Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

In my experience, great teachers that are enthusiastic about their content have inspired me to perform to the best of my ability. 

One particular class that I remember well is high school Psychology. The teacher was witty and funny, but also very knowledgeable. It may be because the content was so new, but I felt I learned so much in that course. The culminating activity for the course was not a test. Instead the class played a game (similar to RISK or Diplomacy), but a little more complicated. The game necessitated group work, individual analyzation, strategy, and manipulation. It was very fun to play for that week, but especially incorporating all we had learned about how humans think and behave. After the game, we had to write a paper about how what we had learned showed up in the playing of the game. It was one of the most enriching educational experiences I can remember.

Like most students, I have also had many discouraging educational experiences that have made me not want to give any effort toward learning. I specifically remember one instance in my freshmen English course. It was so heavy on writing, more than anything I had experienced. Still, I did my best to write the pages each day. Each time I would turn in an assignment, the teacher would not even read it. She simply stamped it and put a checkmark in her grade book. The work was rigorous, but I never got any feedback. I started writing whatever I wanted in the essays and she never ended up reading them anyway.

I have learned a couple lessons from those two specific experiences. First, the project based learning in my Psychology course was extremely motivation. I was a shy and introverted student, but I excelled in the game, gave my best effort, and learned so much! Second, students understand when a teacher gives busy work. As an educator myself, I never want to assign work that I cannot give back to students with meaningful feedback. If I require them to put in the effort, I will do it also.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Field Experience - Day 1 form Unit Plan

I am currently a teacher of the visually impaired at a public high school. I work in a SELPA classroom and have about 12 students on my caseload. I support my students in most every subject and I am their primary teacher for mathematics.

I have taught the Geometry unit on right triangles to some of them, but for the unit plan from week two, I totally revamped the entire process. I practiced the pre-assessment from Day 1 with five of my students. Two of them had already taken geometry, two of them are currently in a geometry class, and one of them has not yet taken geometry and is in an algebra 1 class. After doing the pre-assessment practice with my students, I continued to the Day 1 lesson.

The lesson had to be adapted in major ways for students who are either blind or have low vision. I have taught students who are visually impaired for five years now, so that part was not difficult and the student are all academic students with visual impairment being their only disability. This lesson just took some extra preparation to teach it to my students. I have some tactile examples of acute, obtuse and right triangles that I was able to use to get some points across. So the reflection from this lesson will be as accurate as possible.

We followed my Day 1 lesson plan all the way through. All of the students were already familiar with the idea of the Pythagorean Theorem, but a few of them did not know that it can also be used to classify triangles as acute, obtuse, or right. We went through the interactive lecture and I informally assessed each of the students' understanding with direct and strategic questions. We worked together through some guided practice problems as well. The student centered activity is a group activity, so the five students did it together. I had adapted the application problem to included a tactile representation of a volleyball net. The students who had been exposed to this type lesson before knew exactly what to do and lead the group, sometimes to a point of dominating the students who may not have quite understood the concept of making sure the triangles had right angles. 

Since the students were helping me out with this field test, I reduced the number of practice problems for homework to only 10. They really liked the idea that they only had to correctly answer 7 to get "full credit." (I may start this idea right away in my regular classes.) All of the students actually received full credit. A couple students were confident and only completed 7 problems. The rest completed all the problems and got at least 7 correct. 

REFLECTION
I was very comfortable teaching this lesson. I have taught this content before, but not in this particular way. Fortunately, I already have a rapport with these students. They have been with me for as long as they have been in high school, so it went pretty smoothly. Some things that went well:
- using a video clip as a motivator
- adapting the lesson for special needs students
- making sure to include a real life application
- the new style of homework. assigning more problems that necessary for full credit. Students loved this.

What may need to be re-evaluated:
- the group activity was dominated by two students. The other three did not get to participate very much. In observing and conducting an informal observation, it was impossible to tell if these students were really comprehending how to apply the lesson to a real life situation. In the future, I would consider letting the students work out the problem on their own for a couple minutes and then entering into groups to discuss and compare their solutions.

Field Experience - Pre-Assessment Practice

I am currently a teacher of the visually impaired at a public high school. I work in a SELPA classroom and have about 12 students on my caseload. I support my students in most every subject and I am their primary teacher for mathematics.

