Artifact Link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-XDHEY-TSUrgG-kHZ754HcHSsY3w2NGtav4o54_sFUo/edit

Standards 1:

Beginning special education professionals understand how exceptionalities may interact with development and learning and use this knowledge to provide meaningful and challenging learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities.

Artifact Description:

    My group reached a parent network called G.E.A.R. This advocacy group is a free support for parents and caregivers about learning more about their child’s diagnosis and ways to help regulate their behavior. G.E.A.R is a crisis and counseling that is run by parents for parents offering many different ways of support. 

Connection to Standard:

    This artifact connects to standard 1 because of learner development and individual learning differences. Standard 1 states special education professionals understand how exceptionalities may interact with development and learning. This supports my artifact because teachers should know what appropriate support and targeted goals students need to be academically and socially emotional successful in the classroom environment. The teacher understands what support is needed for the student and how to deliver the support needed for the student to be successful. The teacher being aware of different resources used is important to support the student. The teacher identifies and understands where the student struggles and uses differentiation to provide the student the support needed. By understanding the student needs support outside the classroom the teacher can work alongside different resources for the student to reach for development and understand that student has different needs to be successful. The teacher understands how differences influence the learning with exceptionalities. It is important for the teacher to be aware of the support the student and what they are doing at home and providing the continuum of support within the classroom such as language, culture and family background. Understanding and providing resources such as G.E.A.R and understanding the use of a wide variety of resources will allow the teacher to use appropriate strategies within the classroom, adapt instructions, engage the learner, monitor progress, model and lead for better collaboration. It is crucial the teacher understands the resources students are in because in an advocacy like G.E.A.R they offer counseling and it is important the teacher is aware of that because the student can be working on tools in that environment and those tools can be carried on into the classroom. Standard 1 as well talks about understanding the knowledge to provide meaningful and challenging learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities. This goes along with my artifact because it is important for the teacher to understand the development of the student. Without knowledge and collaboration when working with the parents on resources the teacher might not understand where the students process and meeting targeted goals is coming from, which can lead the student to get challenged more which can lead to frustration because the work is too hard or frustration because the work is too easy. When working with different resources like G.E.A.R it is important to keep collaboration to work alongside each other to monitor progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, use appropriate work, and engage the student in the work. This will allow for the teacher to understand the students’ learning differences working alongside the resources as well as how to respond and support the student with their individual needs and goals. 

Reflection and Connection to career:

    I wanted to make a connection between the importance of the teacher understanding the learners’ development and individual needs. It is important for the teacher to be aware of the resources the student is getting. Teachers should make connections within their lessons as well as using differentiation to connect students with their personal targeted goals. When working with resources such as the G.E.A.R network we can understand how effective this resource is and how it is beneficial to the student within the classroom. As well, teachers can monitor the students progress within this outside resource like G.E.A.R  such as if counseling is helping the student regulate their body and if that something that we want to bring inside the classroom or if it’s something that we just wanna keep as an outside resource. Understanding different ways that work for students is important and having connections will allow the teacher to understand the development and differences the student needs. This connects to my future career because teachers want students to reach their targets goals and having different resources each student needs is important within their personal growth. Educational resources help improve the educational outcomes for the students by positively influencing their learning and behavior. Teachers should combine knowledge of understanding what works well for their students within the curriculum and the use of these resources to provide appropriate engaging opportunities for learning. This knowledge of the resources can help co-construct knowledge as part of continuing development for the students which will be used in my future classroom.