Friend Text, Chapter 1

Friend Text Chapter 1: Planning Instruction by Analyzing Classroom and Student Needs

Resources:

1)www.myeducationlab.com

2) http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/44472.aspx

Great website for ideas on how to arrange the classroom to accommodate students with special needs.

3) http://www.uhseport.net/published/k/sh/kshaw/collection/1/

Provides websites for differentiated instruction strategies in a variety of subject areas!

My notes:

· You will be able to accommodate more diversity in the classroom if you set up your classroom in a way that caters to all students’ needs. Use the INCLUDE strategy.

· 2 key concepts of the INCLUDE strategy: 1) “student performance in school is the result of an interaction between the student and the instructional environment.” 2) “by carefully analyzing students’ learning needs and the specific demands of the classroom environment, teachers can reasonably accommodate most students with special needs in their classrooms.”

· Inclusion strategy contains ideas of both universal design and differentiated instruction

o Universal design- idea that instructional materials, methods, and assessments designed with built-in supports are more likely to be compatible with learners with special needs than those without supports, and they minimize the need for labor intensive accommodations later on.

o Differentiated instruction- the idea that a variety of teaching and learning strategies are necessary to meet the range of needs evident in any given classroom. Needs are met by differentiating the content being taught, the process by which it is taught, and the ways students demonstrate what they have learned and the level of knowledge through varied products. Differentiation is achieved by providing materials and tasks at varied levels of difficulty and with varying levels of instructional support, through the use of multiple grouping arrangements, student choice, and varied evaluation strategies.

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o 7 Steps of the INCLUDE strategy uses for differentiated instruction:

§ 1)Identify classroom demands

§ 2)Note students learning strengths and needs

§ 3)Check for potential areas of student success

§ 4)Look for potential problem areas

§ 5)Use information to brainstorm ways to differentiate instruction

§ 6)Differentiate instruction

§ 7)Evaluate student progress

o Factors of classroom management: physical organization, classroom routines, classroom climate, behavior management, the use of time

o Flexible grouping- using a variety of grouping strategies based on a student’s individual needs.

o Instructional Materials – using different instructional materials to help meet the needs of students such as basals which are published text books that focus on basic skills, often used in reading and mathematics, and texts that stress subject matter content in areas such as history and science. Teachers also use other materials such as manipulatives, technological devices like audiovisual aids, telecommunication systems, and computers.

o Instructional Methods- the ways in which teachers present content and skills to students and evaluate whether learning has occurred are the essence of teaching and are crucial for accommodating students with special needs.

o When evaluating students with disabilities, teachers must focus on what the student knows rather than on the extent of his disability.

o Teach positively by recognizing and focusing on students strengths. This helps students to see themselves and others positively, to see learning positively , and to overcome their weaknesses.

o Three areas describe students learning strengths and needs: academics, socio-emotional development, and physical development.

o 2 ways to differentiate for students with disabilities: 1) accommodations 2)modifications

· Select age appropriate strategies- students’ accommodations and modifications should match their age.

· Select the easiest approach first- Accommodations need to be easy for the gen ed teacher to implement and should not require so much time and effort that it interferes with teaching the entire class.

· Need to establish good effective routines in the classroom.

· Learning Outcomes reflect Blooms revised taxonomy related to levels of thought. 6 levels of thought, from lowest to highest: 1)remembering 2)understanding3)applying4)analyzing5)evaluating6)creating

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