Mara Thompson
December 3, 2017
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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors
differently. The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the
barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils,
Knowledge The teacher understands and can provide adaptations for areas of exceptionality in
learning, including learning disabilities, visual and perceptual difficulties, and special physical or
mental challenges.
Dispositions The teacher appreciates and values human diversity, shows respect for students’
varied talents and perspectives, and is committed to the pursuit of individually configured
excellence.
Performances The teacher makes appropriate provisions (in terms of time and circumstances
for work, tasks assigned, and communication and response modes) for individual students who
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Selected Wisconsin Teacher Standard Descriptors
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a
learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning,
and self-motivation.
Knowledge The teacher knows how to help people work productively and cooperatively with
Dispositions The teacher values the role of students in promoting each other’s learning and
students assume responsibility for themselves and one another, participate in decision-making,
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Danielson Framework for Teaching
The Classroom Environment: Effective teachers organize their classrooms so that students
can learn. They maximize instructional time and foster interactions with and among students,
ensuring that students find the classroom a safe place to take intellectual risks. Students themselves
make a substantive contribution to the effective functioning of the class by assisting with classroom
procedures, ensuring effective use of physical space, and supporting the learning of classmates.
Students and teachers work in ways that demonstrate their belief that hard work will result in
higher levels of learning. Student behavior is consistently, appropriate, and the teacher’s handling
Element Teacher interactions with students, including both words and actions: A teacher’s
interactions with students set the tone for the classroom. Through their interactions, teachers
convey that they are interested in and care about their students.
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Pre-Assessment
I teach first grade at St. Joseph Catholic School in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It is a small rural
city that is home to Devil’s Lake State Park, a large section of the Ice Age State Scenic Trail, and
of course Circus World Museum. St. Joseph school and Early Childhood Center take children six
weeks through four years old in the daycare, and offers four year old kindergarten through eighth
grade classrooms in the elementary and middle school. St. Joseph is a private school in the Diocese
Baraboo is a city of about 12,000 people. It is a mostly white community, with just three
percent of the people speaking Spanish. Many of the citizens work within the community or in the
neighboring city of Lake Delton, or the Wisconsin Dells area in tourism. Tourism is a big industry
in Baraboo because Wisconsin Dells is so close, as well as the camping and recreation spots
available all year long around Baraboo. A lot of the tourism happens in the summer months so the
median income is not strong in Baraboo, as it is below average for the state of Wisconsin.
I have 28 students in my first grade classroom. Students are six and seven years old. Of
those 28 students, 11 of them are boys and 17 of them are girls. In first grade we cover all the
general education subjects including math, reading, spelling, writing, science, social studies, and
since we are a Catholic school we also provide a religion class to all students.
In my class, my student’s primary language is English. There is one student who has a
parent who speaks Spanish at home, two students that have one parent that speaks Polish at home,
and one student whose parents speak Polish and Greek at home. I am not sure whether the parents
are pursuing language classes for their children in their home language or not, but I do not have
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any students that are English Language Learners (ELL) or needing any second language English
classes.
This year, I have five students who have tuition assistance. I have one student who is
African-American and adopted by Caucasian parents. This is a class of students who are very
comfortable together and not afraid to speak their minds and tell each other what to do. This class
is very chatty and loves to be social with one another. Twenty students have been in the same class
since 4k because there is only one class section per grade. Four students joined the class last year in
Kindergarten, and I have three students who are new this year. Every year I have a very varied
ability range of students. I have a handful of students who come in not reading or writing, and
many that do not recognize all the numbers from 1-100. This year is no different. I have one
student who is still working on the letters in his name, but I also have a student who is reading at
almost a third grade level. I also have students whose math skills are very low, as well as students
who are able to do our math quickly with little help and are ready to move on.
I have one student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in my class this year. He is
currently in speech and is able to speak relatively clearly, much improved from when he first
started at our school at the beginning of four year old Kindergarten. He is still academically low,
working on learning a few sight words at a time and small word families like the -at family. He had
a service plan, which is the parochial school’s version of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), from
when he was in 4k, but it has not been updated for first grade yet, even after my pushing and asking
numerous times. I have not had any other students identified as needing a service plan at this time,
but I do have nine students who are in our “Title I” reading program. Title I classes are with the
reading specialist from the Baraboo School District and our reading specialist here at St. Joseph.
