Special Education: Active Engagement

Respond to the following prompt : How will you monitor student learning and adjust instruction while teaching so students continue to be actively engaged in learning?
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(Below i copied and paste some answers from other classmates as examples
:As I continue teaching Resource Special Education at the Elementary Level, I make sure to always have a conversation/dialogue going with my students. This is easy to manage since I have small groups that I pull-out of GenEd classrooms throughout the day. Even when I ask them to do individual work, I constantly check in and ask them to verbally walk me through what they are doing as they do it. I will also stop them and ask “why” in order to gauge their comprehension/understanding of the given topic versus their ability to complete the work.
1) As I teach lessons and check-in with questions and problems for the students answer in real-time, I am able to see if my speed needs to be adjusted to allow for more time on certain aspects of a lesson. This gives me the ability to see where I may begin to lose the students, and I can rewind a bit in order to make sure comprehension is there before moving forward. Though I do not give formal tests in my RSP setting, I do provide constant data retrieval as I monitor their understanding throughout given lessons and their progress on IEP goals.
2)During lessons, I will often ask questions concerning information that we just went over to monitor if the students are understanding what I am teaching. If they are not understanding I can go over that instruction again and slow down the pace. If they are understanding the material I can move forward knowing that the pace is good. Other things that I can try is asking students if they understand what we gone over by using a “fist of five.” If they really got it and understood the material, they would hold up 5 fingers, and if they have no idea or if they are lost, then they would hold up zero fingers. We would want to see 4-5’s before we move on.
During my RSP class, students are working on different materials depending upon their IEP goals. I would often walk around the classroom and monitor their progress on the work that they are performing that day. I would stop by each student and ask what they are working on and have them do a problem if it is math or walk through the process if its ELA (english language arts) to get an idea if they are needing more instruction. I would also, before their session begins, sit down with each student and give them specific instruction based on what they are working on for that day. I would ask questions to them to assess if they are understanding what I am instructing them on. Then I would give them a sample problem to do themselves to monitor their understanding.
3)Engagement is essential to having a productive and flourishing classroom environment. There are numerous factors to be aware of to measure both individual engagement as well as the engagement of the overall class. When presenting a lesson I try to differentiate the ways I present information into shorter segments to maintain interest and attention. When presenting new information in history class I like to front load my students with a short 5-10 minute video. Next I like to transition into a discussion or short response which involves student participation, either voluntary or by random selection (spin wheel app on my phone). Next, I present a powerpoint or class reading followed by independent or group work time. By not spending too much time on any one activity students do not reach the limits of their attention spans and can stay actively engaged maximizing their retention of information.
I am observant of a variety of factors including both verbal and nonverbal cues, as well as which students are exhibiting task avoidance behaviors. Many times I have exhibited students exhibit negative language towards specific assignment like free response questions or independent reading. When receiving negative verbal feedback from students I try to help them reframe the assignment in a fashion where they don’t have a preconceived negative attachment to the assignment type. Body language is another strong indicator of engagement. Students who are not engaged typically do not display good posture and are prone to putting their head down or exhibiting lethargic and disinterested behaviors. With these students I like to offer alternative ways of completing the assignment to help fit their specific leaning style. Lastly, avoidance behavior is another crucial sign a student is not engaged. Long trips to the bathroom, blowing their nose repetitively or talking to a neighbor demonstrate a lack of interest from the student. These students often avoid the task at hand because there is not a clear understanding of the expectations or they lack confidence in their ability. I like to give these students a few minutes of one on one attention to help alleviate any concerns they have about the assignment, expectations or material.