Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wisconsin Teacher Standard (WTS) 1: Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines
she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter
inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.
Dispositions. The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body of
facts but is complex and ever-evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and
encourage students to integrate knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry from several subject
areas.
The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction
knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of mind-and knows how to use instructional
strategies that promote student learning for a wide range of student abilities.
Dispositions. The teacher appreciates individual variation within each area of
development, shows respect for the diverse talents of all learners, and is committed to help them
new ideas to already familiar ideas, making connections to students’ experiences, providing
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opportunities for active engagement, manipulation, and testing of ideas and materials, and
Domain 3: Instruction
Component 3c: Engaging Students in Learning
Representation of content
Activities and assignments
Activities and assignments
Grouping of students
Instructional materials and resources
Structure and pacing
Component 3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
Lesson adjustment
Response to students
Persistence
Pre-assessments
Self-assessment of Instruction Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)
As a special education teacher, I have a very important role in the education of the
students on my caseload. Wisconsin Teaching Standard (WTS) 1 focuses on the idea that
teachers know the subjects they are teaching. This is especially important for me, as I then have
to take the general education curriculum and modify it to meet the needs of the students with
whom I am working. My goal in this area is to find new and relevant curriculum and activities
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that engage students in their learning and motivate them to grow as much as possible throughout
a school year. I will continue to work on my understanding of “the central concepts, tools of
inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s)” I teach to “create learning experiences that make
these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.” With multiple students on my caseload
at each grade-level, it is crucial that I adapt and create new learning opportunities for students at
all levels and abilities. This leads me to my focus for WTS 2 emphasizing that teachers know
how children grow. This requires a constant evaluation of “how children with broad ranges of
ability learn and develop.” By doing so I will be able to “provide instruction that supports their
students come in with a wide variety of abilities and needs. I have to know these abilities, be able
to provide them with learning activities that best meet their needs, and provide them with
opportunities to grow. Within these two standards, I hope to continue to enhance my teaching in
ways that will provide the best learning environment and curriculum for all students to succeed.
I chose three descriptors for both WTS 1 and WTS 2 to guide my research process. For
WTS 1 I chose to focus on the knowledge descriptor that state that “the teacher understands
major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central
to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.” I chose this descriptor because it is important for me to know
the content I expect my students to gain knowledge in, so I can better help design instruction to
meet their needs. I chose, from WTS 2 the knowledge descriptor asserting, “The teacher
understands how learning occurs-how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop
habits of mind-and knows how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning for a
wide range of student abilities.” This descriptor demonstrates that I am able to assess how each
student learns and what their ability level is and construct learning opportunities to meet their
needs. This is especially important for special education students, as they have a wide range of
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abilities that may not be typical of their same age peers. Knowing that children grow and learn
WTS 1 disposition descriptor conveys the ability for the teacher to “realize that subject matter
knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever-evolving. S/he seeks to keep
abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field.” As teachers, we need to be lifelong
learners and be willing to keep up with current findings and strategies to, best educate the
students we work with. I strive to stay current in all content areas so that I can educate my
students with the most up to date information. Children are unique in their own way, which
leads me to the WTS 2 disposition descriptor I chose. “The teacher appreciates individual
variation within each area of development, shows respect for the diverse talents of all learners,
and is committed to help them develop self-confidence and competence.” Students come to
school from all different backgrounds, with a variety of differing experiences, interests, and
skills. Embracing those differences and capitalizing on the strengths of each student is what I try
are especially important to the content in which I am researching. The first descriptor I chose
was from WTS 1 and is as follows: “The teacher can create interdisciplinary learning
experiences that encourage students to integrate knowledge, skills, and methods of inquiry from
several subject areas.” With the ideas of a personalized learning program, I need to be able to
create and facilitate unique learning opportunities for students. Integrating multiple subject areas
can help students to see how content relates and is important to have a balance of learning
opportunities. The WTS 2 performance descriptor states “the teacher stimulates student
reflection on prior knowledge and links new ideas to already familiar ideas, making connections
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testing of ideas and materials, and encouraging students to assume responsibility for shaping
their learning tasks.” The personalization of lessons lead to what the descriptor is saying,
building on previous knowledge and skills to create new learning in a variety of content areas.
Students will be more engaged in the learning activities if they have prior knowledge and are
able to connect with the content in some way. My goal is to build on what my students already
Emotional Behavioral Disability (EBD). I also have students identified with Other Health
Impairment (OHI), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Learning Disability (LD), Significant
Developmental Delay (SDD), and Speech and Language Impairment (SLI). With this wide
variety of students ranging from Kindergarten to fifth grade, I have to evaluate their learning
in the general education classroom and curriculum. Their behaviors were interfering with their
ability to learn as well as their classmate’s ability to learn. I began designing a personalized
learning environment for these students in hopes that they would be successful in driving their
education and having more input on the materials they learn about and the activities they
complete. The students were from different grade levels, so I used their STAR assessment scores
to determine the students I wanted to work with as well as overall classroom performance. I had
one student in first grade, one student in second grade and two students in fourth grade with
whom I began in a personalized learning program. For the purposes of this paper to protect
confidentiality, I will call the first grade student: student one, the second grade student: student
two, and the two fourth grade students: student three and student four. Student one was well
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below grade level coming into first grade, not knowing letter names and sounds making it
difficult for her to keep up in the classroom. Student one was not able to read well enough to
take the STAR Reading test, and took the STAR Math test in January with a 0.3 grade equivalent.