I have taught the Geometry unit on right triangles to some of them, but for the unit plan from week two, I totally revamped the entire process. I practiced the pre-assessment from Day 1 with five of my students. Two of them had already taken geometry, two of them are currently in a geometry class, and one of them has not yet taken geometry and is in an algebra 1 class.

Since my students are blind, I had to prep them for the Wizard of Oz clip that I planned to start the unit with. The clip is mostly verbal, so not much was lost on them. The part where the scarecrow "gets his brain" and states the Pythagorean Theorem was clear. Students seemed engaged by the movie clip.

I presented the students with two basic Pythagorean Theorem problems. Three of the students are blind and two have low vision, so I had Braille graphics and large print versions of the problems. The students were not able to complete the problems on 3x5 cards, so I have them complete the problems as normal. I also listed the Pythagorean Theorem formula above the two problems for the ones that had never been exposed to it before.

I collected the answers and was prepared to talk about me "Favorite No's" with the group. The problem was that only one student got an incorrect answer. As a group, we talked about that problem and the mistake that was made. The student made the same mistake with both problems. The formula is leg^2+leg^2=hypotenuse^2. In each instance, the student mixed up a leg with a hypotenuse and got the wrong answer. The other students quickly noticed this and talked about the correction.

I also talked with all the students about always making what I call a "does that make sense" check. When you have a number answer, it should "make sense" when compared to the numbers you started with. In both instances, the incorrect answer was a large amount off of the other two numbers. This would be a signal that something in the calculation was incorrect.

There is not necessarily a rubric for this pre-assessment. It is an informal assessment that can identify specific students that need help with a certain topic. It can also gauge the overall understanding of the class as a whole. The teacher must be able to think quickly on his or her feet to find an incorrect answer that can be talked about that will benefit the entire class and not make a certain student feel inadequate or dumb. The answers are not only informal assessment. The teacher should use the class discussion to assess the class's understanding as well.

The pre-assessment did it's job, but there were some problems in this field test. First, since the group was small, it was obvious in the discussion who had contributed the one incorrect answer. Fortunately this was a group of good friends, so there was no discomfort or embarrassment. In another setting, if it was obvious who made the incorrect answer, it may be disheartening to the student who contributed it. There are two caveats to this problem. In a regular class size of 30 or more, it would not be obvious and there would likely be more incorrect answers to choose from. Also, over the course of a year in a class, the teacher can create an atmosphere in which the students know that an incorrect answer is perfectly okay. They should not be discouraged, but eager to learn. If the teacher fosters this atmosphere, the students won't worry about it.

It was good to see that 4 out of 5 of the students already had a grasp of how to solve a pythagorean theorem problem. The assessment could have been more difficult, but it was meant to be a basic review so that more difficult problems and real life application could be presented in the actual lesson.

Overall, I wouldn't change much about this assessment. I think the problems are things that would be solved by being in a classroom atmosphere all year and by being in a larger setting. It will take practice to use this "Favorite No's" activity well, but I think it is well worth it.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Nate Slaymaker. I am currently a teacher of the visually impaired. I am trying to earn my single subject credential in the area of mathematics. I want to make a difference int he lives of students and I have chosen the education field as the path to do just that.

My personality type is INFJ. I like helping people. I have an analytical type of brain which seems to fit with teaching math. But math is not really a passion of mine. My passion is actually teaching students. I enjoy math, but I really look forward to using the teaching platform to teach into students lives.

I already know that I connect well with students. I know that many students have an aversion toward math. I hope that the trust that I will build with students will help them to see the uses of math, its importance, and motivate them to become lifelong learners.

I fell within the balanced range of both active/reflective and sensing/intuitive teaching and learning styles. I learn toward visual and sequential learning and teacher. It will be important for me to not only cater to my own preferences in learning, but to remember that I have a diverse population to teach.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Book Review: The Flipped Classroom: Introduction to Technology and Teaching Techniques

The flipped classroom is a relatively new teaching technique that utilizes technology to turn the traditional classroom size upside down. In the traditional classroom, the teacher spends most of his or her time lecturing and giving instruction for new content. In a flipped classroom, the students use technology to receive this instruction at home. This method frees up the teacher for more guided practice, individualized assistance, and student-led learning in the classroom.