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My class is a mix of some very strong personalities, as well as some very quiet, timid
students, although there are many more of the loud, boisterous students who like to do a lot of
talking all the time. In our school, we do not have a gifted student program, so students are not
labeled as gifted very often. I do have a student who is reading about one and a half grades above
where she should be but she does not get pulled out or go to another class, I just continue to
challenge her and individualize my instruction for her. My students are generally kind, polite
students, except for their constant talking. During any transition or even the tiniest pause in
teaching they immediately begin talking again. We have practiced and begun to get better at getting
My class schedule is created mostly by me. My principal makes up the specials schedules,
which includes art, music, physical education, and technology. Once she plugs those times into the
schedule, I am able to create the academic schedule around those times. We have a 75 minute math
block where we do math centers. I also created a 70-90 minute reading block where students do
I have a Smart Board attached to my computer. There are six iPads for the students to use,
and I can check out other iPads from the library when needed. My students sit at individual desks
and use chairs when at their desks. We often sit together on the carpet for many of our activities.
When they are able to go do an activity, I choose three students to use the beanbags, and the others
get to choose anywhere in the classroom to sit. I have a “kidney bean” shaped table that I use for
small group instruction, and a teacher desk. There are three book shelves of picture books that the
students choose books from and put into their book boxes. As much as I am able to, I try to lay
materials out to help students become successful and independent in the classroom. Resources are
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stored where students know where they are and where they have easy access. Directions are given
My school is part of a larger Catholic parish. Parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church are
a large part of our funding and they indirectly determine how we spend our money at our school.
This year they have fully funded the school to get new computers for teachers. They generally want
what is best for us, and want us to have the latest technology to help our students thrive.
We do have students that travel from the Wisconsin Dells area, with many of those families
not a part of the St. Joseph Parish. These families are regularly involved with the school, and often
donate their time and money to promote the best possible education for the students. Baraboo
public schools and private schools are often compared and contrasted, especially as the students get
older and when they go into high school. This may create a little conflict for some parents, but
often motivates teachers and students to do their best, and set high standards at our school.
One thing we do not have at our school is a Special Education program of any sort. We do
receive Title I funding, so we are able to provide some extra reading help. The public schools
provide us with a speech therapist and reading specialist. Beyond that, we are not able to
accommodate all exceptional learning conditions and for the ones we do, families need to
understand we can’t provide all of the same programs for students with exceptional learning
conditions. This means that many families with students who may need more intervention or more
intense therapies than we can provide often opt to go to the public schools.
In my classroom, even though I have 28 students, I look to make each student feel loved
and valued. I want each of them to know they are special and a part of our classroom community. I
hold the students to a high standard and try to guide them to be independent and self-motivated. As
this is my third year teaching first grade at St. Joseph, I have had three very different classes. In
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each class, I get to know the students and find what works for them as far as discipline. I do not
like to do clip charts or red, yellow, green lights with the students, as I think it calls the same
student out too often. This year however, I am trying “Class Dojo”, which is an online point
system, and it seems to work with this group. I have found that trial and error at the beginning of
the year is generally what happens until I find the right thing that works with this group of students.
I want the students to enter my room and feel at home and comfortable. I want it to be set up so the
students know where things are and where to put things, so they can be independent and successful
without having to come to me for everything. I want the seating arrangement to keep students close
to be able to talk, but also in a way that keeps the students attention focused and engaged in the
lesson.
I truly love my job and enjoy watching young learners grow and blossom into readers,
scientists, mathematicians and kind community helpers. I love how I create an environment that
builds rapport and relationships with between myself and the students and between the students. I
begin each year getting to know the student’s likes and dislikes, their best learning style, what
some of their favorites are and learning how to best teach each child. I create lessons, and activities
that suit individual needs as well as whole class needs. When I am met with a challenging student
that has exceptional needs that I may be unfamiliar with or have a hard time, I don’t abandon them.
I reach out for help or find out more about how to help these individuals. I research and learn as
much as I can, so I can give them the knowledge and ability to grow as well. This year I have an
autistic student in my class that has made me do a lot of this and I have learned and grown as an
educator so much.
