Throughout my observations, I have seen students with IEPs and 504 plans. I have seen many different accommodations and modifications for these students. This semester, there is a student who is on the road to receiving an IEP and being classified with ADHD. I see the challenge that my cooperating teacher faces with the modifications that she needs to provide for this student in order that the student be successful. This student has great trouble forming letters. As a result of this, we scribe for the student and write words in yellow marker so that he is able to trace the letters. This student is also on a behavior chart with the goal to just stay in his seat. At the end of each subject, we present the clipboard to the student and ask him how he thinks he did, in terms of staying in his seat for that short period of time. If he was able to stay in his seat, he receives a smiley face. The student receives a prize at the end of the day if there is a smiley face for every subject. The student also has a special seat, a cube chair, and he uses this when the class sits on the carpet. This cube chair helps him stay in his seat for the duration of the lesson. This is the type of data that the teacher collects that will be addressed in the IEP if and when he becomes classified.
Have you seen modifications or accommodations like this in your classroom? If so, please describe them. Are there students in your classes who are on behavior charts? Do you believe that behavior charts are a good thing? Also, have you ever seen special seating for students who might have difficulty staying in their seats?
My cooperating teacher has showed me the modifications and accommodations she has incorporated within her lesson and learning activities. As of now we only have one student with a 504 plan and 12 ESL students in our classroom. My cooperating teacher makes sure to be very clear when giving instructions and when giving out worksheet and activities she makes sure that she has copies of it in their native language. She also walks around and circles certain problems for each of them to solve. She also makes sure she has books in Spanish for them during reading so they can follow along during the lesson. For read aloud she makes sure she has the Spanish version either physical or digital with the Spanish translation under it so they can refer back to it. When it comes to writing she allows some who are still learning English to write in their native language but has them explain their story orally.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom we do not have individual behavior charts, rather we have whole classroom behavior chart. I do not find them very effective and find them to be a form of public humiliation. Reason being is that students should be able to recognize good behavior and bad behavior. Also if you call out a student on their bad behavior they may like the attention they are getting (even if its bad) and keep on misbehaving or they may give up and not do anything for the rest of the day, that is what I have noticed in my observations. Also, when using the behavior chart my cooperating teacher does not award the well behaved students and I have not really seen any consequences being administered when students go down the behavior chart.
I have seen that several students in the class have difficulty staying in their seats and I feel that they would benefit from having flexible seating arrangements nor have I seen it in my previous observations. But they do not have access for flexible seating. Although I have not touched on this subject with my cooperating teacher I plan to talk to her about it soon.
-Aimee
Molly responds:
ReplyDeleteThere are 24 students in my class, and eight of them are classified. One of the eight is in a self-contained classroom all day and only joins our class for specials. The other seven are pulled out for resource room and do not return until social studies/science, then they are with the homeroom class for the rest of the day. Because of this arrangement, I have not seen the same level of modifications as you have.
We have an aide with us in the afternoons to help with our resource students. Many of them need extra time on assignments, need prompting and scaffolding from the teachers in the room, and have trouble reading on their own. We have one student who is completely work avoidant, and he needs constant attention because he will give up and not pay attention in the matter of seconds if something does not interest him. In those cases, we need to give that student a specific task or job during classwork for him to complete that will motivate him to do his work.
There are only two students who need a behavior chart in our class, and it was just started last week because both students' behaviors rapidly got worse as the year progressed. They have issues when it comes to respecting teachers and classmates, following directions, completing their work, and so on. I have not had the chance to look at the behavior chart yet since it was just drafted, but that is my plan for this week. I support the use of the chart in this case, because it is really keeping the students in check in terms of their behavior and class performance.
We have no special seating arrangements for students who need them, but they are allowed to take a walk down the hall or go to the active station by the guidance department if they need to get their energy or frustrations out.
This is great, thank you!Thank you!I think it's perfect!
In my observations, 2 of the students have 504 plans and 1 has an IEP. Each of these students is entitled to a shared classroom aide. The 2 students with 504 plans have ADHD. Because of this, they are allowed frequent breaks, extra time, voice-to-text as needed, sound-proofing headphones, alternatives assignments, and their assignments given to them in short steps. The student with the IEP cannot read or write on her own, and needs everything read to her and spelled for her.
ReplyDeleteMy cooperating teacher utilizes the breaks for these students with the 504 plans as an incentive/reward. On their breaks, the students can play with manipulatives, read, play on the computers, etc. If 2 students finish the task at hand, they are able to take their break.
My cooperating teacher has a class-wide behavior chart. The students' corresponding numbers are clipped to the side of the chart. They begin at "Ready-to-Learn" and progress up for good behavior (Good and Great) or down for "bad" behavior (Warning and Consequence). The students' names are not clipped to the chart, nor is their regular classroom number because all the students know one another's numbers. Instead, my cooperating teacher randomly assigns the students numbers and shares it with only that student, so they do not feel embarassed if their name is moved. She also does not announce to the whole class she is moving a number if a child is misbehaving or exhibiting good behavior, she does it silently so as to not put anybody on the spot.
I believe the behavior chart is effective if it used consistently, and not solely as a form of punishment and to embarass children.
My cooperating teacher also has a lot of flexible seating in her classroom. She has wobble stools, rockers to sit on the floor, cushions, a standing table, and a lowered table that allows students to sit right on the floor while working on at the table.
I have seen accommodations like this in my cooperating classroom. There are two students that struggle a great deal to remain on task and get their work done. There have been many times throughout the day where the teacher asks the students to come sit at the back round table in order to focus. The last time I was in the classroom, I even observed the student asking the teacher to go back there to focus better. This strategy seems to be working for these two students. Although flexible seating in the form of wobble chairs or chairs of that nature, are not offered in the class, the change of scenery for these students has been working for the time being.
ReplyDeleteAs far as behavior charts go, the classroom I am currently in, there are not many behavior strategies that need to be put in place. Although it is a good thing, it would have been beneficial for me to see how the teacher handles a situation like that.
I have seen many modifications and accommodations given to students who have either an IEP or a 504. It can be difficult for teachers to accommodate each students learning needs, which is why many students with IEPs or 504s have a paraprofessional with them throughout the year. In my 1st grade classroom this year some students were given modified classwork, which mostly consisted of an easier version compared to what the rest of the students were completing. This can be difficult to handle because some students will get upset they are not all doing the same work, or there are some students who have an easier version. As a teacher, you need to know how to deal with differentiated work and lessons for students in order for all students to understand the topic. As for behavioral charts, there was no type of system in place for the first-grade class, the students were just expected to behave and not act out. In my opinion, this did not go well and the students were always talking to one another, without the teacher's permission. In the classroom, the teacher had groups of either 2, 3 or 4 students at each table. The students at each table were one different academic levels so they could help one another.
ReplyDelete