1. The Ideal Classroom
Melissa Wiseman

2. INTASC STANDARD INTASC Standard, Description and Rationale
Standard #1 Learner Development
The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
Name of Artifact: Final Project
Date: May 3, 2015
Course: EDUC 230
Brief Description: For this assignment, I planned out what my classroom may look like in the future, picked three exceptionalities and the different accommodations that I would put into place to differentiate for each one.
Rationale: To document my understanding of Standard #1, Learner Development, I chose my final project because it illustrates my understanding of the differences in learning that each child has and the different ways that I may accommodate those learners to help them to be successful students.

3. Classroom Layout
The classroom is large and bright. There is a desk for every student and they are grouped together in 4’s or 5’s, a computer center, a reading center, and a small group instruction area. The walls will showcase student work, vocabulary words, just right reading information, a lunch menu, and a behavior chart for students to clip up and down on. The layout pictured was found at

4. Classroom Layout
A classroom behavior chart works really well to motivate students to continue to make good choices. Students all start on “green” and then can clip up or down depending upon behaviors. If a student clips down, they always have the opportunity to clip back up again. (

5. Classroom Layout
A reading center is a very important part of a classroom. Books are categorized by genre, are easy to see and find, and cover many different topics. Info about finding a “just right” book will be found in this area on the wall. (

6. Hard of Hearing Students
Prevalence is about 10% of people aged 6-21, “but there is strong evidence that indicates that students who are hard of hearing are far more prevalent than those who are deaf.” (Hallahan p 264) The prevalence of students who are hard of hearing is why I chose this exceptionality.
Accommodations include facing students while speaking, not speaking while writing on the overhead or board, allowing students time to look over notes before speaking, minimizing arm and hand movements, and providing handouts for all material that is presented on the board or in note form.
All of these accommodations are beneficial to students who are hard of hearing because those who are hard of hearing and speech read need to be able to see your mouth as you are talking. As such, they cannot speech read what you are saying and accurately take notes at the same time. Providing handouts ensures that no material is missed by the student.

7. Scaling Up my Teaching
For hard of hearing students, my teaching will need to be scaled up to properly accommodate these learners.
Having printouts and notes available at the start of class is one way to scale up my teaching.
Placing students in carefully considered spots throughout the room so that they are more able to work with peers who are appropriate is another way my teaching will need to change.
Scaling up my teaching in this way and the simple accommodations that I have chosen will encourage my students to learn because they will be secure in their learning environment and they will not miss out on any coursework.

8. Gifted and Talented Students
I chose this exceptionality because of a prevalence of at least 3 million students who fall into the gifted category and 90% of teachers want professional development in gifted education. Knowing that there is no federal funding to support this type of education makes it more important than ever for me to be aware of accommodations that I can implement to better differentiate for these learners. (

9. Gifted Student Accommodations
“Differentiating the curriculum to address differences in rate, depth and pace of learning.” (University of Delaware)
Students should be allowed to pursue independent projects rather than being assigned more curriculum level work to reduce being bored.
Provide for plenty of social activities.
“Set individual goals.” (University of Delaware)
Team teaching or collaboration is useful in that students are able to take a higher level math or English class.
Students should also be able to work together in groups based upon abilities so that all students are challenged in a way that is appropriate for them.

10. Gifted Students
A popular way to accommodate gifted and talented students is to allow them to work in groups to work together to solve a problem. This gives them the chance to develop both higher level thinking skills and creative thinking skills.
( e_room)

11. Scaling Up my Teaching
In a general education classroom that has some gifted learners, I will definitely need to scale up my teaching to accommodate this group.
A willingness to be flexible with my curriculum and having a multi-level curriculum will be necessary.
Having students that are gifted will require more prep time and a need to have more material ready.
My students will be encouraged to learn because I have created an environment that is inclusive to all types of learners, the curriculum will be designed to meet them all where they are, and because input from students is both necessary and useful so they will have a say in their own education.

12. Students with ADHD
I chose to have this exceptionality in my classroom because the prevalence of diagnosis is 10%. (
It seems likely that I will have students with this diagnosis in my classroom many times during my career.

13. Accommodations for Students with ADHD
Rules need to be very obvious and posted for all to see. Using pictures to explain rules can be helpful. (Barkley, p7)
Directions must be stated clearly.
Behavior tracking is necessary to promote the adherence to rules. (Barkley, p8)
Allowing for more time on tests and quizzes and taking them in a resource or quiet room.
Using Fidgets during quiet time to help a student who might be hyperactive.

