SPD-200: SURVEY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION: MILD TO MODERATE
DISABILITIES
Interview of a General Education Teacher and
Reflection
1. Can you describe your understanding of typical and atypical development regarding instances
you have seen in your classroom? What are the most common atypical developmental signs you
see?
Absolutely!, where I'm from, when the discussion of typical development comes into play, us
teachers and paras look at general milestones students tend to reach within the expected
timeframes with age and grade. Functions such as; speech development, fine and gross motor
skills, how they react in society, and how they are receiving information while also retaining it.
With that being said, atypical development can form in various ways, and in all honesty, no two
students are alike. I've seen it all, from speech and language delays, lack of comprehension-
especially with following and processing simple verbal instructions to even processing speeds,
which can greatly affect a classroom's academic work and make it much more complex. All the
way to ADHD- which is often enough to come by more frequently. Which has also introduced
me to other disabilities such as; dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. Often enough, you
sometimes don't notice these developments right off the bat, but over time it becomes a second
nature.
2. How do you differentiate instruction in your classroom to meet the diverse needs of students?
Do you often have students in your classroom with lEP's as part of the student's least restrictive
environment? Do you always find it easy to differentiate instruction for these students?
, Personally, when it comes to me, differentiation is just a non-negotiable part of life the teaching
world. Just like there's definitely no “one size fits all” section for clothing- it's the exact same
with students. Every single child learns differently, even if they're twins. So it's best to know all
types of ways to keep students of all levels just as involved and engaged as the next. I also want
to make sure that each student can show me their understanding in ways that we both know how
to express and accept. With that being said, I don't just use one strategy, I use a mix of them all!
Some would be visual, some hands-on, others through technology. Thankfully in today's world,
we have the opportunities to expand our options on how we can process new information. For
example, when guiding through reading lessons, my students are all working on the same story,
book, or theme. However, they could be at different levels of that story. Which basically means
rewriting the particular story to fit that level of comprehension. Typically comes from small-
easy-to-read sentences with beginner's sight words, all the way up to the highest level with very
complex wordings, but in the end tells the same story. And yes, you can find ways to do this in
every subject- just have to think outside the box!!
3. What does collaboration with special education teachers, support staff, and parents to meet the
needs of your students entail for you?
Anything you want to succeed with, you have to collaborate with. Such as a business,
collaboration is one of- if not the biggest factors in success. In my case, it would be the students'
success. Especially for students with exceptionalities. As they say "team work makes the dream
work", it's more than true when you work in this field. No matter the job, the label, or the salary,
it's all about working together to reach the same goal. Throughout these situations, everyone can
bring something valuable to the table. With the special education teacher, the first thing I would
make sure we were on the same page with would be lEP goals, what accommodations needed to
reach those goals, and which strategies that we've done that have not shown any level of success.
Now with support staff- no matter the position, are invaluable. I strive to make sure they feel
included in my classroom and that we all can work together to hit that goal for each particular
student. We could involve- weekly meetups, students pull outs, student check-ins, and
counseling for emotional expressions. Now for the absolute most important- parents. You know
DISABILITIES
Interview of a General Education Teacher and
Reflection
1. Can you describe your understanding of typical and atypical development regarding instances
you have seen in your classroom? What are the most common atypical developmental signs you
see?
Absolutely!, where I'm from, when the discussion of typical development comes into play, us
teachers and paras look at general milestones students tend to reach within the expected
timeframes with age and grade. Functions such as; speech development, fine and gross motor
skills, how they react in society, and how they are receiving information while also retaining it.
With that being said, atypical development can form in various ways, and in all honesty, no two
students are alike. I've seen it all, from speech and language delays, lack of comprehension-
especially with following and processing simple verbal instructions to even processing speeds,
which can greatly affect a classroom's academic work and make it much more complex. All the
way to ADHD- which is often enough to come by more frequently. Which has also introduced
me to other disabilities such as; dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. Often enough, you
sometimes don't notice these developments right off the bat, but over time it becomes a second
nature.
2. How do you differentiate instruction in your classroom to meet the diverse needs of students?
Do you often have students in your classroom with lEP's as part of the student's least restrictive
environment? Do you always find it easy to differentiate instruction for these students?
, Personally, when it comes to me, differentiation is just a non-negotiable part of life the teaching
world. Just like there's definitely no “one size fits all” section for clothing- it's the exact same
with students. Every single child learns differently, even if they're twins. So it's best to know all
types of ways to keep students of all levels just as involved and engaged as the next. I also want
to make sure that each student can show me their understanding in ways that we both know how
to express and accept. With that being said, I don't just use one strategy, I use a mix of them all!
Some would be visual, some hands-on, others through technology. Thankfully in today's world,
we have the opportunities to expand our options on how we can process new information. For
example, when guiding through reading lessons, my students are all working on the same story,
book, or theme. However, they could be at different levels of that story. Which basically means
rewriting the particular story to fit that level of comprehension. Typically comes from small-
easy-to-read sentences with beginner's sight words, all the way up to the highest level with very
complex wordings, but in the end tells the same story. And yes, you can find ways to do this in
every subject- just have to think outside the box!!
3. What does collaboration with special education teachers, support staff, and parents to meet the
needs of your students entail for you?
Anything you want to succeed with, you have to collaborate with. Such as a business,
collaboration is one of- if not the biggest factors in success. In my case, it would be the students'
success. Especially for students with exceptionalities. As they say "team work makes the dream
work", it's more than true when you work in this field. No matter the job, the label, or the salary,
it's all about working together to reach the same goal. Throughout these situations, everyone can
bring something valuable to the table. With the special education teacher, the first thing I would
make sure we were on the same page with would be lEP goals, what accommodations needed to
reach those goals, and which strategies that we've done that have not shown any level of success.
Now with support staff- no matter the position, are invaluable. I strive to make sure they feel
included in my classroom and that we all can work together to hit that goal for each particular
student. We could involve- weekly meetups, students pull outs, student check-ins, and
counseling for emotional expressions. Now for the absolute most important- parents. You know
