Kaylee McCall

EDU 472
Final Reflection

Classroom Information:
This semester, I observed in a fifth through eighth grade autistic support classroom at

Hopewell Jr. High School. In this classroom, my cooperating teacher teaches eight students in

the subject areas of language arts and history. Three students are in fifth grade and the other five

students are in seventh grade. Although the students are divided into two groups according to

grade level, they complete the same academic work. Two of the students have a primary

diagnosis of autism with a secondary diagnosis of speech and language impairment. The

remaining six students have a primary diagnosis of autism. Two of the fifth-grade students have

a one-to-one paraprofessional and one of the seventh-grade students has a one-to-one

paraprofessional as well. There is an additional paraprofessional in the classroom to assist the

other students and the classroom teacher as necessary.

Instructional Strategies and Approaches:

Some instructional strategies my cooperating teacher uses in her classroom include a

token economy where students get to earn five minutes of free time after earning all five of their

tokens, a timer for transitions, videos to go along with the national holiday for the day, and visual

prompts for the students with an autism diagnosis. Videos and visual prompts are particularly

effective in the learning process. The videos that are played are related to the national holiday so

that students can visually see a connection between the holiday and their life. Additionally, the

students complete a worksheet where they write the name of the holiday, the date, a sentence
about the holiday, and then they draw a picture about the holiday. For the students with an

autism diagnosis, my cooperating teacher and the paraprofessionals working with the students

have visual prompt cards on a lanyard that they wear around their neck to show the student when

needing to communicate, “quiet voice,” “bathroom,” “break,” “nice words,” “clean up,” and “do

work.” There are also schedules on the desks for the students to follow to aide in transitioning.

The token economy is also a very effective strategy, more so when using it as a response cost

mechanism to decrease a behavior.

Approaches to Differentiated Instruction:

For the two students that are slower writers and need assistance spelling out words, my

cooperating teacher differentiates the process of the lesson or activity by writing down the words

or sentences those students are to write on a white board. She then places the white board in front

of the students for them to copy from. These two students sit next to each other in class, so the

classroom teacher only needs to use one white board to differentiate the process for two students

at one time. My cooperating teacher also differentiates content through using reading material

and comprehension questions that are leveled. For the struggling readers, my cooperating teacher

provides the students with the reading and comprehension questions that contain fewer words

and less complex terms. For the stronger readers, my cooperating teacher prints off a more

challenging copy of the text with questions that require those students to refer to the text. The

leveled texts meet each student where they are at in their reading and comprehension abilities.

Additionally, the product is differentiated when the students are completing the comprehension

worksheets for the chapter reading for the day. Some students cut and glue down the answers to

the questions while other students write the answers in the boxes.
Collaboration between general and special education personnel:
Collaboration is the main support of successful inclusive strategies and practices. The desired

outcome of meeting the needs of all students can be possible through collaboration. Shortly after

I started the internship at Hopewell, an eighth-grade student advocated for himself by telling my

cooperating teacher that he didn’t want to be in her classes anymore as he felt that he needed to

be in the general education classroom setting. My cooperating teacher listened to the students’

request. She communicated and collaborated with the eighth-grade general education teachers to

develop a schedule for the student. Since the student has been following the new schedule, the

general education teachers continue to communicate with my cooperating teacher, who is the

student’s IEP case manager. In addition, I observed collaboration daily between the

paraprofessionals that worked with the students and with the other special education teachers at

Hopewell Jr. High School. The special education teachers and paraprofessionals collaborated

with one another to create a safe learning environment where the students would be taught and

would also receive extra assistance as needed by one of the paraprofessionals or myself. Each of

the students benefit from the teachers and paraprofessionals collaborating because it ensures that

all the adults are on the same page about the expectations and the assignments to be completed.

Furthermore, the collaboration between these adults creates relationships that promotes an easy-

going environment for the students and adults as well.

