worksheet and have a realized the tape stop. I Assessment for Student
student explain the wanted to show that they Learning. Upper Saddle River,
assignment.
understood the curriculum New Jersey: Pearson
and did very well on the
assessment. That is why I
interviewed the student at
the end of class.
Describe
This lesson on social skills was a collaboration between a general education
teacher and I. My hook for this assignment was the kid president thankful video.
Next, hey were able to interview each other to get some ideas about what their
peers are thankful for. In addition to showing them a video representation and
having them articulate what being thankful means. I also, wanted to incorporate the
PENS writing strategies I taught the students (Schumaker & Sheldon, 1998). Finally,
I found a worksheet that catered to my age group providing visual examples of what
they could be grateful for. This worksheet also included a writing component that
allowed me to assess the strategies they have acquired. This lesson provided time
for centers which allowed me to work with some students for additional time and
gave others the independence to explore social skills on their own.
Synthesize
This week I focused on differentiated assessments built into the assignment. The
students had a choice of completing various sentences based on their level of
understanding (Deng & Harris 2008). Incorporating social skills into the writing
prompt created a vessel for engagement, providing the students with choices also
heightened the completion rate.
I enjoy adding the social skill component to my curriculum and collaborating with
my peers improved center based learning in both of our classes. However, this
notion of incorporating social skills into the technology program was frowned upon
with administration, they are accepting the fact that I do it now because of my class.
Unfortunately, they do not think I should incorporate it into the STEM program.
Take away
Reflecting back on this past week, has been bitter sweet. Collaborating with my
colleagues, teaching social skills that benefit the students and expanding my
technical repertoire has been the highlight of my teaching career. This week has
also forced me to reflect on how I want to teach in the future, being able to combine
my special education and technology knowledge makes me feel like I have
superpowers for creating engaging and differentiated curriculum that can teach all
Hall_ C_Journal Assignment M7_Reflection
learners. However, the reality is becoming clear that I may have to choose
technology or special education at my current district.