Observing Classes with SEN Students

Maciej Sienkiewicz

Maciej Sienkiewicz is a graduate from Teacher Training College run by English Unlimited in conjunction with the University of Gdańsk, Poland. The project was completed at a primary school in Gdańsk - Wrzeszcz. Maciej  took there almost all of his teaching practice during his studies. E-mail: maksiek123@wp.pl
 
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The school
The class
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Conclusions

The school

The primary school I visited has been concerned with students with special education needs (SEN) since year 2000. It was the time when their first pupil that cares for individual and professional help began her school days. She is still under their care and they have an educational curriculum prepared for her. The school is well prepared for such students. There are special supporters who help with the technical problems that occur when one is working with disabled learners. Here, a child receives a certificate that is based not on grade marks but on the description of the learning process; it usually includes the student’s progress, overall behaviour, skills and rapport. Disabled students can take  part in school trips or camps, but only with the parents’ or carers’ permission. At the moment there are four integrating classes in the school and fifteen students with diagnosed special education needs (SEN).

The class

The class I observed is grade five. Earlier I had taught English lessons in that class during my teaching practice several times. There are sixteen students, from which four have learning difficulties of various kinds. There is also one student that has an individual learning path at home. In this class one student is diagnosed with having cerebral palsy spastic diplegia and is supported with an additional teacher. Three other students are diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or learning disability (which is the subject of my case study). There are two boys that may disturb the lesson, but it is rather impulsive rather than aggressive behaviour. They can laugh or walk around the classroom without sense. There are times they do not work. Students in this class have a schedule who is when to help their disabled classmate in a wheelchair. 

Lesson 1

The student I observed is affected with learning disability. One of the major difficulties are to do with writing. The student is assessed with focus on her speaking rather than her writing. She rarely writes down what she is expected to be the teacher. This concerns mainly writing activities and tasks, but she will copy the subject of the lesson from the blackboard to her exercise book. Very often the English teacher comes to her and helps with various writing tasks giving advice or writing down the student’s own ideas in her copybook. As a matter of fact the teacher accts as a secretary. This student is a quiet and calm person. She does not have problems with making friends in her school. I think she is sociable and accepted by the rest of the class. 

The thing I noticed during the English lesson is some sort of lack of confidence or concentration in her. During the warm-up when asked “How are you?” she answers “Nie wiem o co chodzi, ale o.k.” (ed. translation:  I don’t know what it is about but OK). She seems to be absent minded. Still, it is hard to tell if she is thinking  about something else all the time during the lesson procedures, because she is capable of performing the speaking tasks. What I also observed is her overgeneralization of quantifiers as for her “1 bottle of water” was “1 water” and “1 litre of milk” was “1 milk”. It points towards the inability to focus on the subject. While students were writing their shopping lists for their imagined parties, the teacher sat down with the girl and helped with the last stage of the lesson. 

Lesson 2

 The second lesson I saw that day was a Polish class. I could observe the whole class as for the English lessons they are dived into groups of boys and girls separately. The student with cerebral palsy was supported by his special tutor all the time and took part in a group activity. His tutor was giving him feedback constantly and this cooperation seemed to go well as they covered the material the rest of the class were working on at the same time.

What is interesting, the boy with AD/HD that I had always seen as a very impulsive person was silent and quiet. For me it looked positive and I enjoyed watching him doing the activities with the rest of the class and sharing his thoughts with them. During the English lessons I had already observed or in which I had taught him he was rather disruptive,  inattentive and idle.

The girl I observed did not say a word during the whole lesson although she sat at a desk with an active and attentive student. I also remarked on the fact that she was not taking notes. Probably all she did was copy the subject of the lesson from the blackboard. I did not see any special attention paid to her by the leading teacher. Also the student did not get involved and did not speak during the group activity. It would be hard to notice her presence. I think that expectations towards her may be different from those towards the rest in the class. However, I could not watch  her whole school day or series of Polish classes, so I cannot give my own description how her progress is evaluated. 

Conclusions

The day in the school made me realise that integrating ordinary students with students with SEN  in one class is a worthwhile process although involves a lot of knowledge about dealing with special needs that the individual students may have. It also requires experience that has to be gained by the teacher/s as each SEN student is an individual and has different problems as well as abilities and talents. 

The Dealing with Difficult Learners course can be viewed here.
The  Skills of Teacher Training course can be viewed here.