Final Reflection

This was your last week working with the students. What did that feel like? What kinds of things were running through your head as that reality began to sink in? Was it difficult to say goodbye to some students? Why do you suppose that is? Were they the students that made you think more, work harder, question your decision about becoming a teacher or confirm your decision about becoming a teacher?

Flexibility

Due to a variety of circumstances you may have had to work with different students with different needs each time you volunteer. What kinds of processes do you go through when you discover you will be working with a student you did not plan for? How do you adjust on such short notice? Keep in mind that this will often happen in your future classrooms- a lesson you thought would take 35 minutes, only takes 20- what do you do with those extra 15 minutes? You have students that are typically in the special education classroom during your language arts class, but the special education teacher happens to be ill- How do you quickly prepare for their participation within the lesson you have already created?

Blog Post #4 Learning Environments

Your learning environments (where you are at, what you are doing, how you are doing things, and why) can impact the students' opportunities to learn. Describe how you have adapted to the learning environments in which you are working, recognizing that learning occurs everywhere, not just in the four walls of a classroom.  

What aspects of the teaching and student dynamics have you taken into account?  How have the previous 3 weeks helped you in developing your learning environments?  Essentially, what does it take to be able to develop effective learning environments? What have you learned about developing effective learning environments for individuals with disabilities or who may be at-risk that you can transfer to "regular" student learning environments?

Blog Post #3 Let's talk Behavior

Think about the social behaviors, appropriate, or not, that your students have been displaying the first couple of weeks of your placement! How might you address those that are inappropriate? How can you use those appropriate skills they have to teach them new appropriate skills. I believe strongly that inappropriate behaviors are social skill deficits- how does this impact how you might teach your students appropriate social skills in order to address their inappropriate behaviors?