Diversity of Students

Topic: What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

In the classroom where I did my field work I found several things that "Mrs. Kay" had done to help her exceptional students achieve academic success.  One of my favorite things she did was have a very tight schedule for the student to follow.  She had a big schedule on the board that could be changed from day-to-day and an individual schedule for each student to carry with them.  One of my other favorite things she did was have the students cycle through centers were they could practice a variety of skills.  One center might be the math table, another center might be computers, and another might be the reading table and so on.  I liked this set up a lot because it gave each student the opportunity to work with auditory, visual, and hands-on learning strategies.

Along with adjustments being made to help exceptional students progress in the classroom there needs to be a set of guidelines and disciplinary actions in place.  "Mrs. Kay" had a great plan in place for such things.  When a student would misbehave they were given a verbal warning, if the student continued this behavior they were given a wasting time card meaning that they had to sit quietly for one minute during recess.  In a case where the wasting time card was not enough the student was then given a wait card meaning that they had to sit quietly for three minutes during recess.  What was so cool about this disciplinary plan is that it was very clear and to the point as well as easy to understand, each student knew the consequences almost better than the teachers.

Along with the disciplinary guidelines there also needs to be a method for praising the student for choosing good behavior.  In "Mrs. Kay's"class she also used great positive reinforcement to show here appreciation for and pride in her students.  An example of this might be when a student was kind to another student such as sharing or saying something nice then they would receive a kind friend card.  Another example would be when a student faces forward, with eyes forward, and quietly listening then they would receive a good listener card.  Finally, when a student would choose to work exceptionally hard and focus at the math table or reading table they would receive a hard worker card.  At the end of the day these good behavior cards would count towards there overall points for the day.  At the end of the week these points were then converted into play money that they could use to make a purchase at the class store.

Although these ideas may seem small to the average learner I have seen them work wonders for the exceptional learner.