14. Accommodations for Students with ADHD
One of my favorite accommodations for children with ADHD is to substitute a regular classroom chair with a stability ball.
“Research shows increased level of attention, decreased levels of hyperactivity, and increased time on task and in seat or on ball.”
(Fedewa, p 393)

15. Scaling my Teaching Up
Having students with ADHD in my classroom means that I will be scaling my teaching up in my preparedness, in my ability to stay consistent, in my ability to stay on task. I might need to scale my teaching down to make sure that some students do not fall behind.
All of the accommodations that I have chosen will encourage my students to learn because they will be more focused and on task, they will have a teacher who is consistent with her expectations and consequences, they will be in an environment that is inclusive to all learners.

16. Benefits/Drawbacks
The benefits of having special needs students in my general education classroom is the opportunity for them to work with average peers and learn from them.
Another benefit is that the peers will be exposed to many different types of learners and have the opportunity to take a leadership role and learn empathy.
A drawback to having special needs students in my general education classroom is that there will be times when the entire class waits for a particular student to catch up.
Another drawback is that the teacher may not get as much one-on-one time with all of her students if she is spending extra time with a student who has additional needs.

17. Classroom Management
It is important to set clear rules and consequences from the beginning, always address unwanted behaviors. Teaching routines and being consistent are necessary. “Catching your students being good” and praising often supports a positive learning environment. Keep students involved and engaged by assigning tasks and jobs so that they are a part of the team. (

18. Classroom Management
Using the PALS system (Peer-assisted learning strategies) is one way to help encourage interactions and peer relationships between students who are exceptional learners and who are average learners.
“PALS involves the pairing of a higher performing student with a lower performing student.” (Hallahan, p135) The students work together on different things.
Using peer mentors is also a good way to encourage peer relationships. Carmel Clay schools identifies students who may be struggling socially and they have high school students mentor those who need help the most. This teaches the students some very valuable social skills and helps them to make new friends.

19. Outside Resources www.ces.ped.org Council for Exceptional Children
They offer both live and recorded free webinars that cover at least 15 different topics. Topics included are effective teaching strategies for students with disabilities, behavioral instruction, and evidence based practices.
I chose this resource because it is free, covers a wide range of topics, and is something that I could utilize from my own home or office when time permitted.
Using this resource would benefit my professional development because I would gain knowledge which would better prepare me as an educator.

20. Outside Resources
National Association of Special Education Teachers
This website contains both audio lectures and a power point library that come free with your membership. Topics covered include early intervention, preparing for an eligibility committee, and reporting formal assessment to parents.
Utilizing this website would benefit my professional development in that it would help to me to prepare in discussions with parents and help me to be able to better answer their questions.

21. Outside Resources
Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children
This website features free webinars and a syllabus share. They also have conferences (One in Indianapolis last year!) that one could attend for more hands on learning. Topics covered include using technology with special needs learners, co-teaching and collaboration, and successful grant writing.
This website and organization will benefit my professional development by offering me the opportunity to learn at my convenience from my home or a more hands on learning approach by offering conferences. I was particularly pleased with seeing a grant writing webinar as I know the language for grant writing must be precise.

22. Personal Reflection
Based upon the prevalence of special needs today, it is obvious that I will have exceptional learners in my general education classroom. Being as prepared as possible through my education is paramount to my success. Having plenty of outside resources that I can look to for continued professional development will help to ensure that I continue to be an excellent teacher.
Having an understanding of my students’ needs and being able to accommodate them appropriately will help my classroom to run smoothly. Knowing when I need help and where to find it is another important attribute to posses. In conclusion, being an inclusive teacher in an inclusive classroom is where I see myself in the future.

23. Resources
Hallahan, Daniel P. Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education Pearson.
Best Practices for Teaching Hard of Hearing Students. 1, May, 2015.
Bauer, Stephanie. Gifted Students: Recommendations for Teachers. 1, May, 2015.
Barkley Ph. D., Russell A. Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD. The ADHD Report Guildford Press.
classroom picture.
ADHD infographic
classroom picture
behavior chart
Fedewa, Ph.D., Alicia L. Stability Balls and Students With Attention and Hyperactivity Concerns: Implications for On-Task and In-Seat Behavior. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65,

24. Resources
gifted education infographic
The Big Five
Classroom layout picture