respectful behavior, stay calm, and obtain assistance from the police

if extreme harm could come to anyone in the school building. What WK does to deal with bullying

is they have a buddy bench that anyone can sit if they are feeling lonely or like an outcast. This

lets other students know that this student is in need of a friend and is one way they try to reduce

bullying. Another thing WK does is the school counselors have a box where they have students

write any peer conflicts they have been having and the counselor meets with these students to help

fix these issues. I talked with the school principal and she informed me that there is not a school-

wide bullying plan. What I plan on doing in my classroom is having morning meetings and

addressing peer conflicts during these meetings. I feel that this is a great way to allow students to

resolve their problems within a respectful environment that is mediated by the teacher.

11/13 11/17:

Summary:

The article Behavior Contracts, describes how to effectively create a behavior contract.

Some of these ways included identifying and specifying the number of problem behaviors,

specify the incentives the child receives when exhibiting the desired behavior, and if needed,

specify consequences if the student does not exhibit desired behavior or engages in extremely

severe behaviors. Behavior Contracts also provides an example of a student named Melissa who

is always getting up and walking around the room during class. A sample of her behavior

contract is given to show how to write a behavior contract to decrease behaviors that are

distracting.
Behavior Contract:

Student: N.G

1. I, N.G will not try to change the subject while reading my Read Well books with Ms. Wallisch
for the first 10 minutes of the story.

2. In exchange, Ms. Wallisch will allow me to play with Legos after we are done reading the
story.

3. This contract is valid for a two-week period beginning November 13th, 2017. It expires in 14
days, where a new contract will be written up.

Student Signature: ____________________________________________ Date: __________

Teacher Signature: _____________________________________________ Date: ___________

11/20 11/24:

In the article titled Working with poor children, it addresses the main reasons why students

from low socioeconomic communities have difficulties staying engaged in school. This article

additionally provided information on how to help these students. The reasons for poor

engagement that were addressed Working with poor children was lack of health and nutrition,

having a smaller vocabulary, having issues with giving effort due to a lack of hope, having

difficulties having a growth mindset, issues with cognitive functioning skills, not having good

relationships, and being in distress. Some of the ways the article discussed on how to help

students living in poverty is learn about your students and their family, ask them about their

hobbies, teach students how to take notes, provide quality feedback, and build students

vocabulary. I feel that WK Elementary does an excellent job of meeting the needs of students

who are living in low socioeconomic communities. There are many effective ways they help

these students. One thing they do is they always have nutritious snacks offered to students,

recess, and gym time. Another way they help students is teachers work on vocabulary building
with students. At the beginning of each lesson, students have sight words that the teachers work

on with them to enhance their vocabulary. The next way that teachers help students is by

providing a lot of specific praise and positive reinforcement. Students are not receiving a lot of

negative feedback, which encourages and motivates them to try their hardest. I think that the best

way the teachers at WK Elementary meet the needs of students living in poverty is by getting to

know the student as an individual and establishing relationships with them. As a result, this

creates a safe and positive learning environment for all types of students.

11/27 12/1:

5 ways I can modify my teaching and classroom to meet the needs of kids who have experienced
significant trauma:

1. Set aside time during lessons for brain breaks for my students so they can relax their minds
and bodies such as stretching or doing deep breathing techniques.

2. At the beginning of the day, have the students get together in a circle and do morning meetings
to establish a classroom community and create relationships.

3. Get to know my students on an individual basis such as their likes and dislikes, their interests,
learn about their family, and their favorite activities to show my students that I care about them.

4. At the beginning of the school year, establish clear classroom rules on a poster board that the
whole entire class agrees on and have the students sign their name on the bottom of the poster.

5. In my classroom, I will have a designated safe area where students can go and lay down in
bean bags if they feel stressed or overwhelmed about something in life or in school.

Final Entry:

What I have learned about my teaching strengths is that I am very good a redirecting a

student who is distracted and keep them motivated. If they are off task, I can easily get them

back on track by reminding them that it is work time and not talk time. Another teaching strength

I found out about myself is that I am very good at checking for understanding. I want to make

sure that the student comprehends what I am saying, so I always constantly ask if the lesson
makes sense or why they chose a certain answer they did to ensure that they are learning. The

final teaching strength I would say I have is I am very good at getting to know students. By the

end of the semester, I know what the students I work with like, what motivates them, and about

their family. This makes it easier to plan lessons out and keep students engaged by incorporating

things they like into the content area that I am teaching them. One of my teacher weaknesses I

learned during this practicum is that I need to work on using time efficiently. Sometimes during

a lesson, I underestimate how long a lesson will take and do not end up getting to everything I

wanted to cover for that day. Another weakness of mine that I need to work on is giving clear

concise directions. I often find that I end up repeating myself when giving directions during

lessons with students. These are areas I will need be cognizant of and work on when I obtain a

job being a special education teacher.