Clinical Field Experience B: Identifying Student Challenges
When teaching mathematics to students with mild to moderate disabilities, special education teachers first will identify student challenges. Identifying these challenges is vital in addressing the specific needs to help students continue to flourish in their academics. There can be numerous areas in which students struggle in mathematics and identifying differentiation strategies to help lessen these struggles is vastly important.
Allocate at least 3 hours in the field to support this field experience.
With your mentor teacher, identify a student or small group of students with disabilities who would benefit from differentiation and engagement strategies during an upcoming math lesson or activity.
Part 1: Student Challenges
With the mentor teacher, observe the student or small group of students while they work on math problems in class. Identify areas where the student or students seem to struggle.
Areas of concern where students may struggle include (but are not limited to):
Output difficulties
Organizational difficulties
Language difficulties
Attention difficulties
Visual spatial or ordering difficulties
Difficulties with multiple tasks
After observing and noting concerns, discuss with the student/students whether the areas you identified were challenging for them. Continue to work with them with guided practice and support.
Discuss your findings with your mentor teacher. Offer intervention strategies you could implement to help the students learn the math concepts being taught. With your mentor teacher, decide on 1-2 strategies to further develop in Clinical Field Experience C and implement in Clinical Field Experience D.
Part 2: Reflection
After observing and talking with the students and your mentor, summarize and reflect upon your experiences in 250-500 words, including:
Your initial conversation with the mentor teacher, identifying how the student or students were chosen.
Areas where the students seem to struggle.
Summarize the conversation between you and the students discussing the areas that seemed to challenge them. Were they in agreement with you, or did they feel that they did not struggle or did not need support? If so, how did you continue to support them?
Strategies you suggested to the mentor teacher, his or her feedback, and what strategies the two of you ultimately decided you would implement (which may be the same or different from what you originally suggested).
Explain how you will use your findings to further assist the students while working with them in this placement. This will also help prepare you for Clinical Field Experiences C and D, as well as your own future classroom engagements.
Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Document the locations and hours you spend in the field on your Clinical Field Experience Verification Form.
Submit the Clinical Field Experience Verification Form in the last topic. Directions for submitting can be found on the College of Education site in the Student Success Center.
Clinical Field Experience B: Identifying Student Challenges
Student's Name
College/University
Course
Professor's Name
Due Date
Part 1: Student Challenges
Observing Student Struggles
In the middle school classroom setting for students in grades 6-8, I observed several key challenges faced by these students when working on math problems. These challenges encompassed a range of areas, including difficulties with output, organization, attention, and handling multiple tasks. According to Billingsley et al. (2019), each set of challenges is distinct, and most children face these difficulties in a mathematics class. Middle school students in this age group often exhibited output difficulties, struggling to communicate their mathematical solutions through writing or verbal expression effectively. Additionally, organizational difficulties were apparent, as some students faced challenges in structuring their thoughts and materials while attempting math problems. Attention difficulties were observed, with some students struggling to maintain focus during math tasks. Lastly, difficulties with handling multiple tasks concurrently were noted, indicating a need for strategies to help students manage multiple aspects of math problems. Subsequently, we engaged in discussions with the students to gain insights into their perspectives on these challenges and continued to provide guided practice and support.
Relevant Strategies
To address the identified challenges faced by middle school students in grades 6-8 while learning math concepts, we collaborated with our mentor teacher to develop targeted intervention strategies tailored to the specific needs of this age group. After careful consideration and discussion, we have chosen two promising intervention strategies. The first strategy, "Interactive Math Workshops," involves creating engaging and interactive math workshops that encourage active participation and collaboration among students. Through the creation of a dynamic and interactive learning environment, this strategy is designed to tackle challenges associated with maintaining focus and managing multiple tasks (Sheridan et al, 2020). Ultimately, it empowers students to cultivate a more profound comprehension of mathematical concepts. The second strategy, "Digital Math Portfolios," leverages technology to enhance math learning and organization. Students will use digital tools to create and maintain individual math portfolios where they can document their progress, organize their work, and reflect on their mathematical journey. This strategy aims to mitigate organizational difficulties by providing students with a structured digital space to keep track of their assignments, notes, and achievements. Self-assessment and metacognition skills obtained in these workshops will help students take ownership of their learning process. Th...