1. Teaching Diverse Students

Artifact 1: Special Needs Accommodation/Modification Reference Guide

This document is the culminating task I created for my Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities course at Georgia State University during the fall semester of 2016. The purpose of this project was for us to create a helpful document to use throughout our time teaching students with a diverse range of needs and abilities. In this chart, you will find a list of 13 specific special needs. Corresponding to each special need, I have arranged a list of characteristics, several differentiation techniques suggestions, classroom accommodations, and a number of web resources for reference.

By creating this chart, I have demonstrated an understanding of the spectrum of student diversity (e.g., special education, gifted) and the assets that each student brings to learning across the curriculum (IPTS 1A). As a result, I have improved my understanding the impact of cognitive, emotional, physical, and sensory disabilities on learning and communication pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (also referred to as “IDEA”) (20 USC 1400 et seq.), its implementing regulations (34 CFR 300; 2006), Article 14 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/Art.14] and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 226 (Special Education) (IPTS 1D). This document suggests ways in which to identify individual needs and how to locate and access technology, services, and resources to address those needs (IPTS 1G), and also presents ways to analyze and use student information to design instruction that meets the diverse needs of students and leads to ongoing growth and achievement (IPTS 1H).

This chart is not meant to be an exhaustive list of disabilities/special needs and the ways in which to address them in the classroom. Rather, it is a collection of methods that I intend to use as a teacher in real-life settings when faced with a situation that requires differentiation and/or accommodation for students with special needs. It is a quick, go-to guide that will help, at the very least, guide me in the right direction as to the manner in which to handle an uncertain or unfamiliar situation.

Artifact 2: Field Experience Report & Interviews; India-American Cultural Association, Atlanta, GA

This artifact is a report that was written up following a field experience required for my Perspectives in Education class at Georgia State University during the fall semester of 2015. The purpose of the field experience was to get us out of our comfort zones by spending meaningful time volunteering with a cultural group far different from our own. This report contains a description of the site and participants, rationale for choosing this group, and a description of my experiences that includes notes and observations, several interviews of members of the cultural association, and finally, connections to the course content (i.e. equity, access & opportunity, and privilege).

By seeking out this opportunity, I sought to better understand the spectrum of student diversity and the assets that each student brings to learning across the curriculum so that I may implement more meaningful instruction to all students (IPTS 1A). My experience helped me to realize the impact of linguistic and cultural diversity on learning and communication (IPTS 1E). This experience also allowed me to see first hand how important it is for culturally diverse students to activate prior knowledge and link new ideas to already familiar ideas and personal experiences (IPTS 1I). Lastly, this experience enabled me to see how gathering information about students’ individual experiences, families, cultures, and communities can create meaningful learning opportunities and enrich instruction for all students (IPTS 1L).

Through this field experience, I have come to the understanding that maintaining one’s cultural traditions does not hold one back from becoming a fully functioning member of society. It helps families to continue being who they truly are and thus enables them to be happier and more productive individuals. One does not need to simply abandon their old ways in order to assimilate neatly into a conformed society. The reality is quite the contrary. As Sonia Nieto has articulated, "we speak in many tongues." This being said, I pledge to be an educator who is aware of the challenges and issues that immigrants face. More than ever, it is imperative to perpetuate an attitude that is conscious of the multicultural world that exists within the confines of American schools.