We were concerned that student one was not ready for the first grade curriculum entirely and
would benefit from different programming. Physical aggression was also becoming a significant
problem for student one. Student two had the academic skills, but was often unwilling to
complete work in order to assess accurately. The STAR scores from September to January
showed that student two made little to no growth in both reading and math. From September to
January STAR Math stayed at a 2.1 grade equivalent, and STAR Reading went from a 2.1 to a
2.2. The reasoning for an alternative environment for student two was the lack of progress and
providing opportunities to complete work of interest as well as skill level. Student three and four
are very bright academically. Their behaviors were often a result of boredom in the classroom.
My goal for these two students was to provide them with curriculum and activities that would
meet them where they are at and advance them into more challenging content. Student three
went from a 5.1 to a 5.5 grade equivalent for STAR Math and from a 4.5 to a 5.5 for STAR
Reading. Student 4 went from a 5.4 to a 5.1 grade equivalent in both STAR Reading and STAR
Math. This was a decrease in both, which was of high concern with the knowledge and potential
of that student. These students have their own background story and need for an alternative
educational environment, but I needed to do what was best for these students and will continue to
do so. I have implemented the personalized learning program in my classroom for one semester,
have seen growth, and am excited to continue this program with improvements to continue
All the students on my caseload were fully included into the classroom at the beginning
of the 2016-17 school year. Each one of the classrooms runs a bit differently and usually the
outcome is dependent on the relationship the teacher has formed with the student. Some students
were not achieving success in the general education classroom. For these students, I created a
for four of the students who are in my classroom at all times, participating in a personalized
curriculum. I have a space where students can do small group work and a space to do small
group instruction. I have a carpet space where we all gather for morning meeting or for
important announcements and discussions. My room is also unique because, while I have four
students who are in my classroom full time, I have 18 students on my caseload that need me to
provide them services as well. When other students come into my classroom to work or for a
lesson, I am able to provide them with instruction or help with an assignment before they return
to their classroom. Students are in and out of my classroom all day long. This can be good for
socialization for the students always in my classroom, but can also be very distracting with the
constant flow of traffic in and out of the room. I have one paraprofessional in my classroom at
all times to help with both the personalized learning students and the students who come and go
from the room. The environment is a work in progress and continues to change as the needs of
students change.
Assessment Conclusion and Essential Question to Guide Research
The self-assessment, assessment of student performance, and learning environment
assessment show that I have a diverse group of students and need to determine the best approach
to use to maximize the potential each student has to achieve success. The personalized learning
approach that I have taken this past school year is just a start to improving the education of the
students with whom I work. One thing that is driving my research is the use of technology in the
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personalized learning environment. As I tried to implement the program with four students this
past year, I used some technology and am looking to see what research there is out there about
the role technology plays in that setting and what it means to truly, personalize learning. This led
me to my research question of: “How can I use technology and personalized learning in a K-5
special education classroom?” This question stems from WTS 1 where I can “create learning
experiences that make…subject matter meaningful for students.” I will also be able to “provide
instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development” as stated in WTS 2.
Personalized learning is a buzzing topic in education today and having experienced with it for
half a year makes me quite intrigued to learn more. My goal is to establish an improved plan for
have students learning at their own pace by using strategies and resources that appeal to each
student’s individual interests and strengths. There are different ways in which we can
needs. This approach encourages flexibility to support mastery and enables learners to influence
how, what, when, and where they learn” (Patrick, Kennedy, and Powell, 2013, as cited by
Basham et al. 2016, p. 127). To personalize learning there needs to be a change in the way
teachers and students view instruction. It transfers much of the learning opportunities from
teacher directives to student interest-driven accountability. This gives the students ownership of
their learning and provides them the opportunity to learn about topics that are of interest to them.
Each student is unique and has a wide variety of skills, interests and strengths. By personalizing
their instruction, all of these factors play a key role in providing an education to maximize
student growth (Basham et al. 2016). For a personalized learning program to work, both students
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and teachers need to switch their mindsets from what a traditional classroom looks and feels like.
