Alexa DAuria

Final Growth Statement for 5-Year Program

5/4/15
EDUG 868

The Learner
I am concluding my fifth year at Manhattan College in the Childhood/Special
Education program. In the five years that I have been in this program, I have had not only
extensive course work, but many opportunities to work with children in the classroom. I
know that I have grown tremendously as a learner and as a teacher.
I always knew that I wanted to be a special education teacher. The only
experience that I had with special education was throughout most of my schooling. The
support and resources that I was fortunate enough to have when I was a student helped
me overcome my learning disability and motivated me to want to work with special
education students.
When I first entered the program at Manhattan College, I knew that I had a lot to
learn. I did not know how to write a lesson plan or integrate standards into lesson
planning. I did not know how to write an IEP or integrate SMART goals into an IEP. I did
not know how to create an assessment or that there are formative and summative
assessments. I also did not know how to implement classroom management strategies or
behavior management strategies, including how to write/conduct a functional behavior
analysis or a behavior intervention plan. Although I had personal experience with
modifications and accommodations, I did not know how to develop these for students
with disabilities. I knew very little about differentiation, tiered lessons, and cooperative
learning. I also did not know that in reading instruction students are at different levels and

require leveled texts and that teachers determine these reading levels by conducting
running records at least three times a year. I had a feeling I understood something about
the flow and structure of a class, but didnt know how much direct instruction and handson learning there should be.
Fortunately, my experience at Manhattan College has helped me grow
tremendously as a learner and as a teacher. The most valuable part of the program has
been the field experiences, including student teaching. Along with this, was the
opportunity to apply what I was learning in my classes directly to my field experiences.
For example, I learned about guided reading while I was observing a second grade ESL
classroom. I was able to work with various groups each day, at different reading levels,
and guide them using comprehension questions, worksheets, pictures, and word cards.
While I was observing a first grade inclusion classroom, I learned about the different
types of disabilities and how to accommodate for them, as well as classroom management
techniques. The students in that class had a variety of disabilities, including emotional
disturbances and ADHD. I learned about and helped implement a behavior management
technique called red-light, green-light which was very effective in this class. When I
observed a kindergarten classroom for my downward extension/early childhood degree, I
learned how to conduct a functional behavior analysis. My graduate class required me to
conduct an FBA on a student. I was able to work with my cooperating teacher to plan and
conduct the FBA. The DASA requirement for NYS allowed me to respond to bullying
that students were experiencing while I was student teaching in a second grade
classroom. The more field experience I have had, the better a teacher I have become.

The most rewarding aspect of my classroom and field experiences has been the
opportunity to collaborate with my fellow students and my cooperating teachers. In my
courses, the students were required to create and implement lesson plans with each other.
This requirement allowed us to share our point of view so that our lesson plans could be
as effective as possible. Through this experience, I learned the importance of developing
a community of learners. All of my cooperating teachers have been very accepting of me
and have allowed me to participate in meetings, curriculum planning sessions, and CSE
meetings. This has given me the opportunity to get advice and see how other
professionals share their work.

Instruction
My coursework and field experiences have provided me with numerous strategies,
approaches, materials, and equipment that assist in teaching students with special needs.
Two of the theorists who provided me with a concrete understanding of teaching
and learning were Vygotsky and Piaget. I learned how their theories apply to the
classroom and how important it is to have a balance between group and independent
work. Information about the responsive classroom helped me understand the importance
of structures within the school day. For example, I like the idea of having a morning
meeting to motivate students and share with them the flow of the day. I learned a
technique that uses a chime to signal to students that it is time to stop work and listen to
the teacher.
I learned about many instructional strategies, which I would use in a classroom. I
think tiered lessons are very effective because they meet the needs of all learners.

Cooperative learning puts learning in the hands of the students and can help all students
learn from each other. I particularly like jigsaw, which I have used in my courses and in
my student teaching. Another instructional strategy I like is shared reading, which helps
students increase their reading fluency and comprehension.
Additionally, I learned behavior management strategies such as red-light greenlight, clapping, lights off, marble jars, scoreboards, tickets, and 1, 2, 3 eyes on me. All
of these techniques are ways of establishing rules and structure in a classroom so that
students can focus on their learning and feel safe.
Special needs students require many modifications and accommodations to help
them access the curriculum and remain included in a least restrictive environment. They
require such accommodations as hands-on materials, graphic organizers, word banks,
enlarged texts, visuals, sentence starters, and cloze procedures. There are also several
websites that all students can use to practice and improve their skills. Some of these
websites are: Think Central, Brainpop, Razzkids, Storyline online, abcya, Mathletics, and
Starfall.
Some technology that can be used in the classroom are the SMARTboard,
ELMO/projector, IEP direct, and ARIS (record keeping used in NYC). There are also
teacher resources that I learned about and would definitely consult while planning
instruction, such as Teacher-pay-teachers, Enchanted learning, Rubistar, Think Central,
and SMART exchange.
Additionally, some of my coursework helped me understand students who come
from different backgrounds and cultures, and recognize what they need to be more
successful in school and life.

Content
The most important content that I have learned in this program has been about
understanding the learning styles and needs of all learners. I learned various teaching
techniques and lesson planning to accommodate each learners needs. I have learned how
to differentiate and adapt curriculum to help students use their strengths and strengthen
their weaknesses. Although I was familiar with the parts of an IEP and the educators
involved in writing one, I learned the more specific language that is required to complete
the various sections of the IEP.
Another important content area was multicultural education. I come from a very
sheltered area with little diversity, which is not realistic. I chose to attend Manhattan
College because of its location and diverse students and faculty. I also appreciated the
opportunity to observe and student-teach in NYC public schools, where I could apply my
knowledge about students who come from different cultures and socioeconomic
backgrounds.
When I have a classroom of my own, I know that all of the content and practical
applications that I have learned will be implemented. I recognize that to create a
structured, motivating, engaging and effective classroom environment will take a great
deal of planning and collaboration. However, I feel confident that I now have the tools to
be an effective special education teacher.
When I entered this program, I was already familiar with the needs of special
education students. When I was in third grade I was diagnosed with a learning disability.
Throughout my schooling, I had many support systems and resources available to me to
help me grow as a learner. I became more confident in my ability to learn and used all of

the strategies and tools that my teachers provided to me. I do not think I realized how
fortunate I was to have these support systems until I was close to graduating from high
school. I began to think that not all students have these resources available to them.
Although I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, I did not really know how to become one.
My experiences at Manhattan College have now convinced me that I can be a good
teacher. I want to be able to provide to disabled students the same resources, techniques,
and strategies that I learned so that they can become confident, independent, and
successful learners.