Précis

I currently teach at a Title 1 public high school (grades 6-12) that is fully inclusive. Special needs don't just encompass congenital issues; special needs, in my mind, also includes remediation. It means being able to teach students who don't possess the background knowledge that a teacher might expect of their students on Day 1 of class.

Having spent most of my teaching career working with low socio-economic students of various abilities, students who may find themselves attending more than 3 schools in a single school year, it has become immensely pragmatic for me to set up my courses in ways that allow students to merge into the current classwork as easily as possible. This entails having a clear path with concise instructions so that they can see where we've come from, where we're going and how to get there.

In designing a unit for instruction, I am now trying to ensure that its architecture envelops all of the above and that the source material can be experienced in as many ways as possible; to that end, I do my best to find free online resources online- images, videos, audio, etc.

One of my favorite formative assessments has been a narrative essay which the students then turn into a movie where they narrate their essay. I've included two of my favorites in the artifacts, one of which was created by a special education student and which I then closed-captioned so that it could be experienced by many.

UPDATE: It's September 2012 and I'm teaching at a different high school (not Title 1). I'm finding that what I've learned at my old school will still be put to good use here. Good teaching is good teaching, no matter where you are and who your clientele is.