Project: Intentional Teaching Capstone

Dominique Diamond
Getting to know your classroom
Professor Williams
I work in a 4410 special education preschool in Queens, New York. I work with children
ages three to five. All students have an Individualized Education Plan. They all receive related
services outside of the classroom including, speech occupational, and physical therapy. My
classroom is very diverse with students of all racial ethnic socioeconomical status’s. My
classroom community is shaped and influenced by Black, Hispanic, and Haitian cultures. Most of
my students are dual language learners, while others are trilingual. Cultural backgrounds shape
each learner’s perspective on the world they live in. Incorporating and inviting these cultural
beliefs into my classroom, creates both “Mirrors” and “windows.” Mirrors that reflect their own
lived experiences and windows that expose them to experiences of others.
With each child having an IEP there are individualized goals in each domain including
cognitive, language, social emotional, and physical development. we work on their goals
consistently throughout the year. This year I have a lot of students who come from backgrounds
of hardship and trauma. Living in shelters, undocumented and some exposed to violence.
Therefore, my classroom focuses on trauma informed teaching and emphasize social emotional
development.
Students receive accommodations within the classroom based on their individualized
needs this ensures meaningful learning and participation. Visual cues that include pictures or
words on their individualized schedules and labels around the classroom identifying areas of
play. This promotes independence and comprehension skills. Some students have Augmentative
and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to build on functional and expressive
communication throughout the day. We use flexible seating to accommodate sensory or
physical needs. My student’s developmental delays and different learning styles means all my
students benefit form a multi-modal approach to learning. Using multiple approaches of
learning creates a bridge where children can build on knowledge and make connections to new
concepts.
When creating lessons and activities I consider both cultural inclusivity and the learning
styles of each student. We don’t celebrate specific holidays instead we do things like fall festival
and winter wonderland. This year during our fall festival we made bread and then invited
parents to come in and celebrate by bringing a bread from their culture. This bridges children’s
lives at home to their academic journey.
Instructions are differentiated as needed to support each student on an individual level.
Within my classroom there Is a very big range of learning styles. I make sure each child can
participate by incorporating the support needed like hand over hand, visual guidance, or verbal
guidance. I use AAC devices for students who communicate alternatively.
I have six students enrolled in my classroom. Currently, my younger students who just
turned three seem to enjoy the block area and the farm animals more than anything. They like
to stack them and build towers. Their language and play skills are starting to emerge. My older
students gravitate more to the dramatic play area. They pretend to be chefs and make meals for
their teachers and friends. The girls like to play with the babydolls and the cribs feeding them
and putting them to sleep. Most of my students participate in gym and music in movement. We
cover a different theme every month and this month is transportation. Each activity for the
month is based around transportation. The curriculum focuses on center based learning and
sensory exploration.
My students are 3-5 and in the preoperational stage. Children in this stage are starting to
engage in imaginative play, symbolic thinking, and hands on learning. Cognitively I have
students at different levels. I have one student who is nonverbal. Cognitively he has emerging
problem-solving skills but needs more individualized and support throughout the day with
structured scaffolding. Another student who has expressive language emerging and learns best
with modeling, prompting and visuals. I have four students are at a similar cognitive level. They
are all have expressive and receptive language skills, two struggling with intelligibility and use an
AAC devices. Vygotsky’s Social Interactional theory expresses how important social interaction
and scaffolding within the zone of proximal development is to a child’s language development.
Using tools like modeling, visual support, and alternative communication devices supports
meaningful learning and engagement.
Based on ECERS scoresheet I would give my classroom a 5 in language and literacy. We
use many support systems to help each child’s language development. Model vocabulary and
expand on it as well. Our library and books are always available to the children and books based
on curriculum topics get introduced every month. The use of AAC devices also promotes
participation and growth in language development. I would also say our program structure is a
5. We use clear individualized schedules, timers for transitions, and incorporate free play and
group activities for learning.
In the CLASS domains of positive climate and regard for student perspectives I would say
my classroom is high, students and teachers in my room have created strong bonds. Students
look to us as a safe space. We laugh together and play together making fake nails out of playdoh
and other art materials. During activities we always have open ended discussions. Fostering
positive and social interactions. Lastly, behavior management I would say my classroom is mild.
While we have clear rules and expectations they are not consistently enforced. Sometimes
behaviors are ignored or the redirection is ineffective. Circle time we have one child who
constantly gets up and disrupts the whole morning meeting. We created a visual for him that
say my turn and has a green light, and the other side says not my turn with a red light. It rarely
gets used anymore. It did work for him and if every teacher in the classroom stayed consistent
with using this visual, I believe his behavior would improve. In my learning experience I would
maintain consistent language to model and expand vocabulary supporting students’
communication skills. I would change the way behaviors are handled by being more consistent
with behavioral supports and strategies throughout the activity to ensure participation and
safety