Learning Disabilities and the Classroom
Mary L. Burkitt
Grand Canyon University: SPE 359
July 7, 2013
Learning Disabilities and the Classroom With every classroom you are able to see a dynamic between students and their teacher. It takes a strong teacher to really make everything accessible to all students including student with learning disabilities. The class that I watched was Christina Hilliker’s second grade. The disabilities that were part of this great dynamic were Downs, Autism, ADHD, auditory processing and behavior issues that cause learning difficulties. Within the classroom I was able to see many ways that Ms. Hilliker was maintaining her classroom. For general classroom behavior she used a stop light method (red, green yellow). Each student had a Popsicle stick with their name for individual reprimands. For the students that have ADHD or behavior issues there is a behavior chart with daily goals, these goals last the week but are checked daily for each subject. The student with Downs has a paraprofessional that keeps track of her daily behavior goals to connect with her IEP. The student with Autism also has a paraprofessional that maintains the guidelines for behaviors for this student. He is also on a behavior intervention plan that allows for him to maintain control of his by allowing him to pick three activities to complete before his break. During my visit I noticed that table grouping was strategically placed to help lower level students engage with peers that are at a higher learning level. This works with shoulder partners, face to face and there were no more than four in a ground so it is not overwhelming for students with the learning disability. I also noticed that she placed the more encouraging and higher level students with O.D. the student with Downs and C.S. the student with Autism. M.M and B.S. both were split between the tables that did not have Para’s so Ms. Hilliker was able to monitor their needs as she taught. They were both placed facing the board
Grand Canyon University: SPE 359
July 7, 2013
Learning Disabilities and the Classroom With every classroom you are able to see a dynamic between students and their teacher. It takes a strong teacher to really make everything accessible to all students including student with learning disabilities. The class that I watched was Christina Hilliker’s second grade. The disabilities that were part of this great dynamic were Downs, Autism, ADHD, auditory processing and behavior issues that cause learning difficulties. Within the classroom I was able to see many ways that Ms. Hilliker was maintaining her classroom. For general classroom behavior she used a stop light method (red, green yellow). Each student had a Popsicle stick with their name for individual reprimands. For the students that have ADHD or behavior issues there is a behavior chart with daily goals, these goals last the week but are checked daily for each subject. The student with Downs has a paraprofessional that keeps track of her daily behavior goals to connect with her IEP. The student with Autism also has a paraprofessional that maintains the guidelines for behaviors for this student. He is also on a behavior intervention plan that allows for him to maintain control of his by allowing him to pick three activities to complete before his break. During my visit I noticed that table grouping was strategically placed to help lower level students engage with peers that are at a higher learning level. This works with shoulder partners, face to face and there were no more than four in a ground so it is not overwhelming for students with the learning disability. I also noticed that she placed the more encouraging and higher level students with O.D. the student with Downs and C.S. the student with Autism. M.M and B.S. both were split between the tables that did not have Para’s so Ms. Hilliker was able to monitor their needs as she taught. They were both placed facing the board