maria pairitz's
community of teachers portfolio
vii. diverse learners
evidence
As an educator, I will come in contact with a wide range of abilities and needs varying every class, every day. It is critical that I am capable of working effectively with students of diverse abilities and/or special needs through personalization of learning programs. In doing so, it is equally important that I consider my students’ interests and strengths as well as obstacles and challenges in developing ways of learning. In addition to working with students enrolled in my courses with disabilities and/or special needs, I want to actively create relationships with special education staff to provide opportunities for non-inclusive students to participate in activities with my classes with the goal of integrating and expanding the experiences of both sets of students. Through experiences during high school, at my current mentorship, and coursework, I have been able to value the strengths and abilities each student brings to the classroom and demonstrate my ability to identify and meet the needs of diverse learners.
The evidence I have collected include journal entries from my mentorship, photos of student work, videos of myself assisting students in projects, a document containing personalized project ideas for one student, an NAEA Webinar on Special Education In the Art Room, artifacts from EdTPA, comments from my supervising teacher during a structured observation, student work samples, IEP Meeting experiences, and a video of a functional skills dance routine performed during a Christmas party in 2013.
Reflecting on these pieces of evidence, I place heavy emphasis on inclusion inside and outside of the classroom. I believe that inclusion is beneficial for all entities involved as it builds self-confidence, relationships between students and among teachers, and affirms each student contributes to our school community. These experiences have also allowed me the opportunity to work on developing personalized projects for diverse learners. The benefits of being engaged with and recognizing students’ interests and strengths when creating a project for them is immediately reflected in their work ethic, mood, and finished product. They tend to be more focused and engaged with the project at hand, have lesser occurrences of behaviors, and produce high quality artifacts that show the enthusiasm and time put into it.
I can use my observations and personal experiences with diverse learners to inform future interactions and reach solutions to issues like modifying technology quicker (i.e., using the tennis ball as a modification for pencils for students who have trouble with their grip). These experiences have also provided me with inspiration for strategies I plan to implement in my own teaching to engage inclusive and non-inclusive diverse learners inside and outside the classroom. I can use ideas from the webinar I attended when structuring my own classroom to make sure it is accessible and conducive for learning for students with special needs.
Overall, I have substantial experience in the classroom demonstrating I am comfortable and capable of working effectively with diverse learners. I believe in all the projects I have helped diverse learners work on have provided me with the insight and skills necessary to run a classroom with varying skill levels. I believe the current evidence provided qualifies as Ready to Teach.
I have included a lot of evidence in working with one particular student with special needs who I refer to as S. I have taken it upon myself to work with S. during my mentorship as she is not technically enrolled in an art class but enjoys coming to spend one period a day making art. I continued to work with S. during my student teaching as well. S. is incredibly enthusiastic and has a great sense of humor. She loves playing jokes on Ms.O whenever she can. She is on the basketball team and loves all sports in general. S. is working on developing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. The link above is a list of suggested projects for S. to continue to challenge her while still being accessible. I took her interests and past projects that have been successful (I define successful as her being able to complete the project with minimal help or assistance from others) and created three personalized project ideas for her. I have included modifications for making the project easier or harder and modifications for the tools she will need to use to complete each project.
Spirit Pods
One of my projects with my Intro to 3D class were Spirit Pods. This project is an example of how I structure my lessons based on Universal Design for Learning. I begin with an open concept that allows students to respond to the prompt in a variety of ways. In this lesson, students were asked to create an abstract representation of their spirit using reed and wire. I was very excited by the responses created by my students with IEP's and part of the Pass/Fail Program.
The first example shown below is T.'s. While his final product was quite successful, I found his self-reflection extraordinary. In it, he explains how his artwork expressed his struggles living with special needs. His response was definitely the most deep and sophisticated of the entire class.
The other examples I included were that of S. and J. S. decided to create a basketball to represent her spirit since she feels free and powerful on the basketball court. J., on the other hand, is an incredibly skilled craftsman and decided to replicate Gary's shell from Spongebob. For his project, he was more focused on the techniques than the concept which was completely fine with me. He's also obsessed with Spongebob so it represents an interest of his.