Interviews:
General Education Teacher:
 1. How do you interact with special education students in your classroom?
I have students in all of my classes for many different reasons. It is normal to have an IEP
student in an academic and/or honors class. I work with my IEP students in the same way as my
non-IEP students. I make sure I’m aware of their SDIs and check-in with them daily to make
sure they are keeping up with their work and not overwhelmed. Because I teach honors, I
sometimes have twice exceptional (2E) students who have IEP and GIEP goals. That can be an
interesting balancing act.
2. How do you keep yourself motivated when your students aren't grasping the
learning goals?
I believe it’s my job as a teacher to stay motivated. Sometimes when lessons don’t work, you
have to go back and find new ways to teach a concept. It’s okay to completely scrap a lesson and
try something else. I will tell the students, “Hey, that didn’t work, so let’s throw this away and
try something new!” I also do not grade things that don’t work because that’s not a real
assessment of learning.
3. How do you avoid feeling discouraged when your students aren’t grasping the
learning goals?
I think it’s important to remember that reaching those learning goals can take time. All students,
whether a part of the special education community or not, learn differently. It’s up to us as their
teachers to differentiate the learning so that they have the best opportunity to succeed.
4. What is the most important thing you’ve learned from working with students?
The most important thing I’ve learned in 17 years of teaching is that everyone deserves grace -
students and teachers. Sometimes things are hard and if we are kind to one another and forgiving,
the relationships created allow more learning to take place than you could ever imagine. Being a
teacher isn’t just about delivering a lesson. It’s about being a confidant, a cheerleader, a coach, a
nurse, a shoulder to cry on, and so much more. By first accepting your students for who they are
and where they are in their learning process, it is possible to create an environment where all
students can be successful in their own individual way.
5. What has been the most rewarding part of being a general education teacher?
I don’t think it matters what type of teacher a person is. Every single day is rewarding when you
work with kids. There’s sometimes a laugh (and sometimes a cry), but there’s always the
relationships within the building that make every day worthwhile. When those students move on
to the next grade, the next building, and eventually graduate, the relationships continue. I am still
in touch with many of the students I’ve taught over the years and seeing them grow into amazing
adults is the greatest reward of all.

Paraprofessional:
 1. How have you felt best involved in the classroom? How have you also been excluded
from the classroom?
That all depends on which classroom I’m in. For instance, when I am in the autistic support or
life skills classrooms, I typically feel that my time is being used, and my help is needed. The
needs in our two classrooms are high enough that there is always something to help with. The
regular education classrooms, however, are hit or miss. It can vary from day to day, classroom
to classroom, and the make-up of the students.
If I am in a regular education classroom, it is typically to follow one of our higher functioning
students and help them, as well as any other students in the room with IEPs. I have had some
students who could handle the work just fine but needed a lot of help with staying on task and
getting organized. Other students have needed more help academically. I often feel more useful
in the younger grades because the kids will ask for help. In general, the younger kids
acknowledge my existence, whereas teenagers look at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language.
The classroom teachers usually make me feel included and needed in the classroom. They will
have me work one-on-one or in small groups to help students or take a group out for testing. I
certainly get bored in classrooms where I am not needed as much. Specials classes can be boring
sometimes when my focus is more on monitoring behavior, and less on helping the student with
different tasks. Rarely have I been in a classroom where I felt excluded or not needed.
2. What has been the most challenging aspect of being a paraprofessional? How has
this challenge helped you become a better paraprofessional?
I think the most challenging part has been becoming familiar with the different aspects of my
student’s diagnoses. Autism especially. I learned about Autism in college, but a book is a poor
substitute for truly understanding ASD. Real time experience is really the only way to get a feel
for what autism is all about. It is too diverse, and sometimes too unpredictable, for a book or a
class about it to really prepare you for it.
What can set them off into a tantrum or meltdown is sometimes tricky to figure out. Something
as simple as not having the right color crayon for a picture they’re drawing can cause them to
just shut down. And no two student's meltdown the same way. The “easiest” meltdowns are
actually the ones that are more verbal and violent because the lines of communication are still
open and you can usually figure out what the problem is, and then offer a solution once they
have come down from the meltdown. The quiet/shutdown meltdowns are tough, it takes a lot
more patience and detective work to figure out what went wrong and how to get them back on
track.
All in all, it certainly has taught me to be flexible and patient. You must be able to assess the
situation in the moment and then come up with a solution. The more familiar you become with
the particular student though, the easier it can become to help them when things go wrong.
3. What is the most important thing you’ve learned from working with students?
I would answer similarly to the last question. Patience and flexibility. You can know all the ins
and outs of teaching, and lesson planning, be an expert in a given topic, and none of that matters
without flexibility or patience. In special education, what you planned for the day may not
connect with your students and you find you must change your approach on the spot. An
assembly or fire drill can deliver unexpected change that is a bigger deal for some special
education kids than for the general population. Meltdowns can break out in a flash before you
even know what triggered it. So being able to adapt to these situations requires a lot of patience
and flexibility. And if you’re lacking in those two qualities, you will develop them on the job.
Again, it’s one of those things you can’t get from a book or in the college classroom. It must be
learned on the job.
4. How has your job changed with COVID?
Other than having to wear masks all day, very little now. Even before the pandemic I often
washed and sanitized my hands because my students don’t always have the best hygiene
practices.
When we were all virtual it made my job much harder. So much of my job is based upon
monitoring behavior, helping with focus or organization. I can’t really do any of that over a
computer screen while they are at home. And it was harder for teachers to prepare lessons and
work in an online format, so the assignments were usually simpler, and I didn’t have much to
help with academically. I was still able to do progress monitoring, but my job was much
diminished. Being back in the classroom, my job is pretty much back to normal.
5. What has been the most rewarding part of being a paraprofessional?
I would say that connecting with the students and showing them you care, and care on more than
just an academic level, about their overall well-being. This makes helping them easier. It makes
them more comfortable asking for help. It makes dealing with meltdown situations easier.
Progress with kids in autistic support and life skills can be slow, so being able to connect with
them can really help and make achieving their goals a much more rewarding experience.

