Chapter 5 Learning Log

What?
Kristin Wright, a professor at the school, came in and spoke with our class concerning students with special needs. I took an exceptional students class from Professor Wright last semester and found that she was extremely knowledgeable concerning students with special needs as she has previously taught in that capacity for several years in New Jersey. I am very glad that legislation such as the IDEA has been enacted to protect and educate all students. I understand that as a regular education teacher I will have students with special needs in my classroom. I realize that it will be my responsibility to accommodate the needs of these students in my teaching methods. Understanding the needs of these students and working to adapt to these needs will be the key to helping them reach their fullest potential. It will be up to me to create an accepting and understanding environment where all students can work together and thrive as a class.

In addition to discussing students with special needs, we began researching five different philosophies regarding intelligence. These include Spearman’s g, Catell’s Fluid and Crystallized, Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory, Distributed Intelligence, and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. In my experiences so far in my educational experience, I have only heard of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. From reading the chapter, I believe that each of these theories of intelligence are all very similar in that people are good at different things, and what they are good at has a lot to do with prior experiences.
So What?
As a future educator, I will have students with special needs in my classroom. Some things that can be done to help students with special needs will be helpful to all students in the classroom as well. I can minimize distracting stimuli, use many ways of presenting information, teach study skills and learning strategies and provide study aids. I can provide outlets for excess energy, help my students organize their time, listen patiently, and encourage regular communication. In addition, I can explain clearly my expectations and help to build student self-confidence by providing praise for student successes. Most importantly, I feel I will need to remember that each student is an individual and provide them with the tools to be successful.

I realize I will be called upon to teach a wide spectrum of students from those with special needs to those that are gifted and talented. I will need to prepare to meet the needs of each student. Using multiple teaching methods, I hope to be able to reach the needs of all the students in my classroom. By using different teaching methods, I believe that it gives the student many opportunities to explore what their talents may be.

Now What?
As I continue my education, I believe it is important for me to observe many different methods of teaching so that I can learn different ways to meet the needs of my future students. By closely paying attention to excellent teachers in the field and to professors here at UVU, I feel that I am preparing daily to meet the needs of my future students. In order to meet the needs of students with special needs, I believe that each year as I assess the students in my class I will find it necessary to do additional research into needs that may arise. In addition, taking additional classes and attending seminars on student learning and classroom management will be of benefit to my career.