Interview

1. Have you experienced any diverse learners in your classroom?

a. Yes I have but not really this year.
2. What challenges are you experiencing right now?
a. It is mostly behavioral issues. There are two students who tend to not
get along so they can cause some problems in the classroom. There
are students who just moved here from their country and although you
can tell that they try, they get lost in the expressions I use and some
things sometimes get lost in translation.
3. What do you do in those situations?
a. I usually have to separate them and do not put them in the same
groups. Some students unfortunately cannot get along. The students
who are having a hard time understanding what I am saying I usually
try to use different words or approaches and they receive extra help.
4. What challenges have you faced teaching students with special or diverse
needs?
a. They get frustrated and tend to shut down. Then you will have the
students who are more advanced so they finish before the others and
can cause a distraction.
5. What modifications do you do for your lesson?
a. The students who are advanced receive extra work. And the students
who are struggling I try to offer one on one attention while the class is
working.
6. Is their work different material?
a. No they are learning the same material but they will receive more
questions and maybe a few more complex questions to challenge
them.
7. Do the other students notice?
a. I use the students as a way to set the bar for the rest of the class. I will
have the students occasionally try to work out an advanced problem

for the class and then their classmates tend to try to catch up. It seems
to work for the classroom.

Reflection
I was very excited to be placed in the classroom. The
Cooperating teacher was honestly amazing. Her ideas of having
advanced students lead the way and then unknowingly the class
following their footsteps was interesting. In my learning
experience in a kindergarten and first grade classroom, I have
seen that by praising one child instead of scolding was almost a
chain reaction of the class trying to seek approval as well. I
believe this could be the equivalent of that. The classroom sees
the students working on difficult problems and they challenge
themselves and push forward trying to reach the same level.
That is definitely something that I want to include and try out in
my classroom. I also was able to relate when the CT mentioned
that students who do not understand tend to shut down. In my
experience I have seen students lose hope that they will
understand a math problem or that they will finish reading. Its
hard to keep their hopes up and their interest in the reading. I do
wonder on what the correct strategy would work for two students
who do not work together? As a teacher, should you have them
talk? Should you just accept that they just cannot be together? I
really have no idea what the best approach would be. In my
classroom, if I separate the students, would I not be just delaying

the inevitable? Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the interviewing

process. I learned so much and the CT was truly a wonderful
teacher to interview. I hope that in my time in student teaching, I
am blessed with a mentor such as her.

Observations

I loved observing my cooperating teacher! My CT was fun

and engaging. She had the kids moving around. The elementary
school I was placed in were undergoing testing therefore the
students were unable to talk very loud. The classroom did not
have any anchor charts or childrens work on the wall. The
reason being that the fourth graders were going to be testing the
following Monday. The CT was upset saying that she hoped I
would see the classroom in action. She mentioned that because
the fifth graders were testing she was unable to have the
students doing their normal interactive activities. The CT
separated the classroom into groups and gave each group one
large page of parchment paper. The groups were each assigned a
different math section and the students had to explain as many
strategies that they had learned during the year and then
present it to the classroom. One group was in charge of division,
another was in charge of explaining decimals, another group was
in charge of fractions and etc. it was quite interesting to see the
assignment play out. The teacher had previously explained who

the advanced students were and for that group the teacher
modified their assignment and asked them to explain more
strategies than any other group and for the students who were
having a hard time, the teacher helped them one on one explain
and guide them towards the different strategies. When they were
working in their EOG notebooks, the teacher explained problems
on the white board and called on students to explain the strategy
they used and then proceeded to ask students what other
strategies did they use.

Observation Reflection
As mentioned previously it was a privilege to be welcomed
into this classroom. The teacher would be a wonderful mentor to
observe and to learn from. Her interest in the childrens future is
so clear that it is truly inspiring. She modified the lesson to better
serve the students. I am sure that it will never be an easy task to
cater to every single students needs but maybe the majority. It
was interesting to see the way the teacher set the groups fluidly.
I am sure that her strategies for catering to the students needs
is something that a lot of teachers could learn.

About the Students in the Class Featured in This Assessment

1. Grade level(s) [ 4th grade
2. Number of

students in the class [ 27

males [ 7 and females [ 19
3. Complete the chart below to summarize required or needed supports, accommodations,
or modifications for your students that will affect your instruction in this learning segment.
As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first two
rows have been completed in italics as examples. Use as many rows as you need.
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/supports or
accommodations/modifications to instruction or assessment (e.g., students with IEPs or 504
plans, English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with
gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students needing greater support or challenge).

Learning Needs
Category

Number of
Students

Example: Visual processing

Example: Struggling
readers

Example: Attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder

Advanced students

Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP
Goals
large print
Leveled text, targeted guided
reading, ongoing reading
assessment
Seated close to the front of the
class, Behavior monitoring sheet,
included in many hands-on
activities
Students are given more
challenging work within the same
sections as the other students.

Submitting your assignment: Submit your work via Moodle by the due date and time.
Please be sure to number and title each section of the paper for clarity:
1. Interview questions and answers
2. Interview summary
3. Observation summary.
4. Application to Units
Students will present their clinical findings informally in a class discussion. Everyone will
be expected to participate. (This is a required class meeting.)

Scoring Sheet (Points are earned for both completeness of content and quality of
information.)
Diverse Students Clinical (4220) Scoring
Sheet
points
possible

Part 1 - Interviews
Questions are pertinent and relevant.
Questions are sufficient to provide needed information.
Summary paper shows synthesis of the information.
Summary paper shows evidence of new learning.

2
2
2
2

Part 2 - Observation Summary

Paper relates pertinent details of the observation.

Paper discusses how teachers modify curriculum and instruction

to meet diverse needs of students.
discusses surprises, things not seen before, impressions, etc.

3
3

Part 3 - Application to Unit

About the studentssections 1 and 2 complete
About the studentschart 3 complete with
appropriate and quality information
Overall assignment: mechanics, grammar, organization
total

2
3
3
25