There are many resources available on this relatively new teaching method. This particular book is readily available in a Kindle edition and is written by teachers who have successfully implemented the flipped classroom with their own students. The authors propose the flipped classroom so that students can receive in formation at home and apply it in the classroom under the supervision of the teacher.

While other books focus on the application in the classroom of a flipped classroom, this book is mostly filled with ideas of how to create the best presentation of the materials for the students to access on their own. It discusses a variety of presentation methods: blogs, videos, and screencasting. While these are all valid methods, it seems like doing them all separately is to much work when websites such as sophia.com are readily available and have done much of the work for you.

The book also has a small section of assessing students' learning in the classroom. This assessment is vital, since the students do much of the learning independently, but idea should be viewed more as an application of the learning rather than a test/assessment.

Overall the book is a good introduction to the idea of a flipped classroom, but in order to become efficient in this teaching method, other resources would need to be studied.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

PBL Geometry Assignment: A House of the Future

This project will address numerous Common Core Standards in geometry and will have crossover value in other content areas as well. It has been adapted from ideas on Curriki, Pintrest, and other Google searches.

The challenge in this project is for students to examine four trends— population growth, urbanization, energy efficiency, and changing tastes in design—that will affect the kind of houses that people live in by 2065. Students will create a floor plan and basic model of a house of the future that reflects these four shifts, and then deliver their design and give evidence of their thinking in the form of a 10 minute presentation about why their house will be necessary and useful in the future. The format for the talk can vary, but it is suggested that the presentation follow the guidelines for a TED-like talk in which presenters give short presentations that focus on the future and innovation. Their model houses must accommodate a family of four. It can be a stand-alone dwelling, be part of a cluster, and use any shapes. Room for a vehicle or outdoor space is optional. The project is designed to encouraged creativity and imagination.

Students will create a floor plan, a basic model sketch, and a 10 minute presentation as their final products. The floor plan and model should convey key geometric concepts and show how geometry was used to construct the floor plan and model. The students will work in teams of three to four to create presentations that should include three elements:
1. The model
2. An explanation and defense of design choices
3. An overview of why the design would help solve housing problems in the future.

The blueprint and model will be the main criteria for the Geometry aspect of the project. Students must create a "to scale" model that will use congruent shapes, reflections, and other transformations . The blueprint and model measurements must be accurate to a house design that would be feasible and mathematically correct. Students will also be graded on their innovation and presentation to the parents and peers.

Students will be motivated by the challenge of innovating designs that will be necessary some 50 years in the future. While this is an exciting challenge, careful attention must be made to the mathematical processes in house design that correlate with the geometry skills that have been taught this semester.

Ideally, the presentation will be given using some form of technology such as Prezi, PowerPoint, Key Note, etc., or something even more innovative as approved by the teacher.

Students can search TED talks for ideas on architecture of the future for inspiration. The parameters are endless, but just as in the real world, there is a time deadline. Students should dream and innovate, but not so much that the project cannot be completed on time.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Confidence in teaching Digital Literacy

What will you have to do to become confident of your 21st Century Skills as a learner and as a teacher in Digital Literacy?

The key to being confident as a teacher is to be confident in the content area yourself. As I became familiar with the websites and took the self-assessment, I am happy to say that I consider myself very literate in the digital world. I know how to manipulate most any Windows, IOS, or Microsoft Office programs and am confident in my internet abilities as well. In my college years, I use to design and manage a website for a small retail bookstore chain. I can read and write basic html. I use Google docs, sheets, etc. in my classroom as well as online game and review sites. I also have recently learn to use a smart board in the classroom. All that being said, I have much to learn!

In the area of technology, there are always new things to learn. Teaching technology is different than understanding it. As Doug Belshaw describes in his TED Talk, pre-literacy concepts with books (like right side up, and opening across form the spine) carry over into digital literacy. As students are thrown into the digital world now at such a young age, we as teachers much given them pre-literacy concepts in this area as well.  Teachers must always be keeping up to date with new ideas and technology being used in education. I have seen one presentation on using a program similar to Skype in order to have a sister class around the world. I know that some classrooms require a lot more assignments done with technology than I do. Fortunately, the administration at my school is very gracious and excited when teachers want to attend staff development conferences in the area of using technology in the classroom. I plan to take classes or attend staff development in this area at least once per year.

