Each day, in the cooperating classroom, the students are provided with a writing prompt that stimulates thought and creativity through illustrations, while assessing necessary skills that determine knowledge of language and conventions, as required by the fourth grade ELA (English Language Arts) Pennsylvania Department of Education Common Core State Standards. Today’s prompt was very interesting to the students and thought provoking, “If you had your own business, what type of business would it be?” (Domain 3 component 3b). First, I instruct the students to create an introductory sentence that turns the question into a statement modeling an example on the board such as, “The business I would own would be…because” (Domain 3 component 3a). The students in this classroom are diverse and there are several students with special needs. One student in particular, Mac requires a great deal of one-on-one support because he is a student with autism (Domain 2, component 2a). Mac has a very difficult time connecting with his classmates and with the lesson at hand; instead, he tends to rehash episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants that he watched before school and/or the steps of his favorite video game (Roblox), which he played before bed. Mac will stand up at random intervals during class and begin rotating his hands in a mechanical, repetitive motion (think boxing a speed bag), while verbalizing dialogue from the television show or making a repetitive sound, (like the roar of a machine) similar to the sound of the “bread factory” in his favorite video game, Roblox. Such repetitive, obsessive behavior is typical in children with autism.
According to the cooperating teacher and the special education teacher, it is very difficult to redirect Mac, which also causes the other students, many of whom are easily distracted, to have difficulty completing the assignment. Each day before class, the cooperating teacher, special education teacher, and I brainstorm strategies to redirect Mac and enable him to be interested in the assignment. Upon reading an article discussing autism and alternate behaviors including providing sensory stimulation, I asked if I could bring in a variety of manipulatives (small, bright-green textured ball, Play-Doh, and Legos), which may provide the sensory stimulation needed to redirect Mac. These manipulatives could also be integrated into instruction as tools for Mac to use to communicate his thoughts as part of the assignment. A major benefit of the introduction of these manipulatives was that the others students were interested in the manipulatives, so we decided to use them as rewards for later use by the entire class as well as an option to express the written journal entry and illustration. Before beginning the lesson, we would place the brightly colored, textured ball into Mac’s hand and tell him it was his “focus” ball. We would close his hand around the ball and gently encourage him to squeeze it. Instead of standing and making the repetitive sound (roar, roar, roar) as he mechanically churned his hands, he would squeeze the “focus” ball, sit, and allow him to be guided through the writing prompt. This was amazing because it empowered Max to focus and the other students to complete the assignment and not to become distracted.
Through this experience, I have learned that understanding student’s interests, needs, and backgrounds is essential in creating a positive, inclusive, classroom environment in which all students have the opportunity to learn through creative means. By meeting my professional responsibilities of participating in a professional community by meeting with the cooperating teacher and special education teacher, I could implement Total Participation Techniques (TPT) employing higher-level thinking by use of simple manipulatives. All students can bring their journal entries to life and communicate ideas that they may not be able to express completely in writing or verbally, as in Mac’s case. By using tactile objects such as brightly, colored textured balls, Play-Doh, and Legos, not only Mac is able to use these objects to bring the journal writing activity to life, but his peers can also use a kinesthetic activity to express completely a literary idea.
According to the cooperating teacher and the special education teacher, it is very difficult to redirect Mac, which also causes the other students, many of whom are easily distracted, to have difficulty completing the assignment. Each day before class, the cooperating teacher, special education teacher, and I brainstorm strategies to redirect Mac and enable him to be interested in the assignment. Upon reading an article discussing autism and alternate behaviors including providing sensory stimulation, I asked if I could bring in a variety of manipulatives (small, bright-green textured ball, Play-Doh, and Legos), which may provide the sensory stimulation needed to redirect Mac. These manipulatives could also be integrated into instruction as tools for Mac to use to communicate his thoughts as part of the assignment. A major benefit of the introduction of these manipulatives was that the others students were interested in the manipulatives, so we decided to use them as rewards for later use by the entire class as well as an option to express the written journal entry and illustration. Before beginning the lesson, we would place the brightly colored, textured ball into Mac’s hand and tell him it was his “focus” ball. We would close his hand around the ball and gently encourage him to squeeze it. Instead of standing and making the repetitive sound (roar, roar, roar) as he mechanically churned his hands, he would squeeze the “focus” ball, sit, and allow him to be guided through the writing prompt. This was amazing because it empowered Max to focus and the other students to complete the assignment and not to become distracted.
Through this experience, I have learned that understanding student’s interests, needs, and backgrounds is essential in creating a positive, inclusive, classroom environment in which all students have the opportunity to learn through creative means. By meeting my professional responsibilities of participating in a professional community by meeting with the cooperating teacher and special education teacher, I could implement Total Participation Techniques (TPT) employing higher-level thinking by use of simple manipulatives. All students can bring their journal entries to life and communicate ideas that they may not be able to express completely in writing or verbally, as in Mac’s case. By using tactile objects such as brightly, colored textured balls, Play-Doh, and Legos, not only Mac is able to use these objects to bring the journal writing activity to life, but his peers can also use a kinesthetic activity to express completely a literary idea.