Functional Skills Dance Class
The above video is of a dance routine performed by Isis and Caleb back in 2013 during a district wide functional skills Christmas party where students from 5 local high schools came together to mingle and have fun. My mom choreographed this dance and I assisted. We were able to include all the students who wanted to perform into the routine. Caleb and Isis were at a higher caliber of dance performance so they received more difficult choreography while other students held signs or moved to their own rhythm in the back. Aside from the Christmas party, my mom also had functional skills students join one of her dance classes once or twice a week to learn a routine and have the option of performing at the dance recital. She pairs each functional skills student up with another student from her class and they perform side by side. It always receives the longest standing ovation and it means the WORLD to their parents to see them up on the stage fully confident. I performed one year with Isis and after we got off the stage she yelled "We did it! We did it!" and her mom was in tears saying she never thought her daughter would be able to take a dance class let alone perform. Integrating functional skills students with her dance classes also provided an opportunity for students who aren't separated from regular classes to build relationships with students with special needs and be a friendly face in the hall during passing periods.
I personally became very close with Caleb and Isis after dancing with both of them for two years and rallied the senior class to vote for Caleb as friendliest senior. He won and I was so happy that he received school wide recognition for one of his best attributes. I plan to invite non-inclusive students into my classroom to learn knew skills and socialize with peers they may not see much during the day.
Structured Observation Comments
Danielle conducted a structured observation of one of my lessons and wrote the following comments:
One of the many aspects that Maria excelled in were being able to create differentiated instruction strategies for a range of students. Students with 504’s, IEPS and ENL students. Accommodations were taken care of in a timely and professional manner. Parents were very vocal and enthralled with her ability to modify, engage and care for their children.
EdTPA
The EdTPA stressed the importance of providing individualized instruction and supports for students of all abilities. In "Context for Learning," I've identified students with IEP's and 504's, language needs, and those with general need for accommodation. In each of my lesson plans for Task 1, I included how I planned to modify and support student learning for each of the identified students. In the Planning Commentary, I justify how my instructional strategies and planned supports are appropriate for the whole class, individuals, and groups of students with specific learning needs. In Task 3, I have selected one of my students with an IEP as a focus student for my assessment. In this task, I demonstrate my ability to adapt assessments and provide appropriate feedback and support for the focus student.
IEP Meetings
I had two opportunities to contribute to IEP Meetings during my student teaching. Once was via email, contributing feedback on T.'s present level of engagement, achievement, and self-advocacy in the classroom. My feedback was presented at his IEP meeting (shown below).
The second opportunity I was invited by the special education teacher to sit in an IEP Meeting for S. I was able to share my experiences with her. I prepared by printing out her grades and writing positives and areas to improve. One area she needs to improve is understanding that saying "No thank you," does not exempt her from doing work she doesn't want to do. The mom was understanding and assured me that I had to hold my ground with her or else she'll steamroll over me. The meeting consisted of her behavior coach, social worker, mom, teachers, and me. I honestly was overwhelmed by how much I learned about her and just loved the dedication of these people, all focused on her success. It made me wish that we had a team of adults for each and every student that was just as dedicated to their success. It's idealistic, but to expect teachers to learn about all 120 students' needs and histories is crazy.
The meeting mainly focused on her transition to adulthood as she is in her senior year, but the mom would like her to continue school for a year or two to continue to develop skills that will help her function in the world.
NAEA Webinar: Special Education In the Art Room
(click to view images)
This webinar focused mainly on creating an art classroom environment that is safe and accessible to students with special needs and ways to modify classroom management when students with special needs are present. There was an emphasis on inclusion, communication, positive behavior modification, and universal design for learning. Inclusion focused on person first language, communication focused on how "bad" behaviors can actually be a failure to communicate properly, strategies for behavior modification included knowing about what systems are already in place for the specific student, delegating support, and responding with immediate praise, and universal design for learning focused on making sure your classroom is accessible, defining personal and community space, modifying tools and resources, and capitalizing on student interests. I have begun to implement these strategies for working with students with special needs during my mentorship and plan to further change my teaching practices to be a more effective teacher for all of my students.
Journal Excerpts
Today I had an issue with one of my sped students in first period. S. is known for being fully capable of doing the work but refusing to do it out of laziness and stubbornness. She has taken Intro to 3D about five times (don't get me started about how I don't believe they should have sped students taking the same courses over and over instead of pushing them a little further each time) so she knows the routine.We are currently working on a wire/reed sculpture in class where they create an abstract sculpture that represents them. We have modified it so that she is creating something that interests her and is less of an abstract concept. After brainstorming, she decided to create a Sonic the Hedgehog shoe. She did well in the beginning twisting wire to create the base of her sculpture, but these past few days she has been refusing to help her aid, L. I asked S. to try attaching one of her twisted wires to the sculpture and she said, "No thank you." Then when asked to assist in holding up a piece of the sculpture so that L. could attach it for her, S. got more irritated saying "No thank you!" I said I heard her and that maybe we should press pause on the project until she was ready to participate as L. shouldn't be making the sculpture for her. This only irritated S. more. I take it that S. was taught to say "no thank you" as a polite way to communicate her frustrations or feelings, but has now confused it as a means to get out of doing any work that is asked of her. I took the opportunity to contact her teacher and communicate what happened in class. He came down the next period and told me that he talked to her and told her that her aid is no longer allowed to do the project for her. It was just nice to have that reinforcement and support from her main teacher as I'm sure he and S. have a better relationship than I have with her at the moment.
