Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Here are some questions Melissa Johnson, Rachel Freedman, and I answered for our Midterm for SPED 312. Here are the links to the questions we answered.
Question 2
Question 3
Here are some questions Melissa Johnson, Rachel Freedman, and I answered for our Midterm for SPED 312. Here are the links to the questions we answered.
Here is a link to my education blog that I have been working on throughout the entire semester.
http://megcollins1717.wordpress.com/
http://megcollins1717.wordpress.com/
May 4th 2012
Click here to view our Final Challenge responses!
Integrated Reflection
I have learned a lot about myself in this semester. It has been my first semester where I took my assignments and completed them proactively, not just the night before they were due. I realized that I really needed to pay attention in my classes this semester because they weren’t just a gen-ed class; it was covering my major and what I actually need to know in order to become a special educator. My classes were very interesting, even though having 3-hour classes can be rather rough to go through without being on task. My classes really made me realize that there are a lot of techniques I need to be aware of and it’s important that I know them once I’m in the schools. The most important things I’ve learned in my classes is about taking data on my students and how to figure out student’s behaviors. I feel like doing these two things in my practicum site made a significant difference.
My practicum site was at a high school level. My co-op was absolutely amazing. She guided me through this semester so much. I was in a self-contained government class and a self-contained senior English class. This experience was really great for me because I was intimidated in being in a high school setting. After a couple of weeks, I realized that I really enjoyed working with the students and was able to make conversations with them and make relationships. By the end of the semester, I was contemplating teaching in a high school setting in the future once I become a special educator.
One obstacle I was able to figure out during my placement was when I had a student with a hearing impairment. She was having difficulty when I was teaching because it took her longer to process the information and she was telling me I was going too fast. I realized that she was correct and that I needed to figure out a way to slow my pace so the entire class could be involved. I decided that instead of orally going through comprehension questions I would write them down on the overhead so the pace would go slower and everyone could answer a question. This did not slow down the class too much and it was worth it because all students could participate. Working with high school students also showed me that they need someone to rely on and talk about their issues with. I never realized how many actual problems high school students have, and they just need someone to vent to and have complete trust in the teacher. My co-op really showed me how important it is for the students to have a “safe place” to talk to and to let them speak their mind. I hope to have that kind of environment in my classroom in the future.
Working with my supervisor was very beneficial. She was very helpful and would help me with assignments when needed. I was nervous at first to be observed, but she really helped me shape myself to become an even better educator for the future. This semester has really been a great experience and I’m glad I was able to see what being in a high school setting was like and to use my knowledge from my classes into real-life scenarios in the classroom.
I have learned a lot about myself in this semester. It has been my first semester where I took my assignments and completed them proactively, not just the night before they were due. I realized that I really needed to pay attention in my classes this semester because they weren’t just a gen-ed class; it was covering my major and what I actually need to know in order to become a special educator. My classes were very interesting, even though having 3-hour classes can be rather rough to go through without being on task. My classes really made me realize that there are a lot of techniques I need to be aware of and it’s important that I know them once I’m in the schools. The most important things I’ve learned in my classes is about taking data on my students and how to figure out student’s behaviors. I feel like doing these two things in my practicum site made a significant difference.
My practicum site was at a high school level. My co-op was absolutely amazing. She guided me through this semester so much. I was in a self-contained government class and a self-contained senior English class. This experience was really great for me because I was intimidated in being in a high school setting. After a couple of weeks, I realized that I really enjoyed working with the students and was able to make conversations with them and make relationships. By the end of the semester, I was contemplating teaching in a high school setting in the future once I become a special educator.
One obstacle I was able to figure out during my placement was when I had a student with a hearing impairment. She was having difficulty when I was teaching because it took her longer to process the information and she was telling me I was going too fast. I realized that she was correct and that I needed to figure out a way to slow my pace so the entire class could be involved. I decided that instead of orally going through comprehension questions I would write them down on the overhead so the pace would go slower and everyone could answer a question. This did not slow down the class too much and it was worth it because all students could participate. Working with high school students also showed me that they need someone to rely on and talk about their issues with. I never realized how many actual problems high school students have, and they just need someone to vent to and have complete trust in the teacher. My co-op really showed me how important it is for the students to have a “safe place” to talk to and to let them speak their mind. I hope to have that kind of environment in my classroom in the future.
Working with my supervisor was very beneficial. She was very helpful and would help me with assignments when needed. I was nervous at first to be observed, but she really helped me shape myself to become an even better educator for the future. This semester has really been a great experience and I’m glad I was able to see what being in a high school setting was like and to use my knowledge from my classes into real-life scenarios in the classroom.
Phase Two in this Special Education program has made me see how much progress I have made since I started this program. When I say progress, I mean in the classroom and in the practicum site. This has been a rather stressful semester for me and I am glad I was proactive throughout it all.
This semester, classes were a lot more in depth, and projects were getting harder and more complicated. In this program, a lot of our projects deal with actual data and working with students in our practicum sites, so there is no way you can fake an assignment. This meant dedication and hard work. I had to schedule my time very carefully throughout this semester to make sure I was always on top of my assignments. My classes this semester taught me about different types of strategies for Special Education, such as reading strategies or math strategies. I have never taken a class about life skills, so having a class that contained information about that was very beneficial.
