Classroom Visit 2/17/2022

I was able to visit and observe our severe teacher and her classroom during their reading
block. At Horizon there are 7 students with severe disabilities, two of which are in the severe
classroom 80% of the day. These students have aggressive behaviors multiple times a day,
towards adults and peers. During the reading time there are four students, the two that are already
in the classroom and the other two students are pulled from their general education classroom.
For this time there are two paraprofessionals as well as the severe teacher in the classroom.
Reading instruction varies during this time because of the wide range of academic levels.
Three students work on sight words while the other student works one-on-one with a para on
SPIRE, a phonics program. The teacher used a tracing and found the word worksheet, then read
and colored a book with the sight word. For two of the students they were able to do this activity
almost completely independently, while for one student this activity was challenging. This
student in particular, is nonverbal and academically pretty low, he is still working on letter
identification.
While there are usually not more than four students in this classroom at a time, what
stood out to me the most was the lack of routine and organization. For about an hour a day I am
in this classroom working one-on-one or in small groups, and I have never been given instruction
from the severe teacher on how to work with these students. Work and IEP goals were not shared
with me, the only direction given to me has been from the Mild/Moderate teachers.
Routine is something I focus on in my own teaching, especially with students with severe
disabilities. For these students having a predictable schedule each day helps to decrease
agressions and problem behaviors. Unfortunately, our severe students are not getting that from
their teacher. Focusing and designing lessons that align with IEP goals is key to students with
disabilities success. I have now since then looked through the severe students IEP goals, and
much of what we are working on in the classroom does not align with those goals.
Although my experience observing the severe teacher at Horizon was not the most
positive experience, it was definitely a learning experience. I plan on becoming a severe teacher,
in a self contained classroom, and this has taught me a lot about how I want my classroom to be
run. Having a predictable schedule for students with unpredictable behaviors, helps not only the
students but also the Paraprofessionals. Creating a space that is physically and academically
organized, will help with my own stress as well as preparing and creating lesson plans.
Classroom Visit 2/28/2022
For the morning part of today, I sat in a first grade classroom. This is a general education
classroom that has 28 students, 4 on IEPs, 2 of which have severe disabilities. Right when I
walked into the room I noticed how simple it was. Not too many things on the walls, but also it
felt warm and I immediately saw student work hanging up. The past few weeks I have realized
the complexity of being a first grade teacher, you need to be warm and caring since students are
only 6/7 years old but also be able to challenge them and be strict with classroom management.
The student for the most part responded to the teacher well, they have set sayings so students
know what to do when they hear them.
While I was in this classroom I especially looked at how the teacher included and worked
with our students with disabilities. One of the students in this classroom can get easily frustrated
and will start to scream or cry very loud. Although there is usually a paraprofessional with him, I
was curious how she continued lessons and dealt with the rest of the class while these outbursts
were going on. She has a weighted vest, sensory body sock as well as a table outside her
classroom, to take him so he is still near the classroom. She also continues her instruction and the
rest of class really isn’t phased too much. The students without disabilities in the class are very
welcoming to the two students with severe disabilities. The other student with a severe disability
can become very definante at times and also will sneak off while walking in the halls. A lot of
the other students like to help him, one thing I really liked that the teacher said was “he’s in first
grade he can walk in the hall independently”, she said this when some of the other students were
trying to hold his hand. In multiple aspects of the classroom this teacher teaches these students to
be independent and advocate for themselves.
This particular day they were working on solving math problems using different
strategies. Students would choose two of the eight different strategies given and show their work
of how they solved the problem. They would then be called to the back table in pairs and would
explain to the other student what strategies they used and how they got their answer. The teacher
recorded each student, and used these recordings later on to review the different strategies.
Having students explain their things and strategies, really helps them understand what and why
they are solving these problems.