I have found this entire SMKMBM program both very intriguing and useful for my teaching career. I really enjoys the initial "That one Kid" portion, it provided a great insight into the expectations of the course. The "Parent Interview" portion of the course was by far the most intriguing, it was very eye opening to hear the parent perspective of a struggling learner, emotions were very high.
As the course unfolded, I really enjoyed filling out the "Pencil Sheet". The Guided Notes portion of the learning is what I found most beneficial to my teaching. I specifically used some of the strategies from Attention & Organization for one of my students. Giovany has difficulty staying on task, he lacks attention to details causing him to make plenty of careless mistakes in writing, listening and group work. I was able to set up an organizational system for him, which required him to follow a set of steps when writing and working in groups. He enjoyed previewing the checklist before heading out to work, it provided a great reminder to him of his work expectations. We then at the end would review the checklist where we were able to talk and reflect on his behavior. Giovany, along with the rest of the class, was also aware that he needed preferential seating when in whole groups.
The "Pencil Sheet" also provided me with great teaching strategies for another one of my students. Camila is a student of mine who receives speech services. At the beginning of Kindergarten, mom and dad were concerned that she may have a learning disability far more than just her speech. At mothers request, SpEd department moved on with an autism evaluation of Camila. In the end of their findings, it was determined that Camila was not autistic, but she did present language difficulties, and lacked both processing speed and auditory processing skills. The guided notes section provided me with strategies specific for Camilas learning. I learned that she benefits from visuals specifically when it comes to listening and learning her sounds. As far as her lack of processing speed, I have implemented shorter/fewer instructions for her throughout the day and also aid her by previewing guided reading texts.
In the end, I really enjoyed the SMKMBM learning journey. I found it both intriguing and beneficial for my teaching. I will continue to used what I learned from SMKMBM to better instruct my students.
As the course unfolded, I really enjoyed filling out the "Pencil Sheet". The Guided Notes portion of the learning is what I found most beneficial to my teaching. I specifically used some of the strategies from Attention & Organization for one of my students. Giovany has difficulty staying on task, he lacks attention to details causing him to make plenty of careless mistakes in writing, listening and group work. I was able to set up an organizational system for him, which required him to follow a set of steps when writing and working in groups. He enjoyed previewing the checklist before heading out to work, it provided a great reminder to him of his work expectations. We then at the end would review the checklist where we were able to talk and reflect on his behavior. Giovany, along with the rest of the class, was also aware that he needed preferential seating when in whole groups.
The "Pencil Sheet" also provided me with great teaching strategies for another one of my students. Camila is a student of mine who receives speech services. At the beginning of Kindergarten, mom and dad were concerned that she may have a learning disability far more than just her speech. At mothers request, SpEd department moved on with an autism evaluation of Camila. In the end of their findings, it was determined that Camila was not autistic, but she did present language difficulties, and lacked both processing speed and auditory processing skills. The guided notes section provided me with strategies specific for Camilas learning. I learned that she benefits from visuals specifically when it comes to listening and learning her sounds. As far as her lack of processing speed, I have implemented shorter/fewer instructions for her throughout the day and also aid her by previewing guided reading texts.
In the end, I really enjoyed the SMKMBM learning journey. I found it both intriguing and beneficial for my teaching. I will continue to used what I learned from SMKMBM to better instruct my students.