High Level Practices
Gabby Vitrano
Dr. Naidu
December 2, 2022
Collaboration
1. Collaborate with professionals to increase student success
During my time at Seiberling in the special education classroom, I was able to meet a
professional who works with orthopedics. There is a student in the class who requires braces to
walk comfortably and more stabilized. This professional came into the classroom to take a look
at the braces and alter them as needed. Stephen J. Hernandez said that “Collaboration in
education is seen as a legal mandate, best practice in teacher practice, and necessary for the
inclusion of children with special needs (2013).” By law, we need to obtain the best for our
students and this student must have these supports, so a good relationship with professionals is a
must. Paraprofessionals play a huge role in the special education classroom. They spend as much
time with the students as the teacher does and they have to form relationships with the students.
It is imperative that the teacher and the para have a good relationship and can work well with
each other. Micheal F. Giangreco describes that many overworked teachers feel a sense of relief
when they learn that a paraprofessional will support a student in their class (2003). This is
understandable, but it is not a reason for the teacher to stop paying attention to that student just
because they have more help. The teachers and para’s should be working together to provide the
best education for that student.
Assessment
4. Use multiple sources of information to develop a comprehensive understanding of a
student’s strengths and needs
It is important for a teacher to know the strengths and needs of their students. The special
education teacher provided a list of these on each of her students' IEPs so she knew how to
engage them and what they needed for instruction. This is something that I plan on doing in the
future so I can differentiate instruction based on the specific strengths and needs of each student..
One way to find out the strengths and needs of your students is to assess them. A few different
assessments that you might use are surveys, conversations, wall-writes, moving questions, and
dialogue journals (Egbert, J. & Ernst-Slavit, G.). When working with students in inner-city
schools, you hear a lot of them say that they don’t care about school and that they aren’t going to
college. Even on the elementary level, “The urgency of making meaningful connections with
students becomes clear when we consider the dire consequences that may result if students
disengage from school (San Antonio 2008).” Students need to know that you care about them
and their futures and they need the encouragement and support to do the best they can.
Social/Emotional/Behavioral
9. Teach social behaviors
Many of the students that I had in the special education room have not yet developed or
learned appropriate social skills. There are a few of them who are nonverbal and have AAC
devices. One student in particular wants to hug and kiss everyone that he meets. We have to tell
him that we only kiss our family members if it is ok with them, and that we have to ask
permission from someone before we hug them. He is probably so comfortable with behaviors at
home that he needs to learn different behaviors for outside of home (McIntyre).
Instruction
19. Use assistive and instructional technologies
Sources
Egbert, Gisela Ernst-Slavit and Joy Egbert. “Assessing Student Strengths and Needs.”
Planning Meaningful Instruction for Ells,
https://opentext.wsu.edu/planning-meaningful-instruction-for-ells/chapter/chapter-3-assessi
ng-student-strengths-and-needs/.
Hernandez, Stephen J. Collaboration in Special Education Its History, Evolution, and
Critical Factors Necessary for Successful Implementation. Distributed by ERIC
Clearinghouse, 2013.
McIntyre, Thomas. “Teaching Social Skills to Kids Who Don't Yet Have Them.” Teaching
Social Skills to Kids Who Don't Yet Have Them | LD OnLine,
https://www.ldonline.org/ld-topics/behavior-social-skills/teaching-social-skills-kids-who-d
ont-yet-have-them.
San Antonio, Donna Marie. “Understanding Students' Strengths and Struggles.” ASCD,
https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/understanding-students-strengths-and-struggles.
Working with Paraprofessionals - University of Vermont.
https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Center-on-Disability-and-Community-Inclusion/Gi
angrecoworking.pdf.
