Student Abilities and Challenges

Every student is of worth, has potential to learn and grow, and deserves a high-quality education. Every student also has abilities and challenges. The following is an action plan that I found to be realistic for me to actually follow in making necessary adaptations.

Before School Starts:

1. Review classroom routines. Make sure they are clear, simple, and easy to follow.
2. Consider having a class notebook to help students stay organized.
3. Meet with special education teachers in building to review student IEPS. Make notes on which students or classes will have paras or other accommodations (which ones need to sit up front or have other special adaptations).
4. Ask other teachers who had these students what methods or strategies worked best for them with accommodating.
5. Review lesson plans to make sure they have accommodations (both for enrichment and remediation).


During the School Year:

1. Meet regularly with the special education teachers and paras to communicate about handling behaviors or how to improve classroom instruction/adaptation. Ask for accountability for implementing the IEPs in the classroom.
2. Ask students for feedback about what is working for them and what we should try differently.
3. Inclusion is not just a law or best practice, it is an attitude and an opportunity to teach all students how to appreciate differences and to live in community (helping each other). Keep the vision of what all students can become, not just how they are currently.
4. Continue to study more and learn based off of the specific learning needs of the students in my classes. Reflect on how I am implementing and how I can improve.
5. Focus on good teaching strategies: use graphic organizers, give short and simple directions, break down bigger projects into smaller manageable parts, use visuals, break down class into smaller segments (use a variety of activities), allow for “brain breaks,” etc.