Peer replies, pls write as if you are having face to face conversation
Jennnni – I currently work in an early childhood setting, so I chose to review Emma. Due to the nature of Emma’s disability, it seems as though she spends a lot of time out of her general education setting. Emma’s team has been able to ensure that she has access to some activities with her general education peers during non-core curriculum activities. I think it’s really important that she is being included during lunch, since that is a time that important social skills are being used. I might suggest her team meeting to look at potentially increasing her time in the general education setting to make her feel more a part of the class. I wonder if there is a push-in model (the special education teacher is in the classroom with her) that might be utilized to include her inclusive time. The special education teacher could adapt the curriculum, but she could complete her work within that setting. It sounds like her teachers are being collaborative by trying to come up with solutions to help Emma feel more connected to her class, and I think a breakfast or lunch bunch would be a good place to start. Other options to consider might be some time with a friend that has been selected to help make Emma more comfortable around peers, or some choice time in her general education classroom if she completes her reading and math in her special education classroom.
Fiioonna – Two practices I see in the case of “Nicholas” are the practice of general curriculum and positive behavior supports.
In the case of the general curriculum I see for Nicholas, he has now transitioned into a general education setting and is amongst his peers and still receives services. One such service he receives is co-taught classes. In those co-taught classes, he receives instruction in “directions to the entire class in brief sentences and with visual cues” (Friend, 2023). Receiving direction in this way allows for Nicholas to process this information at his own pace, but allows him to receive instruction at the same time as his peers so he is not separated from his peers. This allows him to connect with his peers as he can collaborate with him on the information that is being given to the class. As an aside this is also beneficial to his peers as all students learn in a different way, and the way information is given to Nicholas might also help another student learn as well regardless of if they receive special education services or not.
In the case of positive behavior supports I see for Nicholas when his teachers alert him to a disruption in his schedule. The teachers have a good relationship with Nicholas and know the behaviors he presents if something is currently causing him stress or will cause him stress such as when “he often rocks when beginning a writing assignment, but this stops as he focuses on his work” or informing him of a particular safety drill that might be happening that day/class period (Friend, 2023). The teacher recognizes all of these things as aspects of how Nicholas processes what is going on around him and takes that into consideration when planning for the class period or planning for the day.
Another practice I see is collaboration. Nicholas in his classes has a co-teacher. That co-teacher needs to collaborate with the general education teacher to ensure that Nicholas and any other student receiving services is getting the help they need in that class. Whether that is through less/assignment modifications or in the way the lesson is delivered. Teachers must collaborate with the school to ensure that in the case of a change of a regular schedule the student knows that there will be change and that the student can get assistance in that new transition.
