Learning instructors need baseline data for learning objectives. It helps them to gauge what the learner already knows or their previous academic competence. It provides a good starting point for effective delivery of knowledge. Moreover, they are significant in showing learner progress and to validate strategies and learning methods used. The special education teachers can gather the data on their own or from teachers who are experienced in dealing with the focus learner or have their records (Sencibaugh 85). Nevertheless, the instructor should gather the learning goal before planning the learning section. Where possible, they should collect baseline data that reflect what they will gather in the assessments. In other words, baseline data helps to describe prior learning experiences of the focus learner, assess what they already know, evaluate their performance and previous records.
(b) Issues Related To Planning For Communication
Since communication is critical to the learning process, the instructor should ensure that they clearly convey the role of the focus learner and ensure their participation in the learning objectives. The goals of the learning segment should encompass communication skills that are integrated into the learning content. For instance, they would want to explore the verbs used and explain them through signals, comparisons, arguments, or requests. Perhaps they could choose a specific communication skill that the focus learner requires to take part in the instruction or display learning for the particular learning goal (Sencibaugh 92). They also have to support the learner to get familiar with the communication skill as well as its effective use. Not only should the support tactics be particular to the application of the communication skill, it should be not necessarily related to the accomplishment of the learning objective. Strategized interventions for communication can encompass modeling, graphic organizers, spell-check, and vocabulary building.
(c) What You Learned About Planning, Instructing and Engaging a Focused Learner
I learned that learners with special needs require attention more than do their normal counterparts. Learning is individual-focused. The instructor should be conversant with their specials needs and their learning abilities or competence. With their past skills or performance known, the instructors would thus find it easy to tailor their lesions or objectives to address their specific educational needs. Communication is essential as well, and the teacher should ensure that they enhance delivery and retention through assistive learning interventions such as graphic organizers, follow-ups, and individual engagements (Sencibaugh 95). The learners require patience, meaning their instructors should be people who are willing to understand them, patient enough to make them grasp the lessons, and never judge the abilities—or lack of them. Overall, the article was informative and a valuable piece for early childhood and special education teachers.
(d) Issues related to Video
While video-learning is an interactive learning process, it is an ethical and confidentially requirement that the teacher seeks the consent of all learners as well as anyone who features in the videos. It is a requirement that they receive consent forms from the program coordinator. They could blur the faces of people accidentally appearing in the videos. Besides, the videos should not be posted in public platforms such as YouTube, Facebook (Sencibaugh 89). Precisely, they should only be used by people involved in the edTPA evaluation. The learning process should ensure professionalism and confidentiality, with the information relating to the focus learner only shared among the teachers, the family, and authenticated professionals.
Work Cited
Sencibaugh, Joseph M. "A Synthesis of Content Enhancement Strategies for Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties at the Middle and Secondary Level." Reading Improvement, vol. 45, no. 2, Summer2008, pp. 84-98. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true"db=tfh"AN=33228214"site=ehost-live.
