Special Education Observation

My observation is in a diverse title I class which allowed for me to experience and gain knowledge not only on ELL students but as well as special education. My interview consisted of a preschool and second grade classroom which help me understand the different milestones and differentiated instruction. When having a language barrier teachers need to not only know their students but check that the student is understanding the lesson. Instead of just asking questions that can make the student feel uncomfortable or different is by planning ahead and having activities where all students participate and answer (Herrell, 2015). When having everyone answer it helps students who don’t like to participate to feel comfortable when it’s their turn to

answer. Monitoring and visual contact is crucial because the teacher can tell when they are struggling and are lost in the lesson. The indicators for language barriers in order for students to be assessed is having evidence that they are not making any progress, attended U.S school for a year, parents are contacted, and bilingual staff support the position that the student is not performing like other peers (Robertson, 2015). Response to intervention (RTI) which is an early identification of at- risk learners and qualify for appropriate services that occurs after teacher observed the student and believe the student needs either accommodation, modification, interventions. Formal assessments are like standardize testing which are great to see where they stand but does not reflect true content knowledge or abilities like informal assessment. The informal assessment can be portfolios or performance- based which helps understand student’s strength and the area they need help on (Robertson, 2015).
Underachievement factors that don’t signal special needs we believed were behavioral or lack of motivation from students.

As I was speaking with my practicum teacher we discussed more in depth how gifted children can be underachievers if they are not challenged but can go the same way with typical students who are pressured or overwhelmed. Also, how underachievement can be factored by their home living depending if they are in a negative environment. Mrs. Thomas and I believed that students learn best when they feel safe, have a goodnight sleep, and food on their plate. These essentials are crucial in order for students be underachievers. Motivations comes from parents and teachers because they set up the environment for learning so if there is enthusiasm then students will receive that vibe as well in the

classroom.
Proficiency level for ELL students is accounted to gain knowledge of the new language and be able to master academic skills. The different levels is to show where the student stands and the goals they need to meet by the end of the year. There are five levels that gives description of what the student is capable of doing and learning. This helps students to be proficient in the language and as Mrs. Thomas stated learning a new language takes time and practice. She also helped to understand that all her students are English language learners because they are all learning the English but at their own pace.
Diagnostic is a pre- assessment, formative is in- between a lesson, and summative assessments is at the end of unit to check understanding.

These assessments are integrated for ELLs to assess prior knowledge, what they comprehend during the lesson, and summative helps teacher to see what they need to review. Mrs. Thomas assessments for ELL students is more on the authentic side because she tries to align with proficiency levels. The SIOP benefits for native speakers and English as an additional language is being able to connect language with instruction through a lesson plan with eight components (Sheltered, 2015). I learned that this is very helpful to be organized and delivery high quality instruction which helps all students even

ELL.
In conclusion, my interview went very well and was very informative helped me realize that teaching isn’t easy but can be very rewarding because we are building their strengths and improving their struggles through many recourses that offer strategies for ELL and special needs students. Even though not all my question were able to be answered I still got a better understanding of how to guide students through difficulties. Also, my personal experience that I shared with Mrs. Thomas helped her to see what worked for me and what didn’t. In addition, how I experienced negative feedback from my teachers which impacted by learning and other teacher who made me love learning and inspired me to be a teacher.