Based
off of the readings it seems like the Lupita, the first child described from
the case could benefit from puzzle activities to get caught up in the
class. Since she excels in
Spanish, when she finishes these assignments early she should be encouraged to
work on word puzzles and other activities that will help her acquire the
academic skills she is lacking.
There are many fun literacy activities the teacher can send her home
with so both Lupita and her grandmother can learn the new cluture they are living
in. I also think that the teacher
should try to include her more in class.
Even though she is shy, maybe is she feels more like a member of the
class by given a classroom job, she will feel more comfortable to
participate. Since she did such a
good job of helping two of her classmates to figure out the puzzle, perhaps she
should be a teacher assistant who helps out other students when she finishes
her assignments early. This role
would definitely help her build more confidence to participate in class.
The
Jonathan, the second child from the case is definitely struggling with reading
and mathematics. Some sort of
visual support could definitely help him.
From Leisa Breitfelder’s article, Quick and Easy Adaptations and
Accommodations for Early Childhood Students, she states, “A visual support is a
visually perceived stimulus that can assist an individual in comprehending
information or demands” (Breitfelder, 2008, p. 6). The article goes on to suggest that children with autism,
ADD/ADHD, developmental disabilities, or students with a learning disability
might struggle with this concept.
However, since Jonathan excels in many of the other subjects, I do not
think he is necessarily at risk for one of those challenges. In fact Jonathan sounds a lot like the
child from the Marcus Gifted and Challenging article. Marcus is a gifted child that excels in many subjects except
writing. In the article the author’s suggest, “Allow children to use hands-on
activities. Some teachers let the
children use a lot of objects for learning math…rather than just paper and
pencil” (Kostelnick, Onaga, Rohde, & Whiren, 2002, p. 72). Jonathan’s
teacher should bring more tangible objects into her assignments so he does not
feel so pressured to do a lot of reading.
Also, many visuals on how to figure certain math problems will also help
Jonathan with reading problems.
The
third child Eddie, sounds like he might have autism. In the case, the teacher describes him to have an active
imagination but appears to not be listening to any kind of direction or
questions asked of him. According
to Breitfelder, “Children with autism are visual rather than auditory learners
and they prefer picture communication verses written words. When a teacher gives a direction and it
is not followed, they may follow up with another verbal directions on top of
another” (2008, p. 3). This
description seems to fit Eddie quite well. Perhaps his teacher should provide him with step up step
picture directions so he can better understand the directions in class.
After
going over all of the readings for the next class session, I realize how
important it is to pay attention to my student’s behavior in class. A lot of the time there are signs that
will show that with a little tweaking of instruction, I can help them stay more
attentive and better understand the class material. It is important to never write a child off for not
understanding. It is usually on
the teacher for not giving the child the proper attention he or she needs in
class to do well.
I really like what Christy said at the end of her post, "It is important to never write a child off for not understanding. It is usually on the teacher for not giving the child the proper attention he or she needs in class to do well." I agree that is is crucial for teachers to keep this in mind when they are working with difficult students. I have seen too many situations in which the teacher gives up on students who don't seem to follow their way of learning. It creates a hostile relationship between the teacher and student, and discourages the student from thinking they have the ability to accomplish a certain task.
ReplyDeleteBreitfelder's article showed some great accommodations that could not only work for students with behavior problems or learning disabilities, but for all students. I think having these kinds of supports in the classroom would be beneficial not matter if they are for one student in particular or the whole class in general. As future educators we have been trained to understand that all kids learn differently. By having visual supports, work systems, story boards, and predetermined schedules readily available it not only prepares teachers for potential problems that could arise, but it supports the individual learning preferences of each student.
All of these readings were really interesting to me and I thought they really applied to placement this year and out future teaching jobs. Like Caitlin, I have seen so many situations where the teacher gives up on a student because he/she doesn't seem to understand exactly what is going on in the class. This creates tension between the teacher and that student as well as the other students in the class because I think that they can sense the tension too. This distracts students from concentrating on tasks within the classroom. This is especially harmful at the younger grades when literacy is so critical to pay attention to.
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