Classroom Set Up
In Harry and Rosemary Wong’s book The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, they state that “what [teachers] do on the first days of school will determine [their] success or failure for the rest of the school year” (Wong 3). No pressure, right? Starting a new year with a new class can be a daunting task. The unknown is always scary, and until you meet everyone on the first day of school, there are a lot of questions about how your classroom will run. This is especially the case in a classroom with a variety of learners. Teachers can review student files, work to make a friendly and inclusive physical space, develop and prepare management systems that will help classes run as smoothly as possible, and create a first day of school package for students and assistants. In preparing these areas in advance, the first days of school can be less chaotic, and set the stage for a year full of positive learning experiences for everyone involved.
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Getting to Know Students and Staff
Special Education teacher Christine Reeve expresses the importance of getting to know students as much as possible before the year begins. She writes that "without reviewing their files (including their IEPs) you can't know what you need to have ready for them on the first day to start out successfully" (Tips). It is also a good idea to get to know any EA's, SERTs, or other support staff that will be helping you throughout the year.
- Review IEPs and OSRs before school begins to make sure they have the proper resources and space available to students on the first day.
- When possible, individually invite students with IEP's that indicate anxiety, or a need to familiarize themselves with the physical environment of the classroom. It also provides an opportunity to meet the parents and informally discuss goals for the year, and get suggestions on how to most effectively work with their child.
- Set up meetings or at least call or e-mail EAs and SERTS before school begins. This will not only allow for some suggestions for strategies and resources to prepare to best help specific students, but it will also show your support staff that you respect their opinions, and plan to work as a team.
Classroom Environment
If a student feels safe and comfortable in class, they are most likely more willing to share and be open to the learning that happens there. In their article “Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome” by Jessica Bucholz and Julie Sheffler, they suggest that having a warm, well decorated and well organized classroom will help your classroom to be inclusive of all learners. They mention that the physical environment “plays a part in the ownership students feel about their school and more specifically their class,” and that “the classroom environment should do as much to foster cooperation and acceptance as the instructional method the teacher uses”(Bucholz). Below are a number of suggestions on how to prepare your classroom environment to encourage community, ownership, and learning.
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Management Systems
Before school starts, it is important for teachers to decide what systems they want in place to manage their class in order to properly prepare to implement them. Teachers should consider:
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First Day Welcome Package
Teachers should prepare an extensive first day package to hand to students and support staff on day one. They should carefully review and teach students the expectations they have of them for the year. This package should outline the agenda for the day, and schedules and procedures for the rest of the year. The package can include:
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Practical Application - Case Study
James Smith (Gifted and mild ASD)
Eric Banks (Not identified, but suspected dyslexia and ADHD)
Josie Halford (Angelman Syndrome)
Ali Parks (Profound visual impairment)
- A share chair will promote sharing among students, but in a structured and organized way. This may be a useful strategy for James, who loves to share his expertise on a variety of subjects. There can be set time of day that opens the floor to the use of the chair, which will help to manage interruptions in class.
- A designated quiet space will allow students to take a break, cool down, or reflect personally on their behaviour. This may be helpful for James (and Eric), who may get frustrated more easily with classroom tasks.
- Create a "bored jar" with task cards or special seat work for students who are ahead. This method may work especially well for James. He may enjoy the challenge of extra assignments. The tasks could also be tailored to the subjects that he is interested in.
- Free time files is another strategy to encourage productive free time between lessons. Tailoring the files to James' interest may help to keep James interested. He may also like the challenge of creating files for his classmates as a way to teach them about a subject he is an expert in.
- Deciding on a system for speaking out with visual cues/reminders will be important for James and Eric. Linda Kardamis adapted a system for stopping disruptive behaviour in class from Harry and Rosemary Wong. Her detailed method (including how to approach warnings) can be found HERE. LouAnne could use this system to help James and Eric in self-managing themselves. The visual reminder on the board may be useful in reminding them to wait their turn. She could have a small whiteboard or chalkboard designated for this.
Eric Banks (Not identified, but suspected dyslexia and ADHD)
- Placing visual cues (number lines, alphabet, ruler, etc.) on each desk to aid in lessons will be helpful to Eric when he needs help focusing on or recalling information.
- LouAnne should make sure she has audio book copies for all novels she intends to teach. These will be a useful aid for Eric, so he does not get frustrated with only the written text.