One thing I know I need to work on is establishing a better culture for learning. The
subjects I know and can do well, like reading and math, makes it easy for me to show my passion
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for those subjects and help them build their passion for them as well. When it is a subject that I’m
not as familiar with or I have a new curriculum like in science this year, I may not be as passionate
about it and I need to be. I need to read through and get myself more organized so that when it is
time for science, I am able to get the students fired up about it and ready to learn.
The exceptional learning condition I want to learn more about is the Autism Spectrum
Disorder. I want to learn and understand more about my student who has Autism. I also want to be
able to help other students throughout my school that have been shown to be on the Autism
Spectrum.
While thinking about my own classroom and how I can get students fired up for my
lessons, I also thought about how I can keep Autistic students interested and on task during my
lessons. So I wanted to know what self-regulating strategies can I use to help autistic students
Synthesis of Research
I have chosen to research Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as I currently have a student
who has been diagnosed with ASD. At my school we do not have a Special Education department
or many resources to help me learn more about this disorder. I would like to learn strategies to
improve the education of a student with ASD. I feel that if I can have a better understanding and
more strategies I can help my current student, and any future students who may come to my
classroom with ASD. Before having this student in my class this year, I had not worked closely
with a student with ASD. My student this year has a very supportive family, works well with St.
Joseph School staff, and receives therapy from outside the school.
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I would like to learn the best strategies to help students with ASD to self-regulate when
they are over stimulated, and what can help them focus on tasks so they can complete them
independently. These are important skills many students in the first grade still work on fully
grasping, but students with ASD can usually use more help in these areas. I would like to have
different strategies because one may not work at all, or may stop working even though it may have
worked before.
I feel as though this year I have already learned a lot about my student and about the
Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have taken the time to look at many different resources and continued
to stay in contact with his family, his therapists, and our reading specialist. We continue to work
together to do what is best for my student and I hope to continue this through the whole year. I feel
as though I have done well staying in constant communication with his family, and making them
aware of what we are working on at school. I have modified lessons and given him work at his
level. We work in small chunks of time and take breaks often. One thing I would like to continue to
work on is helping my student becoming more independent and self-regulate when he gets off task.
Currently if he gets distracted he is unable to get back to working on the task without one-on-one
teacher support. I would like to help him learn to do this on his own.
it (a) “involves the brain and nervous systems” and (b) “emerges during childhood and alters the
course of a child’s development” (Boroson, 2016, p. 233). There currently is not a medical test that
doctors can do to test children for Autism. It is often diagnosed through a series of observations,
and questionnaires as the child is developing. “Often parents are the first to notice that their child is
showing unusual behaviors such as failing to make eye contact, not responding to his or her name
or playing with toys in unusual, repetitive ways… From birth to at least 36 months of age, every
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child should be screened for developmental milestones during routine well visits” (Autism Speaks,
2012, para. 2 & 5). Autism is often diagnosed between 24 and 36 month screenings, especially if
the parents are raising their own concerns. Sometimes however, it is not diagnosed until later in a
child’s education that often explains why they may be having difficulty in school.
After this broad, general definition, ASD takes children in a variety of directions when
exhibiting symptoms. With the current symptoms and definitions, Boroson (2016) explains of the
Today, far more children are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder than
at any time in history. As recently as 2002, ASD was estimated to affect one out of
every 150 children; however, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), by 2010 that number had escalated to an astonishing one in 68. That means
that prevalence for ASD diagnosis more than doubled in just eight years (as cited by
With this shocking number of children being diagnosed, it is critical that teachers are better
prepared and able to help students who have ASD. One of the hardest parts of having students with
ASD is that there are as many different symptoms and how it manifests itself in the classroom as
there are students with ASD. While there are general symptoms and idiosyncrasies to look for
when diagnosing a student with ASD, no two students will exhibit the exact same behaviors and
even in a day or two, what works with a student one day, will not work for them the next.
