School Name and City: Argo Community High School, Summit, Illinois
Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or
Other: High school
Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban
1.
List any special features of the school
or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught
with a special education teacher, pull-out program).
The classrooms that I am in are all
special education classes where the majority are students with IEPs. There is a
special education teacher and myself as an aide. There is one class where all
the students have moderate to severe disabilities. In there, aside from the one
special education teacher, there are around 4 aides that help out.
2.
Describe any district, school, or
cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or
delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of
specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.
The classes that I am involved with
have to do with the transition portion of the students’ IEPs. The curriculum covered is mostly vocational skills. There
is job training done and basic working skills since there are some students who
will not be going on to college. The main focus is teaching students the
different types of work and labor, work etiquette, and the knowledge of looking
for and maintaining a job.
3.
For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district
(e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development,
speech therapists).
Although there are not many experts
that I work with, the special education department does have a speech
therapist, their own department social worker, and a transitions department in
the school. A physical therapist and some art/pet therapy specialists are also
contracted throughout the year.
1. Estimated
percentage of students
eligible for free/reduced lunch: 60%
2. Grade
level(s): 9th-12th
3. Number
of
a. students
in the class: 16
b. males:
12
females: 4
c. English
language learners: 5
d. students
identified as gifted and talented: 0
e. students
with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 12
4. Complete
the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for
students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted
and talented as they will affect
instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete
the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as
many rows as you need.
|
Special Education
Category |
Number of Students
|
Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
|
|
Example: Learning Disability
|
Example: 4
|
Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
|
|
Learning disability
|
10
|
Test read-aloud, resource room,
extended time, assignment accommodations
|
|
Emotional disability
|
2
|
Social interaction support,
motivation and reinforcement monitoring, “Take 10” Pass
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the Class You Observed
1. How
much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the
class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or
major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?
With instruction being very-hands-on,
the instruction time is limited to only going over what the students will be
doing that day and then the staff oversees the work done. We help out with any
questions or confusions. This way we can accommodate any student that needs any
extra help.
2. Is
there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects
your class.
The
students in the class are all around the same ability levels. They are all
treated the same with accommodations and services applied equally during the
course. This makes the class seem to go by easier and the students can move at
relatively the same pace.
3.
Identify any textbook or instructional
program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the
title, publisher, and date of publication.
The class, called Contemporary
Employment Skills I, doesn’t have a text book. There is a lot of hands-on work
and real life experience going on. We do go over job applications, making sure
students know how to fill one out and even recording a mock interview with the
student.
4. List
other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction
in this class.
The
class has access to a laptop cart, a SMARTBoard, and we use a wood shop for any
hands-on projects that we plan on doing.
5.
What do you know about what your students know, what can they do,
and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’
everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?
Most of the
students I deal with do not know much about getting a job. They know that what
a job is and why it is needed but they are unsure as to the steps and
procedures to obtaining one. While some of the terminology is advanced for the
younger students, we help them through the vocabulary. There is a wide diversity in the classes I
work in. I can see that there are Hispanic, African-American, Arabic and
European students all meshed into the classroom. While I am not familiar with
every culture, there is a good atmosphere where they all get along.
6.
Describe one teaching event. What best
practices in teaching were used?
A unit that we have started is how to
wash a car. We take faculty cars and the students are then tasked to wash it in
an organized and efficient manner. Jobs are delegated and rotated every day. In
teaching the students about the different types of jobs, the teacher (and
myself) not only verbally explained the job but we also visually demonstrated
it to them. We had a practice car that we washed step by step. The students
took notes on what the job responsibilities were and some even helped out in
the finishing touches. The next step will be for the students themselves, to
wash the car in the proper manner under our supervision.
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