Differentiated Instruction

Before

For the differentiated instruction artifact, I renovated Room 5, a makeshift sensory space that the school was attempting to use to help with regulation as a safe space for students within SPED and those with BSPs. The space had become a free-for-all play space that incited fights between students, led to support staff injuries (such as scratches and bites), and its overall lack of structure led to less time spent in the classroom by the students it was meant to support, with random students running in to "play with the toys". A sensory space embodies differentiated instruction for students with special education needs. Differentiated instruction refers to tailoring teaching methods, content, and learning environments to meet the diverse needs of students, particularly those with varying abilities and learning styles. A sensory space in a special education setting can serve as a valuable tool for differentiation, providing a sensory-rich environment that supports individual learning needs, self-regulation strategies, and controlled social-emotional skills-building opportunities. Along with this revamped space I set about creating rules for both students and staff (many of which did not have direct training in supporting a space such as this).

Part of creating a differentiated instruction environment included creating delineated spaces for learning. I created three main areas: the Art and Activity Area that has student-sized tables that could be brought together for adult-supported peer work, or moved apart for individual work. Within this area, loose items were placed in plastic locking containers to discourage dumping and to limit the amount of mess created during meltdowns. Activities were limited and placed in containers to be carried to work space, along the same lines as the art materials. On the other side of the Art Area is a Gross Motor Area with scoop chairs, exercise/calming/stretching printed card activities with yoga mats, an obstacle course (for balance development and cross-body reciprocal bilateral coordination- which helps with skills such as reading), and a trampoline (to provide deep proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input, helping to regulate the nervous system and improve sensory processing abilities, particularly for individuals with sensory integration challenges or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The final area is a series of quiet zones to help with self-regulation and de-escalation. This area has 5 niches, each tailored to a specific student's needs. There is a bounce-specific niche for proprioception needs; I purchased a spinning chair (for vestibular needs) and several bubble tubes and lights that are used in sensory spaces to support students with sensory processing needs, particularly for those with autism, ADHD, and/or sensory processing disorder (SPD). These sensory tools provide visual, tactile, and sometimes auditory stimuli to help students self-regulate, focus, or calm down.

I salvaged many things from the school and purchased additional items with a personal grant I received. I then created posters to help inform best practices and expectations from students/staff. My mentor teacher and I also agreed to a sign-in sheet to monitor who, when, and the amount of time spent in Room 5.

For future use, I would like to lead trainings to the support staff in Trauma Informed Care, Sensory Needs, and Positive Phrasing to better support the students who utilize this space. Ideally, I would also like to secure more grant money to purchase bubble tubes (for sensory stimulation), spinning chairs (for vestibular sensory input) and a way to install hard points to utilize sensory swings from the ceiling for compression and proprioception sensory input. Regulated students are students who are ready to learn.

After

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