Digital Citizenship

How do I describe myself as a learner in the 21st Century?

One of the main goals in my life is to be a lifelong learner. If I can't always be learning new facts, methodologies, interests, and data, how can I expect my students to be excited to learn? I graduated from high school in the year 2000 and much has changed about how I learn even in my 30-some years of life. My academic learning used to be mostly confined to classrooms and libraries, textbooks and encyclopedias. With the rise of the Internet age, there is instant information at my fingertips at all times. When I want to research something or learn something new, there is even too much information at the palm of my hand. It used to be hard to find and now it is hard to discern. I have learned that as a learner, I need to constantly be finding new information, but also making sure that the information I find is accurate, reliable, and helpful.

How do you describe yourself as a teacher in the 21st Century?

While I believe that I received an outstanding education and that most all my teachers were top notch, I cannot rely of the way I was taught to teach my students now, even just a decade or so later. SO much has change with the way students interact with the world, with each other, and with new information. I need to be staying a step ahead of my students with the way I understand these interactions. The new technology can be a scary thing for teachers, but when used carefully and correctly, the new technology can open up so many new and exciting things in the classroom. It also can be a motivator to get students interested in learning. In contrast, a classroom that does not make the most of the technology now at our disposable will discourage students from being excited about learning and discredit the information, not matter how accurate.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Differentiated Lesson Plan - Order of Operations

Algebra 1

Order of Operations

Content Standards:
1.0, 1.1 - Students identify and use the arithmetic properties of real numbers.
2.0 - Students understand and use the properties of taking the opposite and the reciprocal.
10.0 - Students add, subtract, and multiply monomials.

Review PEMDAS and present a few worked out problems to students. Students will read and analyze incorrect simplifications of expressions. They will demonstrate that although simplified incorrectly, there may be some correct steps in the process. They will discover the errors and explain the incorrect use of Order of Operations.

Strategically groups students.

Special Needs
Have students name and act out activities that work only when done in the correct order. such as putting on socks. shoes. and tying laces. Point out the parallel to the agreed-upon order of operations in mathematics.

Below Level Students
Remind students to write out all intermediate steps when simplifying and evaluating expressions. This will help them gain a better understanding and prevent errors.

Advanced Students
Challenge students to add grouping symbols in the correct places to make the following expression true (and others like it): 34x6"3 :2"2 x3"2- I = I70

EL Students
Suggest that students may find it helpful to think of the hue as carrying the exponent on its shoulder so that together they make up a power. Make sure students say “2 to the 4'“) and don't skip over those important little words!

Performance Assessment:

Informal: active listening. spot checks, play math games (if time). project
Formal: Assign problems in textbook strategically. Let students complete whichever 12 problems they wish. They can attempt more problems if they want, but need to get 12 correct for a perfect score.
Also: notes summary, quizzes, Unit test

Alternative Assessment: Have students choose numbers to substitute for x and y in
6xy"2 + 3(xy)"2 and evaluate the expression. Ask students to explain each step in their
calculations.

Assess: Checkpoint Quiz



Thursday, February 18, 2016

Project Based Learning: Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

In this project, students create a presentation that covers the predictions Ray Bradbury made in his futuristic tale.


  • Lesson Objectives

    By the end of the project, students will be able to:
    1. Read and analyze important passages fromFahrenheit 451
    2. Present research and opinions with clarity
    3. Accurately cite information in MLA style
    4. Make appropriate text-to text connections

    Materials Required
    Copies of Fahrenheit 451Any other materials that are needed based on the choice of the student
  • Lesson Procedures

