Arrange to visit a special education environment in an elementary, middle, or high school setting.
Observe a student with a physical or health-related disability, such as an orthopedic, sensory, or other health impairment (OHI).
Note the following while observing the student:
Student’s grade level and type of class
Student’s identified impairment/disability
Student’s academic and functional skills
Student’s level of engagement, motivation, and behavior
Instructional strategies or adaptations utilized
Learning environment specifics (including physical attributes)
Certified and support staff present
Write a 350- to 525-word summary of your observation experience that answers the following questions:
What are the student’s age, grade level, and type of school?
What kind of classroom was the student in (i.e. resource, general education, or self-contained)?
Does the student have any functional skill deficits? If yes, how would you describe them?
What were the topic and content areas of the lesson and how was it taught (e.g., whole group, small group, or one-on-one)?
How engaged or on-task was the student? Were they interested in the topic and content area?
Were there any behavior problems? If yes, what were they and how were they handled?
What were the disability-specific instructional strategies or adaptations you observed? If none, how was the lesson presented?
How was the learning environment set up to accommodate the student? Were the accommodations helpful? If not, what would make them helpful?
Where there any other school personnel present, including a paraeducator? If yes, who were they, what was their role, and how did the student respond to them?