The competent teacher understands the diverse characteristics and abilities of each student and how individuals develop and learn within the context of their social, economic, cultural, linguistic, and academic experiences. The teacher uses these experiences to create instructional opportunities that maximize student learning.
This semester in SPED 216 I created a presentation and a paper in order to meet Standard 1 from the IPTS. For the presentation and paper I chose to talk about ADHD in Preschool age students. In both projects I go over different strategies that teachers can use in their own classrooms that can help in supporting their students who struggle with the symptoms of ADHD. My focus is on ADHD in preschoolers because of my elementary education major and I am very interested in the possibility of teaching a preschool class one day. I also chose the topic ADHD because it is a topic that is close to me personally. I have been around people with ADHD my whole life with my brother who dealt with quite severe ADHD, and three other close cousins that deal with severe ADHD as well. It is something that I have seen in them my whole life and am very familiar with and is why I wanted to learn more about it and what strategies the teachers might have been able to use to help them in their daily struggles while in school. All in all, I created the powerpoint and paper to inform others about what strategies can be used to help students with ADHD manage their symptoms in order to receive the best education possible.
These two projects support standard 1 from the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards because it shows the diverse characteristics and abilities of each student and how they learn. IPTS 1G says, "understands how to identify individual needs and how to locate and access technology, services, and resources to address those needs". ADHD is a disability that teachers need to know how to identify and be able to determine what resources the student needs to support them and help to manage their symptoms. The teaching strategies talked about in the presentation and paper are ways that offer support for the students when they need it, such as checklists and simplified lesson plans, and provide strategies for presenting the lesson in a way that will help the student with ADHD succeed. These projects examine up to five different ways that a teacher can help support their student who struggles with their ADHD symptoms.
After completing the paper and presentation, I learned how prevalent ADHD is in children and how the simplest teaching strategies can make the biggest difference in their academic experience. Now that I realize the extent of ADHD's effect on children in the classroom, I understand the necessity of using these teaching strategies, and others, to help my students feel in control of their lives and offer ways to release the extra energy that they experience while still participating in class activities. These teaching strategies are simple but effective ways to create a safe learning environment for all students, even those without ADHD. One day, In my own classroom, I will remember these teaching strategies and how they can change a child's learning experience. I will remember the diversity in the classroom and implement them into my own lessons and classroom activities. Completing these activities has helped to deepen my understanding of ADHD and how it affects children, even at such a young age. It has shown me how I can modify my classroom and activities in order to support their individual needs and talents.