To be diagnosed with ASD students must meet the following criteria put together by
Boroson in 2016:
1. “All individuals must have or have had persistent deficits in social communication and
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2. All individuals must have or have had restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or
activities…
3. Symptoms must be present in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until
Once there is a diagnosis of ASD, and students are placed in a level one, two, or three, where they
need some support, to where they need a high amount of support, the evaluations are reviewed and
a plan is put in place for the student. The students can be put on a 504 Plan, a less invasive plan, or
an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Accommodations, modifications, and strategies are laid
out to begin working with a student with ASD. The strategies within these plans are the basis for
One approach for ASD students is using the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This is
where you identify desired behaviors and teach them to the students. These positive behaviors are
then reinforced and the negative behaviors are not reinforced. Callahan and Rademacher (1999)
wanted to use this ABA style and see what works best for one student with ASD. They observed
the student, and decided on a negative behavior they wanted to change. Once they identified the
behavior, they created a poster with the correct behavior they wanted to see. It included what it
means and the positive behaviors the teacher desired. The poster started out larger and continued to
get smaller as the students became more self-aware. Once the student knew the correct behavior the
teacher, and eventually the student, could listen for a cue to circle a happy or a sad face to indicate
whether the student was doing the positive behavior or not. They created a goal for the student to
get a desired number of happy faces during a certain amount of time. The student would then be
reinforced with points to use at a different time. This strategy not only helped move the student
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from a poor behavior to a more positive behavior, it also moved the student from relying on the
teachers to circle his smiley face chart, to relying on himself to circle the correct one and earn
Another strategy that can help students become more independent and self-regulate and stay
on task, is creating a schedule for the student. Boroson (2016) explains that many students on the
spectrum are visual learners and work best when presented with a visual schedule. They also are
creatures of habit. They like to have things go the exact same every day. If they are able to see their
daily schedule, this can give them the sense of security they need to go about the day. When they
know what is coming up next, this can also ease anxiety and help students transition from one
There are different types of schedules that work for different students. Some, often younger
students may need a concrete schedule they can see and touch. (Boroson, 2016). For example, you
could use everyday items like a pencil for writing time, or a small ball for recess time. Another
type could be one with photographs of the child doing the activities. When it is gym time, have a
picture of the child in the gym, or at lunch time have a picture of the child eating lunch. There are
also representative drawings with words schedules. This shows pictures of what is happening, but
the pictures may be drawn, or found online that are not real (see artifact 1). If something
unexpected happens, this can sometimes throw a student with ASD off in a big way. It is a good
idea to write the next day's schedule down, and change out your student's personal schedule so if
you unexpectedly call in absent the next day, the schedule is set and can easily be followed. It is
also important to let students know before as much as possible to give them time to prepare for the
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Another strategy to help students with Autism Spectrum Disorder is to help them self-
Brigham-Young University, explain, ‘It’s the job of the frontal cortex to put the
brakes on anxiety. It tells us, ‘Hey, that’s just a garden hose and not a snake coiled
in the grass.’ What we’re seeing suggests that many people with autism can’t easily
safe or not-our natural default is for fear. That’s just instinct to help keep us alive’”
Many students with ASD, especially those in level two and three support, need help
to understand their feelings, why they are feeling them and how to get them back to a calm
feeling. “When self-regulation skills do not come naturally and are impeding a student’s
ability to function in the home, school and community, it becomes necessary for them to be
The Zones of Regulations is a curriculum that can be implemented not just for your
students with ASD, but for all the students in your class, especially those in the early elementary
grades. The Zones of Regulations is a program that is set up with four zones (see artifact 2) and is
● The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense
● The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated
emotions, however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may
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be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or
● The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as
happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where
● The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when
one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored. (Kuypers, A framework to foster self-regulation and
In using these zones and the curriculum, you can teach students to understand what is triggering an
emotion and tools and ideas to do when you know they are coming to get back to the green zone.
mainstream classroom, there is a good chance that you will get a student with ASD at some point
in your teaching career, probably sooner than later. It is good to have many tools and strategies up
your sleeve to help your student to learn and thrive in your classroom. I have given just three
strategies to do with students to help them self-regulate their bodies and emotions to help them
become more independent learners. There are many more out there and we can always continue
Using the research that I found, I will be able to give my autistic students ways to self-
regulate themselves and ways to keep themselves on task or get back on task during a lesson. If my
students are able to keep themselves on task for longer periods of time, I am able to keep my mind
on the lesson at hand and to keep it going smoothly. I am a go-with-the-flow kind of teacher
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anyways, but often when there are numerous distractions and interruptions, it can be hard to keep a
lesson flowing smoothly. I feel that if my students have the tools and strategies they need to stay on
task, that it can reduce the number of pauses in the lessons throughout the day.
