Planning Instruction (TPE4)

A third of my students this semester had Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to provide support and help them navigate learning disabilities. Planning instruction to include so many IEPs plus 3 GATE students and my other students was a continual but rewarding challenge(4.5). Planning with my CT and receiving guidance from her and other 3rd grade teachers was instrumental in the process (4.6), as they shared various resources with me that helped me engage students. I also wanted to be sure I offered students multiple means of engagement and representation (a UDL) strategy, so I tried to balance reading, listening, watching, and doing as forms of input (4.4). For example, in our science unit, sometimes students read portions of the textbook, sometimes they listened to me or watched a video, and they often performed experiments themselves to inform themselves. I also wanted students to have multiple ways of processing information and showing me what they were learning (4.7). For instance, for math, I would have students discuss with each other, show me answers with manipulatives, work problems on paper, and practice thinking in their heads and noticing patterns.

To support some of my students with learning disabilities, I used whiteboards to write down information that was on the TV to make it closer and more accessible for students with visual and reading disabilities. I also modeled for them how to use voice-to-text so they could type and complete the same assignments other students needed to complete. In general, because Chromebooks are introduced formally in 3rd grade at my school, I taught extensively how to use them and tools like Google Docs, and this was another important instructional tool to include in my instructional planning (4.8).