I also had an annoying incident during 7th period. Basically, I was forcing students to clean up like 5 year olds and then while they hovered by the door waiting for the bell (which I explicitly tell them to stop doing every day) I noticed someone left EVERYTHING out on their table. I couldn't picture who it was and asked "Who left all of their materials? Who sits there?" and they just stared blankly at me and then left when the bell rang. Thankfully, two sweet students stayed after to help clean up the mess, but I was livid. There's literally no reason not to clean up. So to address the issue tomorrow, I'm going to change procedures. The reason they go hover by the door is because, as the last class, they have to put their seats up, so their standing around and slowly but surely meander towards the door. I am now going to have them clean up and then sit in their seats until the bell rings. THEN they can put their seats up and leave. This way I can assess who hasn't cleaned and can prevent clustering by the door. Gonna try and keep my cool tomorrow even though I was literally furious. Hopefully tomorrow is better!
I had been able to discretely pull aside most of the kids that have IEP's/504's yesterday to talk to them about what supports or accommodations they would need except for one student who has autism but is high functioning and performs at grade level in most areas. I figured he would do fine on the test but today as I was individually assessing students during the first review activity, I noticed he was struggling to remember the words and was writing down definitions instead. Towards the end of class I asked him if he would like a word bank so he could focus on matching the correct words with the correct definitions. He said that would help but then asked why I was offering it to him. I told him I wanted to make sure that all students received the proper support they needed to succeed. Then he asked is all the other students were offered a word bank. I told him that some other students would be using a word bank too as they need it. At this point it was obvious that he did not want to receive any kind of "special" treatment. He said he was going to study really hard tonight and let me know if he needs a word bank tomorrow. It's weird because in all other instances, offering the word bank made the student feel cared for and acknowledged while it made this student feel like I was giving him special treatment. I think in the future I'll just be sure to acknowledge and praise his independence and abilities in class so he knows I don't think he is "less" than the other students.
Additionally, in the period I taught there are two students with special needs taking the class on a Pass/Fail basis and have peer aids with them. I noticed that the aids were doing the project for the students, D. and C., and I asked the peers to make sure they don't just do the project for them. The aids communicated that they felt that working with wire was too difficult for them because it involves strong motor skills and hand-eye coordination, both of which D. and C. struggle with. So after that period, I told Ms. O some of my concerns about the medium of the project and its accessibility for her students with special needs. She totally agreed so we brainstormed and came up with two alternatives. The first alternative was to let them work with pipe cleaners instead of wire. It'll be much easier to bend and twist and form into the shapes D. and C. want and is a better texture for students sensitive to texture. The second alternative is to have them create a contour, self-portrait out of yarn and then harden it with starch so it stands up like the wire portraits students are making in class. I think both alternatives will work great!
Intro to 3D had their elements and principles quiz so I did a lot of grading. I came across one student's who had obvious struggles writing at grade level and I could tell by his test that he mixes words up and has trouble spelling. Like he would know the correct answer started with an "h" but would put a nonsensical or incorrect word starting with an "h." At the end of grading he had received a 13/43. So I pulled Ms. O aside and asked if this student had a learning disability and she said not that she knew of and I asked her to look into it because it was clear to me by his performance that he KNEW the information, just had trouble writing and spelling or getting words confused with each other if they sounded the same or started with the same letter. She looked deeper into it and found out that he has Autism Spectrum Disorder. So she is going to make sure he has a word bank and will give him extended time the next time around. A lot of the students that did require modified tests received word banks, extended time, and sometimes only asked to answer a few questions within the test. I think I want to look into other methods of modifying tests because I want them to be challenged not giving "short-cuts" or "dumbing" down the test. I guess I just don't know much about modifications so that's something I'll need to look more into.
- Then I helped S., a special ed student I've been working with, make bracelets! I was surprised how easily she was able to manipulate the strings considering she has some trouble with fine motor skills. Definitely made me realize to go ahead and try new activities with students who have special needs even if you don't think they will be able to do it. Try it and then modify from there. Here's a video of her working on her bracelet!
