Supervising and Coaching Special Education Teachers

Jimena Rising

EAD 530

July 18, 2023

 When observing a special education classroom, there are many aspects to review during a
pre-conference. During the pre-conference I would want to ensure that I understand what will be
taught and what the teacher’s expectations would be from this lesson. To ensure that I gain this
understanding I would ask the following questions:

1. What are the lesson objectives and standards?

2. Do the students have prior knowledge of the topic being taught?
3. How will you connect this lesson to past learning?
4. What learning strategies are you planning to use for this lesson?
5. How will you differentiate the lesson for students based on the needs of their IEPs or
504s?
6. How will you know if your students have met the objectives?
7. How will you assess the standard?
8. Is there anything that I need to be aware of before observing in your classroom?

Differentiation is key in to learning in classrooms, especially in special education classrooms.

It is important to be able to meet students where they are at academically. In a study involving
observations of special education teachers “The administrators expected to see smaller groups
organized around the students’ instructional levels, varying activities depending on the needs of
the students (e.g., enrichment activities for advanced learners), and alternate assignments or
accommodations to ensure that students could be successful” (Lawson & Knollman 2017, P. 14).
In order to identify the teacher’s plan to differentiate instruction I would ask the teacher to
explain how small groups are structured and what kinds of materials or strategies are used to aid
in differentiation.

When lesson planning, it is important for teachers to think through possible misconceptions
that students may have and areas where scaffolding will be needed. To reflect on these topics
teachers can use student data to see where their current students are at and help them move past
their current struggles. According to the National Policy Board for Educational Administrators
(NPBEA) it is important to, “Use assessment data appropriately and within technical limitations
to monitor student progress and improve instruction” (NPBEA, 2015, P.12). I would ask the
teacher what student data she has looked at that helped her in the planning of differentiation for
her lesson.

“Teachers demonstrate their deep knowledge of content and pedagogy in many ways: both in
planning documents and in the course of a lesson, in which the presentation of content and
responses to student questions and comments are essential to learning” (Danielson, 2016, P. 78).
If teachers are truly thinking about the content and relating it to student’s prior knowledge, they
will show this in their lesson plans. I would ask to see the lesson plan to see what the teacher’s
planning looks like. I would also ask what scaffold will be put in place to help relate past
learning to new learning and future learning.

Special education classes contain students with many different individualized behavior plans
that the teacher has to be able to accommodate in the classroom. I will ask the teacher if she has
students that need individualized behavior plans in the class, and if she has any students that she
needs to redirect more than others. Lastly, I would ask the teacher if there is anything that she
wants me to know about her students or classroom management strategies.
 References:

Lawson, J. E., & Knollman, G. A. (2017). Evaluating Special Education Teachers: School
Administrators’ Perceptions of the Process. Journal of Special Education Leadership,
30(1), 6–18.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for
Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.

Danielson, C. (2016). Talk about teaching!: Leading professional conversations. Corwin.