Special Education student:

1. What is your favorite part of the school day?
“Mrs. Burak.” (The student’s Language Arts and History teacher)
2. What do you like to learn about the most?
“Fire alarms.”
3. What is the most difficult part of the school day?
“Reading because I get too tired.”
4. Do you get excited to come to school? Why or why not?
 “Yah, because I’m trying to get some learning done.”
5. Does someone at home help you when you have homework?
“I do it by myself.”

Quality Teaching for All Assessment:

The whole schooling approach is intended for diverse students to learn well together through

eight principles. The first principle is creating a learning space for all students. In the inclusion

setting, the classroom was organized and arranged to stimulate and support active learning

through activity bins, sensory stations and reading materials. Additionally, technology was used

as a tool for exploration, learning opportunities, and for earned breaks as well. The second

principle is empowering students for democracy. This means that the students must be taught

how to take responsibility for themselves and others, to problem solve, and to use power and

authority wisely. I observed that classroom leading the classroom with authority and using

history lessons as an opportunity for the students to have a voice and to share and discuss their

thoughts and ideas on the topic. The third principle is including all students in learning together.

For students to learn well. To be prepared to function in a diverse society, they must be exposed

to people that are different from them. At Hopewell, all students were welcomed, accepted, and

appreciated. All students were involved and included as well. Providing authentic, multi-leveled

instruction is the fourth principle. This principle follows the belief that instruction cannot be

“cookie-cutter” as the students within a classroom function at a range of ability levels. In the

inclusion setting, the material being used was modified to meet the individual learning needs in

the classroom. The last four principles are assessing students to promote learning, building

community, supporting learning, and partnering with families and the community. Every
Monday morning, my cooperating teacher did progress monitoring with each student to assess

how the students were progressing in reading their sight words and sentence strips. Each student

was assessed a little differently based on their different levels of ability. My cooperating teacher

used the data collected from progress monitoring and other assessments to drive her instruction.