I will use the strategy of teaching a behavior I want to see more often and with more
purpose. Sometimes I can get so caught up in teaching rules and routines; that I forget to slow
down and really teach the behavior I want to see. This can be for all my students and will force me
to slow things down a little and help each student understand exactly what behavior I expect from
them. I would expect that sometimes, it may take a student with ASD to learn a new behavior a
little slower than other students, and may need more positive reinforcements, but I also need to
The research that I found for my essential question gave me helpful resources and strategies
to use to help students with ASD self-regulate their bodies and emotions so they can be successful
I will:
1) Create and implement a personal schedule for my student to keep at his desk. He
2) Give my student a visual to help him see and know what his emotional “zone” is so
he can understand what he needs to do to get back to the green zone so he can
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3) Give my students opportunities to move and take a break to keep him motivated and
on task. Artifact C.
Anticipated Implementation
After researching ASD I was able to come up with a schedule system that gives my
student a picture and word format for each day’s schedule. I was then able to laminate them
and put a piece of Velcro on the back. Each day my student and I go over the schedule and
put the pieces in order. Once each activity is done he can close the activity and it says done
on it. This gives him the understanding of what is coming next, and what he still needs to get
done. While he is doing activities, I will have taught him the desired behavior I want to see
from him during each activity, and if he needs to take a break before I call for a break, he
will let me know and he can choose one from the list provided.
upset about something, it can take some time getting him back to a place where he will be
can focus and do the activity at all. I will show him and give him a visual to keep at his desk
that he can look at to know how he is feeling. We will go through the feelings often and I
will let him know how he can take quick breaks (Artifact C) on his own to help him get his
Anticipated Outcomes
My anticipated outcome would be that my student with ASD is able to become more
independent when it comes to getting and staying on task. I would expect my student to have
behaviors. If my ASD student is able to get and stay on task, it would then give me the
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ability to stay focused on my lessons and keep my lessons running smoothly throughout the
day.
Post-assessment: Reflection
I can relate what I learned about creating a classroom that has space for students to get
some alone or quiet time, to ASD students who may also need a space of their own that will give
them the feelings of calming and safety. If students have that safe, quiet space to retreat to when
they need it, it can lower their anxiety and help them use the “zones” to get back to a calmer,
happier “zone.”
1. Using a personalized schedule with pictures and words has worked for my student. He
keeps track of where we are in our day. He closes each activity when we are done with them and
can tell me what he is expecting to do next. He then knows that he needs to do math before he gets
to go out for recess. His anxiety seems to even have gone down as well.
2.
What Did Not Work (or anticipate what will not work) and Why
1. Making a quiet space for all the students, including my student with ASD did not work
for my room. Even after practicing and modeling, too many students were trying to use it and it
became a place of anger and loudness. Also my student with ASD thought it was just his space and
got mad when someone else would try to go there. So it will be something I will try to do again
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2. Teaching specific behaviors and rewarding the positive ones has been a struggle. Since
we didn’t start out the year like that, he is not expecting the rigidness of this. I’m still hoping we
can do it. I am trying it on one very small task first, and we are making very small, sometimes
My Next Steps
1. As this student moves from grade to grade, the information that I have researched will be
good to pass along to his next teachers. I will also continue to confer with the reading specialist, as
we are both working with this student and we are both researching ways to help in thrive in the
classroom.
2. I would like to stay up-to-date on the changes in research for Autism Spectrum
Disorder. So much new research is being done on the disorder and brain development that I can not
just walk away thinking I know it all. I will continue to search out new books, articles, and
websites that can help me learn new and relevant information on ASD.
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References
Boroson, B. (2016). Autism spectrum disorder in the inclusive classroom (2nd ed.). New York: Scholastic
Inc.
Callahan, K., & Rademacher, J. A. (1999). Using Self-Management Strategies to increase the On-Task
How Is Autism Diagnosed? (2012, July 24). Retrieved November 18, 2017 from
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis.
about-the-zones.html.
Examples of Artifacts
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Artifact A
ASD. It has a picture, and the words of the activity he is on. When we are
done with one part of the day, he can close it and it says “done” on it.
Artifact B
Artifact C
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