    Project-based learning is purpose-driven. Thus, I ask my students to answer this question with their projects: “To what extent did Ray Bradbury’s vision of the future become a reality?”
    Ideally, if your students have some experience with project-based learning or are fairly independent, then the sky becomes the limit for them. However, most students will need more guidance than being told to complete a project that answers one question. So, here are some guidelines to get your students rolling.
    1. Start by giving students a few areas they can focus on. Choose technology, censorship, and our increasingly calloused society. Help them brainstorm some of the more obvious parallels (like flat-screen TVs, iPod ear buds, etc.).
    2. If you need to, give them a set of choices for which way they will present their findings. Most students opt for a poster or a Power Point, but urge them to think outside the box—they could put together a pamphlet, create a storyboard, or write a series of articles for their own self-published newspaper.
    3. Require students to have at least three outside sources to detail the answer to the driving question: one print source, one video source, and one internet source. (A good project will go beyond the minimum requirements.)
    4. To ensure students truly connect their findings with the novel itself, you may also wish to set a number of passages required to analyze. More advanced students should be able to figure this out on their own, but some students may need a little guidance. Practice quotation analysis with the students first.
    5. Students should present their findings to the class. During their presentations, each student should clearly answer the driving question and use evidence to support his or her claims. For example, a student may have investigated the evolution of technology since Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451. He may put together a slideshow that covered how ear buds came into being, delved into high-speed cars, and discussed the latest 3D televisions, all within the context of the book. Another student may present a series of articles about strange ways the government tries to control people, quoting the book along the way.

    Assessment
    There are multiple ways to assess this project, depending on what you emphasize with your students. Ultimately, the assessment should be of how well students answer the question, “To what extent did Bradbury’s vision of the future become reality?” If you set minimum requirements for the project, you should evaluate how well students went above and beyond these requirements. You can also emphasize any skill within the project—writing, speech, or research skills.
  • Defense of Differentiated Assessment
  • This project provides the student with choice, based on their learning preferences and intelligences. A student with any learning style or intelligence can be successful in this project. It is broad, but still is able to assess certain standards and content areas.

Cooperative Learning

Standard of Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

After reading Fahrenheit 451, students will create an essay debating the topic of censorship. The teacher can use a variety of grouping strategies as the students prepare to write their own essays. In order to group strategically for this essay, the teacher will have to have information on the students, both formal and informal assessments. Here are the options:

- Have a class discussion with the entire group about censorship. Have students research censorship throughout history and around the world. Randomly assign students to argue against or for censorship, creating heterogenous groups. Have each of those two groups organize their ideas and arguments. Music can be played softly in the background while they are researching. Have an organized class debate on censorship. This method addresses the following intelligences: kinesthetic, interpersonal, musical, linguistic and logical.

As students interact with each other and hear other viewpoints, they will be able to refine their own argument and the claims they need to support it. Some students will even have to argue for a viewpoint with which they don't agree. This will hone their own belief even more. The oral argument and hearing from others will invigorate students and make their writing even better.

- Another grouping method would be small groups of 4-5 homogenous students. These groups can be created using the teacher's prior knowledge about the students' learning methods and intelligences or by student choice.
Group 1: Censorship of music. This group will research how music has been censored in the history of the US. They will need to find and listen to songs that have been censored in the past and discuss the validity of that censorship. This addresses the musical and interpersonal intelligences.
Group 2: Censorship of writing. Students will research what essays and books have been censored through the history of the US. They will individually read portions of these writings and together discuss the validity of the censorship. This addresses the logical and intrapersonal intelligences.
Group 3: Censorship of film. Students will research what films have been censored through the history of the US. They will look up these films and watch portions and will discuss the validity of the censorship. This addresses the visual and interpersonal intelligences.
Group 4: Censorship of dance. Students will research how dance has been censored through the history of the US. They will discuss the validity of the censorship in certain situations. This addresses the kinesthetic and interpersonal intelligences.

After these groupings, students will be able to write more passionately and clearly their arguments for or against censorship.

- Students may also be grouped into pairs. The pairs may be homogenous or heterogenous, depending on what the teacher wants to accomplish. The pairs will be randomly assigned a viewpoint on censorship. They will research together the censorship debate over time. After they become "experts" on their side of the debate, they will get with another pair to discuss the censorship of a presented essay, video, and song that the teacher will read to the entire class. This method addresses the following intelligences: musical, visual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and logical.

- Lastly, students may work independently to research how the debate on censorship has changed over time. They will write an essay on presenting both sides and then arguing for the validity of ones side. This is best for intrapersonal intelligences.

These area all great ways to use cooperative learning to help students create an argumentative essay. The methods will motivate students an inform them in a way direct instruction cannot do. Their arguments will be honed and they will articulate them better in their writing.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

180 degrees in a traingle

Subject: Geometry
Lesson: The three angles in a triangle add up to 180 degrees.

