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Explore the implementation of differentiated instruction, collaboration, and small group teaching strategies in special education classrooms to enhance student learning outcomes and professional growth.
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By: Jennifer Holtzmann Lincoln Elementary Special Education Teacher 2014-2015 The SLO Process Professional Development Unit
During the course of this PDU, what three instructional strategies did I implement? What strategy worked best? Why? • I differentiated my instruction based in instructional reading levels of students based on beginning and middle of the year benchmarking and created homogenous groupings based on students’ levels. • I collaborated with the classroom teacher in reading to ensure that students were able to complete grade-level work and gave individualized, targeted instruction on the readings. • I worked in small groups as well as individually when possible to target standards I was tracking in my SLO. • Referring to explicit details or examples in the text • I feel all three of these methods are integral in teaching students below grade-level, however teaching students to refer to explicit details from the text furthered their learning the most, to be able to show and prove their thinking. While we still struggle with “just knowing” and not being able to justify our thinking, my students more independently attempt to find details or say “I know it was in this passage,” but can’t always identify the exact phrase or example from the text.
How did I apply the PDU strategies in my classroom/practice? (examples) Who did I collaborate with during the PDU? Discuss the ways you collaborated while implementing the PDU strategies. • Through the SLO process, I implemented close reading strategies that I had not used previously. We first read the text to gain the main idea, then read for detail and to be able to answer questions. This pushed me to look at standards as whole, instead of solely focusing on teaching skills • I collaborated in the vertical team to guide me through completing the SLO process and application.
What did I learn to do differently as a result of the PDU and strategy implementation in my classroom or in my practice? • A major focus of special education in the past has been focusing on skill deficits of students on IEPs and working to build up those skills so students can reach grade-level and close their learning gap. A problem with this is that students often do not close that gap, and only fall farther behind while trying to reach grade-level because they are continually missing new skills being taught. • As part of the SLO process, I was pushed to look at standards as a whole and address the need of helping my students attain standards rather than skills. This puts a global look on my teaching and planning of lessons, rather than a more microscopic look at the skill level.
Why is this PDU action research process important to my students learning and to my growth as a professional? • The PDU action research is important to my students’ learning because they are a part of their classroom learning community, even though they are on IEPs. It is important for me to be able to help students meet the needs of the IEP goals, but also support their classroom learning when possible. This PDU helped me focus on the CCSS that all students are held accountable for learning. • The PDU action research is important to my professional growth because it helps me to look across grade-levels of the same string of standards to know where my students are and where they need to go.
PDU Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? • Throughout this PDU, I was confused in how to implement the SLO into what I already do with students – i.e. work on individual IEP goals. Because my students are all at different levels, it was difficult for me to determine what type of SLO would be most appropriate to track and monitor growth at the group level, when I already do it at the individual level. • I was able to use most of the progress monitoring tools I already use on a weekly/bi-weekly basis, as well as what I use for benchmarking three times a year, which made this process a little easier and less daunting than I originally had thought it would be.
How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • While I felt like a lot of time was used this year to determine how to meet the requirements of the SLO process and how/what data to collect, I hope to spend more time discussing student data next year and focusing on growing students, rather than assessing students. • I would like to learn more about how to successfully implement standards-based learning in the special education classroom, since it is apparent this a new expectation within the district.
Exit Ticket • What support(s) do you need to further your professional growth in future PDUs? • The ability to collaborate with other teachers on something that will be meaningful to our shared students. I don’t feel I was able to do much collaboration and was often sent to work on my own as the work that I do was seen as separate from the work other teachers do. Much of my SLO process happened through self-discovery and I would have appreciated the guidance and collaboration with more experienced teachers, even if the SLO process was new to everyone. • 2 things that you took away from the PDU this year • First, I believe that our school should re-focus on professional development that will actually benefit our students and that is less about compliance with “one size fits all” mentality, and more about the unique differences and needs of our population and our teaching practices. In other words, we should trust our experience and our teaching instincts. • Secondly, I have heard our staff members repeatedly express a desire to collaborate more authentically about our own teaching strengths/needs. We would benefit greatly by having the time to observe each other and share best practices within our own school. • 1 piece of constructive criticism • Instead of informing my practice, I felt like I had to complete components of the SLO in order to fill in boxes, rather than choose activities and lessons that were meaningful.
