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Phase III Integrated Reflection Courtney Raia

This semester, I have gained a lot of knowledge about the inner workings of

special education and best practices in special education through working in a cross-categorical

classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Various assignments, classes, and

experiences have allowed me to learn about best practices in the learning environment,

instructional delivery, and diversity within the classroom.

While working at Garden Hills, I had the privilege of working with the individual who

had been asked to pilot the TEACCH program for the school district. This was an excellent

opportunity, because I was able to learn about the learning environment that is most effective for

students with autism, and the form of instructional delivery that has proven to be the most

successful for many students in special education as well. I have learned from researching and

implementing the TEACCH program that the learning environment should be incredibly

structured. There should be a designated area for each of the various tasks that one might do in a

classroom, so as to not leave any room for confusion or stress for the students. The concepts

behind working in a classroom that utilizes TEACCH and structured teaching have also shown

me that instructing students using a silent prompting system is oftentimes the most effective

method, especially when working with students with autism. This is very helpful, because I have

been able to learn a mode of teaching that gets the point across that does not overwhelm, because

oftentimes visual input is a lot easier to learn from than verbal instructions for many students.

This past semester, I have had the opportunity to experience practicum in an International

Baccalaureate Magnet school. This school, which embraces its diversity, has taught me a lot

about diverse needs of students within the classroom, and how that diversity impacts their

development, language, and learning within the classroom. I have seen how many different

cultures are brought together in order to learn in one accepting environment. No matter what the

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Phase III Integrated Reflection Courtney Raia

class, disability or not, the teacher needs to consider the backgrounds of the students. This is

highly important because the educational needs of the students depend greatly on where they

come from, what their background is, and their culture. For example, the financial needs of a

student can greatly impact how they do at school, what their values are, and how they learn and

develop within the classroom. Or, if a student speaks a different language at home, there can be

a major impact on their learning at school when they are expected to learn in a language that is

not their own. This impact is magnified when the student has disabilities, which is something I

learned through one of my students this semester. The student was diagnosed with autism and

spoke English as a second language. This played a large factor on his education in the

classroom, because not only was the student academically behind his general education class, but

it was difficult for him to close the gap between himself and his peers because the instruction

was done in a language that is not his first language. The adaptations that needed to be taken in

order to ensure that he could continue to learn demonstrated that the students culture and home

life needed to be considered in order to make the lessons applicable to him.

Through working with a variety of students from multiple different cultures, this past

semester has been an excellent semester in order to learn about the characteristics of learners and

how it impacts their learning, about structured learning environments, and best practices when it

comes to instructional delivery. It is extremely important in special education to have a highly

structured environment , as it limits problem behaviors and facilitates learning amongst all

students. It is also important to consider the learner when planning your instructional delivery,

as the prompting system or method of teaching that you use will have to vary based on the

student, their needs, and their culture in order for it to be effective.