Five Ways to Present the Idea
1. Direct instruction: Using the whiteboard, discuss the proof suing different triangles to demonstrate. Use a large protractor and different triangle types.

2. Class activity: Cutting a triangle. Have each student cut a triangle out of a piece of paper. It should be larger that a 3x5 card. Students will then cut each vertex (corner) off of the triangle. When put together, the vertices will lien up to create a straight angle, or 180 degrees.

3. Group activity: Try to prove the theorem wrong. Is there any triangle that you can make so that the angles do not add up to 180 degrees, or do not create a straight angle when put together?

4. Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umBdW7talCo

5. Group discussion/activity: If all the the angles in a triangle must add up to 180 degrees, what must the angles in a quadrilateral add up to? Angles in a pentagon? Hexagon? Is there a pattern relating the sides of a polygon to the sum of its angles?


The assessment for this lesson will include problems where student are given two angles in a triangle and must find the third. One problem will be for the student to CREATE a triable out of card stock paper, MEASURE the angles and VERIFY that they add up to 180 degrees. To challenge advanced students, they will be given a problem to try to create an equation that relates the number of sides of a polygon to the sum of its angles.

---------
The lesson and idea that the angles in a triangle add up to 180 degrees is fairly simple, but in math, we want the students to understand the WHY behind the theorems. The activities above will get them understand the WHY.

English Language learners will benefit from all the visual activities and the interaction with their peers. Special needs students will benefit from the grouping activities and form the tactile objects to demonstrate the theorem. Gifted and advanced students will be challenged by the final activity, generalizing the concept to a more broad category of Geometry.

Defending OMAM rubric

This assignment would be after reading the novel Of Mice and Men. Students will work alone or in pairs. The presentation must address the conflict of one of the three main characters: Lenny, George, or Curley's wife. The presentation may be 
- in a newspaper form 
- a debate 
- a jury/courtroom decision 
- a speech 
- an essay 
- another presentation approve by the teacher

The assignment allows for multiple methods of presenting the knowledge desired after the OMAM unit. Students have can write or speak. Students can use visual arts. Students can work alone or in pairs. The options are limitless and are diverse enough to cater to all levels and types of learning.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Kahoot! in the Classroom

I currently teach in a classroom with visually impaired high school students. When I taught sighted students, the class loved to use a game website called Kahoot! I can use it in my current classroom with some student that have some vision and the others use it with a sighted partner or aide.

Kahoot! is a great tool to use at the beginning or end of a lesson. It can gauge prior knowledge before a lesson is given. It can also be used as a great review tool at the end of a lesson or before an exam. The website is easy to use to create a multiple choice game. Students are able to use their own electronic devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) so that everyone can participate. Students answer each question and can earn points for answering both quickly and correctly. The correct answer and the leaders of the game can be shown on the smart board or screen. The student choose a username, so they can be anonymous to everyone but the teacher and themselves.

While I don't recommend using it every day, Kahoot! is a great tool to keep students engaged and motivated. I caution against using it too much. I always like to follow the rule of "leave them wanting more..."

A Wide Range of Learners

I currently teach high school students who are visually impaired. Some of my students are blind and some have low vision. They use Braille or large print materials. My students also have a varying range of cognitive abilities. Some have gone on to four year colleges like UC-Berkeley while others are not on a diploma track and will attend a transition program for independent living skills after high school. Some of my students are in my class for instruction in high school level math, science, or spanish. Some are there for basic reading and math skills. Others are there for a study skills period to get help with other academic classes.

The wide range of eyesight and cognitive abilities forces me to get creative with my teaching. With the help of a paraprofessional, I often have to teach two totally separate lessons in the same one hour class period. Some things that I do:

- Teach an Algebra lesson to two students. Have them work together on some skills practice while I work on Braille instruction with another student.

- Create a standards-based game that my aide can play with 2-3 students, while I am teaching a lesson to other students.

- When the higher achieving students have some free time, I like to have them help the others with their work.

- I use many tactile objects and shapes so that my students can have access to visual materials used by their typically developing peers.

The diversity in the classroom is challenging, but also invigorating. Every day is different and new. While we have many set routines, the student learn to "go with the flow" and they never know what to expect, keeping them engaged with the lesson that may be coming their way.