How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom

This week I was able to learn about how to differentiate instruction in the classroom to meet the different needs of the students. This lesson made me really appreciate all of the hard work that teachers, especially special education teachers, do to make sure that all of the students in their class are learning the lesson content.

Here are some suggestions that I found to be very helpful that I am going to apply to my future classroom:

• introduce new content and/or skills at a slow rate
• model the assignments so the students know what is expected of them
• provide lots of opportunities for practice and review
• create simple study guides, concept maps and diagrams
• use cue words and definitions or help with memory and retention
• give instructions orally and have them also written down for easy access

I believe that by implementing these suggestions I will be able to help each one of my students to succeed in the classroom and throughout the rest of their lives.

Looking Past the Phyiscal Disabilities

This week my eyes have been opened to many new and insightful things. It has been a crazy week with a lot going on but I have managed to get everything done that I need to get done.

The first eye opener is that I realized that the students in my future classroom might not have physical or identifying disabilities. I don't know why I never realized this before this week, but somehow it happened. When I think of my future classroom as a Special Education teacher, I think of students in wheelchairs, students who have limited use of their limbs, or students who are unable to talk and/or communicate. My view changed because I was able to learn that not all students who have a disability are in wheelchairs, many times their disability is not seen. What a mind blowing week this has been for me!

The second eye opener that I experienced this week is that I got the opportunity to spend a few hours in a wheelchair. I had certain tasks that I had to complete while in the wheelchair. It was very difficult. I could not go upstairs, I could not reach anything on the top shelf, and it was very difficult to maneuver the wheelchair out of tight corners. I gained new insights into what the world looks like from a wheelchair and a greater appreciation for my brother Jacob, who is in a wheelchair. His life is hard because of all of the things that he cannot do, due to being in a wheelchair. I was truly humbled by this assignment and am grateful for all of the things that my body can do.

Inclusive Classroom: What it Takes

This week I was able to learn about the INCLUDE strategy and how to implement it in the classroom. As I was reading I thought that this topic went really well with how to turn your classroom into an inclusive classroom. Here are the steps:

• Establish a sense of community in the classroom
• The classroom structure is well organized
• There are values taught in the classroom
• Each student is fairly evaluated in their school performance
• The rules of the classroom make sense to each student. 

The INCLUDE strategy can be described as: a strategy to help differentiate instruction for students with special needs in the general education classroom. By using this strategy, teachers are able to make sure that all of their students are learning and expanding their knowledge in their classroom. I believe that if teachers will create an inclusive classroom than the INCLUDE strategy will just naturally follow. 

For more details and information regarding the INCLUDE strategy see the graphic below.