Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping is a very important at the school I work at. Because the Montessori model is to group the kids in three year blocks (3-6 yrs., 6-9yrs., 9-12 yrs., and 12+ or middle school) we need to have a strong map. We call this a 3-year cycle. We need to make sure that while a child is in our class we have covered everything. I have sat on the team that does the curriculum mapping, and while it's not an easy task, it is so important and rewarding. I feel it gives the teachers a roadmap of the content that needs to be covered in a years time, yet the freedom to differentiate the instruction from there.

Differentiating Instruction

As a student, a mom,  and a Montessori teacher, I strongly believe that the one-size-fits all approach to teaching is the most damaging. In my opinion, the ability to differentiate instruction is what makes the best teachers stand above the rest. I believe that the first thing needed to be able to differentiate instruction to your students is to know them...truly get to know each child. If you know what kind of learner they are and what makes them "tick", I believe you can give them all the best possible education. One way I've gotten to know the learning styles of the students in my class is to give them a learning inventory. This not only can be used as a tool for me, but I like to see them reflect on how they feel they learn best. Assessing often is another way to really know where your kids are at. If I know where they all stand in a subject, or even a single topic, I can then group the kids and give smaller group lessons. By knowing how the kids learn best, I can give different tasks or follow-ups to the kids on the same topic. This gives them an opportunity to become an expert on their portion of the topic taught, and then share that with the class. Another, more traditional way to differentiate is to give different homework as needed. I really feel that there is no right or wrong way to differentiate instruction, you just need to know your students and the rest will come.

Collaboration

Luckily, I have a very good working and personal relationship with all of the regular ed teachers. I feel I am in a good position at times, because for the last 12 years I was on the other side of the SpEd teacher/regular ed teacher table. If I had to name one, a challenge we've had this year is concerning the modification of the SpEd students' assignments. It's sometimes hard to draw the line between what the regular ed teachers are supposed to do, versus what I do, and what the special ed teacher has done in the past. If I have time between pull-outs and teaching my remedial math and grammar class, I usually work on creating modified classwork (for the other classes) for my SpEd students. For example, the students are participating in a "Mapping the World by Heart" program this year. If I know in advance what continent the students will be working on next, I can either simplify or retype the checklist or enlarge a blank map and darken the lines for those who need it. Technically, this is something the general teachers are responsible for because it is their class, but if I have the time, I am of course happy to help. The challenging part for me is that the teachers have grown used to me helping in this area, so I'd feel guilty if I ever backed off. I haven't found yet that I don't have enough time to help modify the work, but next year I will have more SpEd kids at the Middle School than any year in the past.

Technology in the Classroom

I love to use technology in the classroom when I can, and more importantly, when it's relevant. At my school, as a special education teacher, I have access to two laptops, one iPad, and the Mimio system. For the most part, I use the laptops when working with the kids who use the Reading Horizons reading program, and any word processing. I use the iPad quite often, as it is can be used for almost anything. I appreciate the portability of the iPad, and the kids enjoy using the Dragon (speak to text) program. The iPad also has many useful apps for my autistic students. The Mimio (an interactive whiteboard system ) is the the one I am least familiar with. I just haven't gotten my hands on it enough to feel totally comfortable with it. My goal is to get comfortable with it by the end of the school year, so this summer I can include it when lesson planning for next school year.

Reading- Prompt 7

In my opinion, teaching kids (with disabilities especially) to read is one of the most challenging things. I use a wide array of strategies, but although I've been teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th grades for over 10 years, it still seems I'm searching for the right tools...this feels like a weakness. For the ones who are really struggling, I go back to the basics, work on decoding strategies. For those with reading comprehension issues, I tend to teach the tricks, and work on the engagement needed to fully comprehend. I really enjoyed reading a book called The Book Whisperer. I feel that this was a very easy going approach, yet inspiring. After implementing some of the authors strategies, I can see a shift in the attitudes of some of my students.
With the Common Core standards being implemented, I'm seeing the heavy concentration being put on finding the theme of the text, and the overall analysis of the piece. This is stirring up a lot of angst, especially with the high number of students on the autism spectrum that I see.
I feel like I have embraced the Common Core standards, I've even chosen to attend a 3-day conference on the language arts portion. But in all honesty, I know I still have a lot to learn.