Making content accessible for all students can be a difficult task. Classrooms are filled with diverse learners from all different backgrounds with different strengths, needs, home languages and learning styles. This is particularly true in a moderate to severe special education classrooms where students have varying levels of academic, developmental, communication and social abilities. Over the course of my teaching career and my time at Brandman I have learned valuable ways of engaging and supporting all students’ in the classroom. There are many multiple ways to teach in the classroom that accommodate all students. I have previously discussed my four learning models that address TPE 4: Making Content Accessible. In my classroom I consistently use: Hands-on Learning, Collaborative Projects, Experimental Learning and Direct Teaching. It is essential that these …show more content…
Finding a way to target each students developmental stage, as well as staying age appropriate for students is complicated and often challenging. It is especially difficult when teachers have such limited resources and purchase many materials on their own. Although it is a challenge it is important both socially and academically to introduce these students to age appropriate content and materials when teaching. One way that I am able to use TPE 6: Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices is to use low level high interest books and texts. I also use close reading methods and other scaffolding techniques when we do read grade level material. I have included a sample of a reading guide and subsequent lessons that we used to support the reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcorer’s Stone. This book is appropriate for Middle School aged students and the students were allowed to select the novel leading to high student