QUESTION 5:
In the classroom I observed in Exceptional Students, I felt like the teacher did not really help the students with special needs more than the ones that did not have special needs. Maybe this was a method that she liked to not bring attention to the special needs students, but I did not really agree with what she was doing. I felt like she acted really annoyed when a student would ask for extra help. She allowed students to turn in their assignments late for full credit, but I felt like there was a lack of structure in her classroom. One of the students had a traumatic brain injury and had trouble remembering and had trouble with his behavior. When the student would act up, the teacher would tell the student to stop and if he did not, he went out in the hall. How was this fixing the behavior? It wasn't--the student was just missing out on what they were learning in class while he was out in the hall. The accommodations were not appropriate. There was a student with a speech impairment, and a couple students with ADD, but none of the students were acting out in class and the teacher didn't really say what she did to accommodate these students. For students with speech or language impairments, according to Moreno, we should provide language models by reading to students, supplement instruction with audio tapes and videotapes, give plenty of opportunities to use listening and expressive skills, positively reinforce students' attempt to comprehend and express ideas, scaffold students with prompts, questions and restatements, and encourage classmates to talk and encourage those with a speech or language impairment to talk. When a student has suffered from a traumatic brain injury, Moreno suggests that you sit the student near you, minimize distractions and allow earplugs to reduce external noise, provide written materials to back up instruction, display the classroom activity schedule and follow regular classroom routines, use peer note takers and allow tape recording of lectures, use memory aids such as organizers, fact cards, and cue cards, provide in school training and maps for between-class travel, plan frequent breaks and slow the pace of presentations, give extra time for classroom assignments, check for comprehension regularly, and repeat information and provide frequent practice opportunities.
QUESTION 6:
In one of the classrooms that I observed, I noticed there was a diverse mix of students. There were students of almost all ethnicities and they all had different interests. There were caucasians, african americans, hispanics, pacific islanders, and asians. A couple of students learned english as their second language, but were very good at understanding what the teacher wanted them to do. I noticed how a lot of the students were dressed differently. The teacher did not favor the caucasian kids and called on any student that wanted to participate. The school has certain weeks that celebrate diversity and different cultures. The student council also brings attention to holidays that aren't necessarily celebrated by everyone in the school. According to Moreno, teachers should watch for students that can be at risk. The student's chances of being at risk is higher is a student is a member of a cultural minority. As a teacher, you must understand that sometimes in some cultures family duties are much more important than an education. You have to talk to your student and try and work out something so the student can still be successful even if they have to go away to fulfill a family duty. As a teacher, you can celebrate different cultures and appreciate everyone's different backgrounds and encourage students to express themselves. Moreno says to be a multicultural teacher you must show deep caring for all students, provide clear learning objectives, communicate high expectations for all students, monitor progress and provide immediate feedback, explain the rationale for instructional methods, embed instruction in culturally meaningful contexts, provide opportunities for active learning in groups, commit to students during and after school hours, use materials and practices that are culturally relevant, and have several years of teaching diverse students (which will come eventually).
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