Blog 3

What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

In both of the classrooms I have been in the desks are set up in a table format. Most of the children have a group of students that they are by. There are a few students who are set up in partners and other students who are by themselves. I think the children that are by themselves is a modification. I think the students who are alone have some type of learning disability that makes it so they can't focus and get distracted easily. By placing them by themselves, it reduces the distractions. These students could have ADHD. If they are with a group, there are more things to draw their attention and distract them. It is also easier for their mind to wander. Since they are alone, they are able to focus more.

I think the students who are in patterns may also be a modification. One child in the partnership may be gifted and excelling in school. While the other student may be behind. The teacher could have partnered them up so the student that understands the concept is able to help out the student that does not get it as much. The teacher cannot get around and help each student individually so she is relying on other students to help.

Another modification I have seen is a student who does his work on a laptop. When they take notes or do a project, the assignment is digitized and instead of writing in the answers, he fills them out in a word document and submits the assignment electronically. This child may have difficulty writing and it is easier for him to type it out. He is still doing all of the same assignment just in a different way.

Another child is not very good at spelling and reading. They are currently working on writing and publishing their own stories. I helped this child with his story. He would dictate what he wanted to write and I would type it for him. Then, we would read it together and make sure it was just the way he wanted it. We would change what was needed and read it again together. We would do this until he was satisfied with how it turned out. He was still writing his own story he just needed a modification because he can not spell and read well.

Blog Post 2

Tell us about an opportunity you had to work one on one.

I worked with a child this week on his student treasure. Student treasures are books that the students write and illustrate then they send it out to get published. This particular child was very behind on his book. While the others were working on their illustrations and putting the final product together, he was still writing it. He needed a lot of help.

I am starting to think this child has some sort of learning disability. I have worked with him once before on mixed numbers and improper fractions and I am starting to notice things. I had to type the story for him while he dictated what to say. It was hard for him to give me any information. I had to prompt him multiple times to see what we could add to his story. He had his basic story written but he needed to ellaborate on it. WHenever I asked about something, he said he did not want to put that in his story. It was a real struggle to get him to add more information.

This child is very smart however. I think he struggles in the social aspect. When we worked on mixed numbers and improper fractions, he was able to do it perfectly but refused to share how he got the answer with the class. It will be interesting to work with him more and observe him in the classroom.

Blog Entry 1

Blog Post 1

What developmental differences do you see between the children in the classroom?

I am currently assisting in a fourth grade classroom. The students there are so much fun. They are all smart in their own way and working with them is such a rewarding experience.

Today I worked with three different small group with changing mixed numbers to improper fractions and improper fractions to whole numbers. The first group I worked with struggled through the first few problems. The only ones they got right, they had guessed on. After explaining it to them, they quickly picked it up and were able to solve the last problems with little to no help from me at all. These students just needed a little more explanation of the concept before they were able to do it on their own. The next group was completely different.

The second group was four children who were all over the place developmentally. I had one child, Child A, who could not focus on the problems at all. He was constantly looking around and could not focus. When I could get him to focus, however, he knew all the answers. He would explain to me how to get the answer but would not share with the group. Another child, Child B, was very ahead of the other children. After we worked the first problem together, she was ready to solve the others on her own. She always wanted to share how she got the answer and was first to volunteer information. The other two children, Child c and Child D, could not grasp the concept at all. They were guessing on every problem and couldn't keep focused. I explained it in multiple ways but they could not grasp it. Near the end of the assignment, Child C, started to understand. She was able to do the last few on her own with little help. Child D could work through everything as long as I walked him through the problem. Child D mostly wanted to work on drawing and doodling on the worksheet. While he was not so great at math, he is amazing at drawing. He was excited when i recognized his drawings and tried to apply that to the math concept. That started to help him understand the problem more.

The children in this classroom are all smart in their own way. Some are behind socially and do not want to share anything or participate in group work. Others are behind cognitively and do not understand things as quickly and easily as the other children. They all have something they are really good at like Child D with his drawings. I am excited to spend more time in this classroom and learn more about the children.