- I worked with J. during 1st hour on his totem pole. J. has autism and has a student aid during this period who helps him complete his projects. I came over and sat with him and he showed me his work. He's making a totem pole for Agape, an equestrian therapy program he participates in. He was initially just going to make letters, but I suggested that he add a horse somewhere in it. He said he thought the "G" looked like a horse head, so we reshaped it and he scratched a design into the surface. It turned out great! He also shared a small sgraffito plate he made in his free time. It looks awesome.
- I did work with S. for most of the first class. S. was the student who had trouble with fine motor skills that Ms. O modified classroom tools for her to successfully cut metal. Anyway, I helped S. enamel one of her necklaces. The countertops where enameling is done were too high for her so I took a wood slab and put it across her wheel chair so she could see and work easier. I had her brush on the flux and then I refined some of the edges. Then I scooped the enamel powder into the shifter and held it over her jewelry while she tapped on it to shift the powder onto her necklace. I did have to fire her jewelry for her because it would have been dangerous for her to work the torch, but I did talk through every step and let her turn knobs, listen for the gas, watch me ignite the gas, etc. S. is great to work with because she is so enthusiastic and happy to be in class. I had a fun time with her today!
(in notes for the day)
- I helped S. sand her new necklace she’s working on. It was sad because Ms. O said they had a meeting with her mom and her teachers and they brought in examples of S.’s work in class and a video of her doing some of the activities and it seemed like her mom just refused to belief that S. was capable of doing any of these things. She’d say “Oh S. told you she did that,” or “S. can’t do that!” even when her teachers have watched and helped her complete these projects. It’s like her mom has no faith in the fact that S. can do normal things. I'm not sure what would be the best way to proceed in a situation like that, but at least S. knows she's creating amazing things.
(in notes for the day)
- so my first attempt to work with C., one of the students who is non-inclusive that Ms. O let’s draw in her class, was a failed attempt. I noticed that he wasn’t drawing right away like he usually does, instead he was sitting and rubbing his face and looked a little down. I went over and asked him if he was doing okay and if I could draw with him, and he said “no.” and I asked what because I didn’t hear him clearly, and he said “you’re annoying me” and I started laughing because he does this a lot to Ms. O too but that made the rest of the class laugh too and I think he thought we were laughing at him and he said “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” and I said” it’s okay!” and he tapped a girl next to him and said “I’m sorry” and pointed at me. I felt bad, he seemed to be having an off day. So I gave him a high five and said it’s okay, and he asked me my name. Ms. O said he has a very rough home life and today is a half day for students so either one of those things might be throwing him off. I will make sure to be more sensitive in my reactions during conversations with students in special ed.
- The most beneficial interaction I observed was between Ms. O and a student with special needs, who I'll refer to as S. S. appears to have issues with fine motor skills and is stronger in her right hand than her left. She is on the basketball team and also comes into Ms. O's jewelry class to draw and make art. Ms. O though S. would enjoy making a keychain with the class so she had S. practice cutting out shapes drawn on construction paper with a jeweler's saw. S. had problems holding the saw perpendicular to the table and also could not hold down the paper with enough force with her left hand. Ms. O initially held down the paper for her so she could focus on sawing, but wanted S. to be able to work on the project independently. So, when it came time to practice cutting copper, Ms. O taped the copper to the clamped board to hold it in place. S. still couldn't keep the blade at a 90 degree angle to the copper plate so Ms. O taped the bottom of the clamp of the blade to S.'s wrist and S. was finally able to saw through a piece of copper all the way! I was really impressed by ms. O's patience and problem solving skills with a student who wasn't even technically enrolled in her class. Ms. O says she's close with the special needs teacher so she often allows non-inclusive students come in to do little art projects on their own. I think this is beneficial because it allows students in her regular classes to help and interact with a student who may not have much interaction with students outside of his own classroom.
(in notes for the day)
- there is a student who is a non-inclusive student, but Ms. O is close with the special needs teacher across the hall so she let’s them come in and draw during class sometimes. She provides a workspace and gives him his own sketchbook and coloring pages. He prefers making venn diagrams of color and writing the name of the color pencil in the color. She let him borrow her beats to listen to his favorite music, Scooby Doo songs.
(in notes for the day)
- S., a student with special needs, comes in during 6th hour to work on art projects for fun. Ms. O has been having her do sharpie watercolors where she draws an image in sharpie and then brushes over it with water to give it the aesthetic of a watercolor painting. This project is great for her because S. doesn't have much dexterity but this project doesn't require precise lines. She has a whole gallery of her watercolor drawings on the wall where she sits in front of and it is way too cute. Ms. O says she asks her to count them and “grade” them
