The purpose of an inclusive classroom is to provide the least restrictive environment to students with disabilities. General education teachers, along with special education teachers, work together to ensure that all students are receiving proper instruction. Decisions regarding instructional practices must consider the needs of all students based on formative and summative assessments, as well as IEP goals established for students with disabilities.
Arrange the field experience for this course in a K-12 school setting in which you observe and collaborate with a certified K-12 teacher in a social studies and/or arts inclusive classroom. Prior to the field experience, review the requirements of all clinical field experiences. Create a document to share with your mentor detailing the requirements for all field experiences for this course, and what is being requested of your mentor. This document should include the scheduling required to complete all assignments.
Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience.
Part 1: Collaboration with Mentor
Collaborate with and observe a certified teacher in the K-12 inclusive classroom during a social studies and/or arts lesson. Before the lesson, discuss with your mentor teacher the following:
Content and standards the classroom is currently learning.
How the mentor teacher will gather information and determine if students have met the learning objectives, including next steps for student learning and how the teacher plans to remediate students who are struggling.
Strategies the mentor teacher uses to engage students with the content, promote cultural diversity, and address individual student needs.
Any resources, media, and technology being used and how it supports content, skill development, engagement in learning, and individual student needs.
Strategies the mentor teacher uses for teaching cross-curricular content and vocabulary.
Part 2: Observation of Field Experience Classroom
Along with your mentor teacher, identify a student or small group of students with below standard achievement. At least one student in the group should require an Individualized Education Program (IEP). You will work with these students in your future clinical field experiences. Discuss with the mentor teacher effective strategies they have used to engage these students with content and monitor their progress.
During your observation of the lesson, pay close attention to instructional and engagement strategies involving students who require additional support. Take note of strategies you can implement in future clinical field experiences when working with students identified in your small group.
Part 3: Preparation and Reflection for Future Field Experiences
Following the lesson, have a discussion with your mentor teacher to begin preparing for future work with students. Your discussion should include, but not limited to, each of the following:
Did students meet the intended learning objectives and master the content standards? Compare your mentor’s responses to your own observations regarding student achievement and how it was determined.
What are next steps in learning? Will students in the selected group need to be remediated or will learning move to the next topic? Discuss whether the student or group of students you will work with in future clinical field experiences has changed based on these results.
Determine with your mentor teacher how you will work directly with the student or small group of students during Topic 3 Clinical Field Experience B.
Spend any remaining field experience hours observing or assisting the mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
Additionally, in 250-500 words summarize your observation and discussion with your mentor teacher, including the instructional and engagement strategies involving students who require additional support. Describe how you will work directly with a student or small group of students in future field experiences. Discuss how you will apply what you have learned to your future inclusive classroom.
