Meeting the Needs of All Children

One of the most interesting long term experiences I am able have in my field placement is the ability to see the progression of the GLCEs and also note how the skills are introduced, worked on, and mastered. This may be due to my knowledge of the kindergarten math GCLEs, but it may also be because the curriculum at the elementary school where I do my field placement is based on the GLCEs. With that said, I also see teacher support for children who are struggling in particular curriculum areas. Assessment is very important to this school and they work hard to make sure the students have accomplished certain tasks at particular times throughout the school year. This focus on assessment helps the teachers see where a child is struggling and needs more support. It is also helpful when thinking about the needs of children throughout their school career. Since I am in a kindergarten classroom, many of the students have not been diagnosed with special needs. Some of these students are being labeled and others are being worked with to make a decision about what their needs are to succeed to the fullest extent.
For students who have special needs we typically work on-on-one with them when there is enough support in the classroom. Each child has different needs and being able to work with them one-on-one allows for greater support in the areas which they need to further develop. In the article, “Learning-Disabled Students Make Sense of Mathematics by Jean L. Behrend she states, “ Encouraging Evan, who generally guessed the answer, to think about the problem changed his perception of mathematics….He realized that he could solve the problems.” Every students has their own needs as an individual and working with them through these problems whether they deal with self-confidence, academics, or anything else, is important for ALL children’s growth and development .