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I observed the classroom teacher and the physical therapist work with the same

student. In the classroom, I observed the teacher lead circle while the two assistants

helped manage behavior. I observed the physical therapist work one on one with a

student in the classroom and walking in the hall and up and down the steps.

The classroom teacher, Mrs. Hale, led circle time for about twenty five minutes.

During this time, students were expected to sit in their seats and keep their hands to

themselves. She used a token economy to help one student to remain in his seat. The

teacher had the four student's names written on a card. She showed each student the four

cards, and the student was expected to identify their name. Then, the students were given

a choice between two books for the teacher to read. She read the book that was most

popular. At the end of circle time, each student had to choose an activity from four

centers in which to participate. Their choices were beans, music, computers or chimes.

I observed the physical therapist work one on one with a student for twenty

minutes. In the classroom, they worked on throwing and catching a tennis ball and

kicking a ball. After they worked on these skills, they worked on walking in the hall and

walking up and down four steps using a handrail in the library. The physical therapist

expected the student to walk independently and she was there to provide support with

walking up and down the steps if needed. The student's reinforcer was a koosh ball.

When the student did not want to walk, she took it away and gave it back when he was

ready to walk.

The settings were similar yet very different. In both settings, the teachers used

positive reinforcement. They used reinforcement through praise and through tangible

reinforcement. In both settings, if the student made an error, the teacher corrected it and

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had the student do the task the correct way. One way the settings were different was the

level of engagement. When the physical therapist worked with the student, the setting

was one on one, so the student was actively engaged for the entire time. In the classroom

setting, the students got distracted when it was not their turn. The physical therapist

expected the student to be engaged the entire time. In the classroom, if the student was

ready to leave the circle, the teacher did not expect the student to stay at the circle.

Overall, I think that both teachers did a great job with their lessons. Both

teachers had high expectations for the students. However, there were a few things I

would have done differently in the circle setting. I believe 25 minutes is a long time for

students with severe disabilities to sit when they are not actively engaged the entire time.

I also think the pacing during the circle time could have moved a little faster to keep the

students engaged. If I could not change the pacing or the amount of time, I could use a

variety of methods to actively engage the students. I could use technology to get the

students more engaged. I could incorporate movement, so the students are not just sitting

at their desk for twenty five minutes. Since many of the students are motivated by music,

I could use music to help engage the students. There are a variety of techniques that

could be used to help the students be more successful.