Regarding building community, my cooperating teacher displayed many strengths following the

skills and practices that make up this principle. In the autistic support classroom that I was in, I

observed numerous behaviors, but the classroom staff were fully understanding that the

behaviors were the students’ methods of communicating their needs. The classroom teacher and

the paraprofessionals in the classroom were committed every day to caring for and supporting

each of the students in the classroom. The seventh principle is supportive learning, which I saw

much of at Hopewell. The collaborating that took place between general education teachers,

special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and even administration benefited the learning

environment that the students were in. The staff members were supportive of each other and of

the students as well. The final principle is partnering with families and the community, which I

did not see very much of in the inclusion setting. On a few occasions, my cooperating teacher

communicated with a few parents, but for behavioral reasons. I never observed or had a

conversation with my cooperating teacher about her connecting with the community to build an

effective learning environment where diverse students would learn together. From my

observations, my cooperating teacher displayed many strengths in multiple areas within the first

seven principles of the whole schooling approach.

Final Reflection:
 The largest group of diverse learners is students with disabilities. This statement altered a

connection in my brain and helped me better comprehend all that was discussed and introduced

this semester. Being introduced to the three instructional strategies: concrete, representational,

and abstract influenced my instruction and strategy implementation this semester. The

knowledge I gained supported the strategies I implemented and helped me better understand the

effectiveness of pull out and push in learning environments. Specifically, when I was developing

ideas for my strategies, I referred to Bloom’s Taxonomy and tried to implement more creating,

evaluating, and analyzing and less remembering. In planning my strategies, it was also helpful

that at the beginning of the semester we discussed the two types of strategies and how strategies

are tools to be used for accomplishing a task.

A piece of knowledge that I took away from class discussions is the world of UDL, or the

Universal Design for Learning. Prior to this semester, I don’t recall ever discussing UDL which I

believe to be a significant reason behind why I learned so much from the UDL discussion. The

Universal Design for Learning uses flexible curriculum materials and activities that offer

alternatives to students with widely varying abilities and backgrounds. Additionally, UDL is

focused on the process of teaching and learning through seven principles, which have proven to

increase academic progress, motivation, literacy scores, and overall performance by students in

the classroom. There are three essential qualities for UDL which are multiple means of

representation, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of expression. The UDL

assumes that there is no one method of presentation or expression that provides equal access for

all learners and follows the idea that instruction needs to be flexible, equitable, and accessible for

all students. All in all, the Universal Design for Learning helps to meet the individual needs of

each students learning styles.

 This semester we also touched on the three networks of the brain which are the

recognition network, the strategic network, and the affective network. The recognition network is

the “what” of learning and information is gathered through the senses. The strategic network is

the “how” of learning. Here, information is organized and cross-referenced. The affective

network is the “why” of learning and it drives the emotional/social side of learning, which can

move learning into the long-term memory. Understanding these different networks and how they

are related to learning will benefit the teacher when trying to assist struggling students and when

trying to find ways to meet the individual learning needs. For instance, the four ways to assist

struggling readers are to either modify the reading requirement, modify the reading level, adapt

the format, or adapt the presentation of the information. In addition to discussing how to assist

struggling readers, we discussed how in math, teachers should continually link skill instruction to

the big ideas and integrate children’s literature into math problem-solving lessons as there is

often an underlying theme that will blend well with complex mathematics thinking and

reasoning. Furthermore, integrating the core principles of instruction such as establishing

common goals, having clear communication, encouraging participation and respect amongst

other principles are also ways to assist struggling students.

A personal goal I had for myself at the start of the semester was to grow in my faith and

trust that God has me right where he wants me. Through growing in my faith, I believed I would

gain confidence in my ability to be an effective educator and mentor to the students at each

placement. I do believe that each of these goals were met as God has continued to work in my

heart and through those around me to remind me that he is going to use me for His kingdom

through special education. The evaluations I received and interactions I had throughout the

semester were reassuring that I am prepared and capable of being an effective special education
teacher. Looking ahead at the student teaching experience, a goal that has been weighing on my

heart is to start out student teaching in both placements firm and fair with the students. Once they

have developed a respect for me, then I can befriend them. Gaining the students’ respect will

help me develop a well-managed classroom where the students are more likely to learn, which is

what I am there for, to help the students learn. Another goal that I have is to questions that will

generate new questions and foster lifelong learning. Being an effective educator goes beyond the

curriculum and the state requirements. Through making outside connections and through

fostering growth and creativity, the students are going to be more willing and excited to learn.