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Home : 2001 : Oct : 28
Classroom Organization
By Nikki
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I teach ED/LD Resource, and yes, I think that many spec. ed teachers have the challenging task of teaching different subjects/levels at the same time! (And you have to just love it when people who don't know what it's like say "Well, I have to teach 25 kids, and you only have 9!" grrrr!!!! : ) Anyway, it's a good idea to have folders ready because you have to be prepared for the unexpected. The poster that suggested not scheduling 3 subjects at one time,... I think that is pretty obvious, and I don't know about you, but I don't have that luxury. The regular ed. teachers in my school have complete and total priority of when they want to teach their subjects, and so I have no control over when I'm teaching what subjects and when. At times, I'll have some kids alone for 20 minutes before others come, and I try to work on things that I need to be there for (oral reading, vocabulary, sight words) Then I work with another group while the groups of kids I just worked with do something out of a folder, like penmanship, ind. practice activities that they can do alone (again, many of my kids are in my program b/c they can't do the work by THEMSELVES!) so things often get interesting. In otherwords, I just "rotate" in a sense, the kids I work with, trying to get to everyone, but the above poster is correct in that you can only do so much and you are only ONE PERSON! Like I said, I try to take full advantage of when I have any child alone (even for 10 minutes) that I can work one-on-one with...... this times does add up, and for me, I feel that I'm doing all I can. Because I have my ED kids in with me, who are generally very smart, I often set up a system where they can "earn" to help other kids with their work. I don't do this daily, but it comes in handy. I don't pair two fourth graders together, because I don't want any student to feel inferior, so I'll usually pair up one of my 5th graders with a 1st or 2nd grader, and both kids really like working with each other, (plus it reinforces positive social skills that we work on!) Another thing I will do that I find effective, is that if I have 2 kids that are normally grouped together for reading/math, I have file folder games that they can do after I have some time to work with them. They will usually stay on task because it's a game, and if they aren't, I usually tell them that it looks like they want some "un-fun" worksheets, which usually gets them back on track! Okay, I'm rambling. Email me if you have any other questions. My first year of teaching this way, I was a wreck trying to teach everything I wanted to teach each day, but sadly, you just can't. Once you get a system in place, you'll feel more comfortable, and will know that you are doing everything you can!
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