I was at an elementary school placement for practicum this semester. My cooperating teacher was so wonderful to me throughout this entire semester. Working in this classroom can be rather difficult, and she showed me how to work with the different students, gave me advice, and allowed me to observe her work with the students until I felt comfortable taking over. This classroom also had six paraprofessionals, which was rather overwhelming when I first started. All of the paraprofessionals have welcomed me with open arms and helped me when needed. They all have different teaching practices, so it was rather nice to see the different types.
I worked with students with moderate to severe disabilities. I worked 1:1 with two particular students throughout the semester. I would say the most difficult component in teaching at this practicum placement was discipline. Before this semester, I would have considered myself a pushover. I would ignore certain behaviors and tolerate others. This semester, I really had to stand my ground and be firm with the students. At first, I had a very hard time because I did not want the students to hate me. After the first couple of times I disciplined the students, I realized the students began to take me more seriously and did not hate me at all. I have never been in a situation before where I needed to discipline someone, so this semester has made me a much stronger person and it helped me gain more authority.
My supervisor has been a huge help to me this semester. She has given me great advice when it comes to working in this type of setting. She has been very honest with me and has given me great feedback to better myself for the future. Her door was always open and we had great communication throughout the entire semester.
Phase 3 Integrated Reflection
Phase 3 has given me a chance to really take over a classroom and create my own lesson plans and become more independent. This semester was by far my most difficult semester because I had a lot more responsibility at my practicum site.
Throughout this phase, our assignments were quite difficult and we had additional assignments for practicum. We had to take create instructional programs, collect data, collect formal assessment data for an IEP assignment, and many more challenging assignments throughout the semester. My classes this semester taught me more about the functions of behavior, how to communicate with alternative and augmentative communication, and we learned about early childhood special education services.
I was at a middle school placement for this semester. My cooperating teacher was very helpful and kind. He gave me advice on how to create a positive learning environment for my students. I was in two self-contained math classes, a homeroom class, and two co-taught writing classes. This experience gave me a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and work with many different teaching styles. I also focused a lot on using technology throughout this semester. I incorporated the SmartBoard, a HoverCam, and students used Google Drive for some assignments. I tried to incorporate technology so students may be more interactive in their learning.
Words cannot describe how amazing my supervisor has been to me this semester. She helped me with many obstacles throughout the semester. It is wonderful to have a positive relationship with your supervisor during this phase. We had wonderful communication and she would give me positive feedback along with constructive criticism.
This semester, classes were a lot more in depth, and projects were getting harder and more complicated. In this program, a lot of our projects deal with actual data and working with students in our practicum sites, so there is no way you can fake an assignment. This meant dedication and hard work. I had to schedule my time very carefully throughout this semester to make sure I was always on top of my assignments. My classes this semester taught me about different types of strategies for Special Education, such as reading strategies or math strategies. I have never taken a class about life skills, so having a class that contained information about that was very beneficial.
I was at an elementary school placement for practicum this semester. My cooperating teacher was so wonderful to me throughout this entire semester. Working in this classroom can be rather difficult, and she showed me how to work with the different students, gave me advice, and allowed me to observe her work with the students until I felt comfortable taking over. This classroom also had six paraprofessionals, which was rather overwhelming when I first started. All of the paraprofessionals have welcomed me with open arms and helped me when needed. They all have different teaching practices, so it was rather nice to see the different types.
I worked with students with moderate to severe disabilities. I worked 1:1 with two particular students throughout the semester. I would say the most difficult component in teaching at this practicum placement was discipline. Before this semester, I would have considered myself a pushover. I would ignore certain behaviors and tolerate others. This semester, I really had to stand my ground and be firm with the students. At first, I had a very hard time because I did not want the students to hate me. After the first couple of times I disciplined the students, I realized the students began to take me more seriously and did not hate me at all. I have never been in a situation before where I needed to discipline someone, so this semester has made me a much stronger person and it helped me gain more authority.
My supervisor has been a huge help to me this semester. She has given me great advice when it comes to working in this type of setting. She has been very honest with me and has given me great feedback to better myself for the future. Her door was always open and we had great communication throughout the entire semester.
Phase 3 Integrated Reflection
Phase 3 has given me a chance to really take over a classroom and create my own lesson plans and become more independent. This semester was by far my most difficult semester because I had a lot more responsibility at my practicum site.
Throughout this phase, our assignments were quite difficult and we had additional assignments for practicum. We had to take create instructional programs, collect data, collect formal assessment data for an IEP assignment, and many more challenging assignments throughout the semester. My classes this semester taught me more about the functions of behavior, how to communicate with alternative and augmentative communication, and we learned about early childhood special education services.
I was at a middle school placement for this semester. My cooperating teacher was very helpful and kind. He gave me advice on how to create a positive learning environment for my students. I was in two self-contained math classes, a homeroom class, and two co-taught writing classes. This experience gave me a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and work with many different teaching styles. I also focused a lot on using technology throughout this semester. I incorporated the SmartBoard, a HoverCam, and students used Google Drive for some assignments. I tried to incorporate technology so students may be more interactive in their learning.
Words cannot describe how amazing my supervisor has been to me this semester. She helped me with many obstacles throughout the semester. It is wonderful to have a positive relationship with your supervisor during this phase. We had wonderful communication and she would give me positive feedback along with constructive criticism.