- Quiet space and fidgets will provide Eric a safe space to work on self-regulating his behaviour, and positive strategies to release his energy.
- Incorporating brain breaks/brain gym into daily transitions is a great way to use up excess energy, and work on gaining focus throughout the day.
- A mentioned above, having a system in place for speaking out of turn will be important for teaching Eric how to regulate his disruptive tendencies. Using visual cues to remind him when he is being disruptive may also be useful.
- Making sure there is adequate space between desks will allow LouAnne to include more physicality and movement in lessons, which should lend to Eric's learning style.
- Having desks in clusters will help Eric during academic activities, as he will be able to ask his peers for help.
Josie Halford (Angelman Syndrome)
- Keeping desks in clusters will help Josie (and Ali) to get to know their peers, and work on their social skills.
- The share chair may be a good strategy to slowly encourage Josie to share about herself and get more comfortable with conversations in public.
- Setting up a meeting before school starts would be a good idea to help decrease some anxiety she may have about starting school, and to allow her a chance to familiarize herself with the environment and with LouAnne.
Ali Parks (Profound visual impairment)
- Ali would also benefit from audio books for any reading selections required for class.
- Placing Braille labels around the classroom will be very important to allow Ali to gain more independence throughout the room.
- A private space will have to be created for Ali's specialized equipment.
- Aside from gaining social skills in desk clusters, the formation will allow Ali to use an extra desk to keep important equipment nearby.
- Ali would also benefit from a meeting before school to become familiar with the physical layout of the classroom. Practising how to get around should help her to feel more comfortable once the first day of school comes around.
Educational Assistant (Rachel Scott for Ali)
- Set up a separate desk area for her to use to organize their things, and store any special equipment. This should also help to make her feel valued and respected as a professional in the classroom.
- Create a staff communication center to stay organized as a team. It can be hard with more than one staff member in the room to remember where things were put, or what goals are met, or messages that were given, so having one central place for organizing communication should help keep everyone on the same page.
- Create IEP clipboards for each student with an identification as a quick and easy way to keep track of goals. These should be kept in a safe (locked) place that is accessible to staff only.
- Provide seating for Rachel at the back of the room (as opposed to right beside Ali and Josie). It will be important for LouAnne to discuss her plan for their assistance with Rachel. In this case, in trying to teach Ali independence, they will have to decide on a system for Ali to ask for help, then she will assist her as needed. Working on this plan before school starts will be a good idea so expectations are clear for the first day, and the atmosphere of teamwork will have already begun.
Works Cited
Brie. "My Special Education Classroom." Breezy Special Ed. 26 August 2011. Web. 19 February 2015.
Bucholz, Jessica, Julie Sheffler. “Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome”Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. 2.4 (Spring/Summer 2009). Web. 10 February 2015.
Kardamis, Linda. "How to calm a disruptive class: The quick and easy method that saved my sanity." Teach 4 The Heart. 26 August 2013. Web. 20 February 2015.
Katz, Jennifer. Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning. Winnipeg: Portage&Main Press, 2012. Print.
Reeve, Christine. "Five Ways to Keep Reinforcement Effective in Your Classroom." A Special Sparkle. 23 June 2013. Web. 19 February 2015.
Reeve, Christine. "Tips for New Special Education Teachers: 7 Tips for the Beginning of the Year." A Special Sparkle. 24 July 2013. Web. 19 February 2015.
Wong, Harry K. The First Days of School. Singapore:Harry K. Wong Publications Inc. Print. 2009.
Bucholz, Jessica, Julie Sheffler. “Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome”Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. 2.4 (Spring/Summer 2009). Web. 10 February 2015.
Kardamis, Linda. "How to calm a disruptive class: The quick and easy method that saved my sanity." Teach 4 The Heart. 26 August 2013. Web. 20 February 2015.
Katz, Jennifer. Teaching to Diversity: The Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning. Winnipeg: Portage&Main Press, 2012. Print.
Reeve, Christine. "Five Ways to Keep Reinforcement Effective in Your Classroom." A Special Sparkle. 23 June 2013. Web. 19 February 2015.
Reeve, Christine. "Tips for New Special Education Teachers: 7 Tips for the Beginning of the Year." A Special Sparkle. 24 July 2013. Web. 19 February 2015.
Wong, Harry K. The First Days of School. Singapore:Harry K. Wong Publications Inc. Print. 2009.