The students that I will be writing about will all be in an inclusive classroom scenario. The classroom will have twenty-five students and seven of them will have disabilities that I will be working with on a day to day basis. Two of the students have Learning Disabilities (LD). One has deficits in writing and reading skills and the second LD student has deficits in math. A student with cerebral palsy (CP) and is functioning below grade level in academic area. Two students have Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and both have difficult staying on task during classroom lessons. One student with Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD) has difficulty staying on task, difficulty with following the rules and needs a specific behavior plan to follow. My last student with disabilities is blind and all these students with disabilities need to sitting in certain areas of the classroom.
Analysis of the observation/Environment
The classroom layout that I would have for my classroom would be islands of five to create a flexible learning environment. Having the islands would have more floor space for movement or if a child needs to maneuver their wheelchair or walker.
I would have a group rug in front of the room for the large group instruction/discussion and other group activities. My desk would be in the back of the room. I would create learning stations to allow student so engage in different learn activities at the same time. Organize learning materials into stations, and place them around the perimeter of the room. I would include instructions at each station, so students can complete the intended activity by themselves.
This makes it possible for students of different ability levels to engage in appropriate learning activities simultaneously. I would then organize the material to ensure they can locate learning tools quickly. I will modify if needed to meet the children with disabilities. I would use filing cabinets, totes and labels to organize all instructional material. An organized system of material storage would allow me to make necessary modification quickly during instruction. I would also set aside for space for one on one instruction. Students with special needs often require one-on-one attention either from a teacher or an aide in the room. I would have a divider or a bookshelf to create a semi-private work area the students can be given one-on-one help without embarrassment of disruption. The one-on-one-instruction would also be helpful area if any general education students needed help. Now it's all about the seating arrangement next.
Students with ADHD, EBD and LD should be seated in one of these three areas. The student should be seated near the teacher. This child is seated near the teacher's desk. This assignment provides opportunities for the educator to monitor and reinforce the child's on task behavior. The second area would be near a student that would be a great role model. The seat arrangement provides opportunity for children to work cooperatively and to learn from their peers in the ...