Feb 14 reading

I found this week’s readings to be rather interesting. The first one I am going to discuss is the Maples article. I really enjoyed this article and the idea of asking parents to write about their students. As future teachers we are constantly hearing about the importance of making sure our lessons are relatable to our students. This is hard to do at the beginning of a semester when we are still trying to learn who our students are. By asking parents to write about their children a teacher is not only forming a relationship with that parent but also learning about their students from the people who know them best. Those letters can also be beneficial in learning about what works best for getting students attention and interest. They would also be beneficial as a way for a parent to share any learning disabilities their child may have.

The Breitfelder article mentioned the importance of using visuals in teaching, especially when working with students who may have different disabilities. The article mentioned that many students may struggle with auditory instructions but are able to excel with visual ones. I really liked how this article gave different examples of how to use different pictures and graphs in the classroom. Not only did the article explain these resources, it showed pictures and explained how to create them. Another topic I liked that the article brought up was using a rewards system in the classroom. The article said that this has been found to be very effective with students struggling with attention or behavioral disorders. I have seen my CT use rewards and benefits when working with an ADHD student. She says that she has seen an enormous improvement in his work since she introduced the rewards system. One of the things she said is important when using rewards is to make sure the students’ parents are on board.   The behaviors and work ethic need to be required not only in the classroom but also at home when working on homework, this will help to make a permanent change in the students’ work.