Assignment:
Interview
Interview an early childhood teacher (preschool through third grade) who has at least one special education student in the class. Develop a 2 to 3 page report that can be shared with your class members in this unit's discussion. The purpose of this interview experience is to help you get a sense of how a teacher adapts lessons using DAP to ensure all children learn, including those with exceptional needs.
Ask the following questions, along with any others that are important to you. If you like, you can share these questions with the teacher prior to the interview so they know what to expect.
Interview Outline
- How do you design or modify lessons based on the understanding and identification of exceptionality, challenges, and gifts? How do you support development and educational progress of the individual with exceptional learning needs?
- How do you analyze the different influences of a learning environment on a young child's development?
- How would you create learning environments aligned to educational expectations and goals?
- How do you communicate and collaborate effectively with parents to best meet the child's needs?
- What activities do you use to encourage student expression in a variety of forms, including speaking, physical activity, and artistic presentations?
Your don't really have to interview a teacher unless you want to. You can just answer the questions as if you were the teacher and how would you respond to the questions.
DISCUSSION 1
Comparison of Teacher Interviews
1. Share with others in the class the results of your teacher interview and responses to the questions you asked. In particular, how did teachers adapt lessons to make sure children with exceptional needs learn?
2. In the subject line of your posting, be sure to note the age range of the class your teacher teaches.
3. To protect confidentiality, please do not mention real names of those you observe or their school.
DISCUSSION 2
Demonstrating the Dispositions
Our ECE master's program has been developed based on the following dispositions that learners are expected to embrace and demonstrate:
- Is committed to fairness.
- Is committed to personal and professional conduct that is both ethical and respectful of the rights of others.
- Believes that all children can learn at high levels.
- Persists in helping students achieve success by applying different approaches until they achieve that success.
- Is willing to explore and use technology in the classroom.
- Recognizes when one's own dispositions may need to be adjusted.
- Is committed to reflective practice, professional development, and lifelong learning.
After reviewing these dispositions and interviewing the teacher in this unit, how do you believe the teacher demonstrated her or his understanding of these? How do you currently (or will in the future) demonstrate your own understanding of the dispositions?