Teachers need to be able to let go of some of the control for students to be able to take initiative
and drive their own learning. This requires the “explicit teaching of self-regulatory behavior”
(Dembo &Eaton, 2000 as cited in Basham et al. 2016, p. 128). Students need to have instruction
in how to regulate their learning and their environment to maximize their potential. This is
especially important because students need to be able to create goals and collaborate with the
teacher to determine the process in which they will achieve these goals. There needs to be a
that is accepting of all abilities (Basham et al., 2016). As we know, students within each grade
level have a wide variety of abilities. Providing a safe space where students are working on their
own plan that is designed to fit their individual strengths and interests is the goal for personalized
learning. It takes the comparison to one another pressure off, and puts more of an emphasis on
individual growth and success. In a study done in 2016 by Basham et al. in conjunction with an
urban reform district, they determined that within the 18-month span of the experiment with
personalized learning students with disabilities were successful and, at times, even flourished in
this type of environment. That data showed that students with disabilities versus students
without did not change the amount of growth they made significantly. There is a small variance
with this data because of the low percentage of students with disabilities to begin with: about
12%. The data suggests that due to the flexible curriculum and learning environment students
Universal Design for Learning (UDL), (c) digital learning, (d) individualization, and (e) blended
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learning. While these topics are similar in ways, they are very different. Too often they are used
Jason Green (2017) clarified the difference between the three by suggesting that when you
personalize learning you bring the focus to the student by making the environment “more
student-centered” thereby increasing “student agency” (p. 52). Bringing the ownership and
accountability to the students provides them a structure that enhances their ability to set goals,
problem solve, and guide their own learning. While providing differentiated instruction or even
individualized instruction, the focus is taking the content being taught to all students and
changing it to meet the needs of one individual or a group of students. By doing this, the
directives are still teacher driven and less focused on student input (Green 2017).
Getting students engaged in what they are learning is critical in all learning environments,
but especially those in which the student is responsible for driving their learning. Larry Ferlazzo
(2017) credited research from Ryan and Deci (2000) that there are four main elements for getting
students engaged: (a) autonomy, (b) competence, or self-efficacy, (c) relatedness, and (d)
relevance. Each of these elements can be achieved through a variety of ways, with the use of
technology and without. Ferlazzo (2017) based on the research further asserted:
When autonomy, self-efficacy, relatedness, and relevance are combined, they have a
cumulative, synergistic effect. Students feel that they have (and in fact they do have)
more power to proactively determine their life paths. This sense of agency, in turn,
increases the likelihood that they will be able to transfer what they learn to other contexts
—and will feel that at least some of the work they do in school matters outside the school
accomplish. With every skill students are taught, the goal is to have them acquire a skill that can
be useful to them in their lives not just to remember for a test. Getting students engaged and
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interested first is a priority for teaching new skills. Ferlazzo goes on to give examples of
techniques he uses to promote each of the four elements of engagement with strategies using
technology and without the use of technology. Offering choices to students in a variety of
different ways including: (a) organizational- classroom rules, (b) procedural- topic or
presentations style, and (c) cognitive- higher level thinking or justifying (Ferlazzo, 2017). The
use of technology can greatly influence the engagement of students, but there is a caution shared
by Ferlazzo on only using technology. The importance of feedback provided to students can be
lost with the use of technology. It takes out the interaction between the teacher and the student,
so the teacher is not able to provide direct feedback related to the task the student is working on.
It makes it difficult for students to know what they are doing well at and what they need to work
on to continue improving (Ferlazzo, 2017). Regardless of the age of the students or their ability
level, students need to feel that what they are learning and doing at school means something,
whether it be about something they like, will help them in the future, or connects to something
they have already experienced. These connections and explorations are critical for students with
disabilities as well. If technology is something that interests them and will help them to enhance
their learning, students should use it as a tool to support their growth. If it will hinder their
learning and/or become a crutch that they are dependent on, it will be more difficult for them to
transfer the skills into different settings. There needs to be a balance in a special education
classroom.
Research Implications
The question guiding my research was “How can I use technology and personalized
learning in a K-5 special education classroom?” Through the exploration of this topic, I have
found that much of the plan and implementation of the personalized learning approach stems
from student engagement. Without the students input and taking ownership, it will be difficult to
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implement personalized learned to its full potential. Student engagement is also a critical piece,
something we can overlook at times, and that can simply be asking students for their opinions or
what they are interested in. If students feel safe and respected their willingness to participate in
uncomfortable situations will increase. To implement a program like this takes a lot of
forethought and planning. Students will be just as uncomfortable as the teacher is to begin with.
It is important to work through it with a group of students and trust in the process to make the
impact it can.
Technology as a whole, based on the research I conducted, is most productive if used as a
tool to support learning, but not as the only tool. I found that to be true with my students this
year. Some were able to thrive with technology, while others used it as a toy instead of a tool for
learning. There needs to be a balance for students, clear expectations on what technology is for,
with the use of appropriate technology for the students with whom I work. I know that not all
technology programs are appropriate for all grade levels so I will be aware of that when I select
learning tools. Knowing the difference between personalizing learning and differentiating
learning will help to put a plan in place that truly designs learning for a specific student and their
appropriate technology.
2. Envision the delivery of personalized instruction with technology supports in my
1. Standardized goal: IEP goal stating: “Student one will make at least one year grade
equivalent improvement as measured by the STAR Math and STAR Reading assessments in the
1. Task: Participate and complete “must do” work in personalized learning plan to
learning plan.
1. STAR Math and STAR Reading assessments three times per year- September,
Post-assessments
Instructional Insights Related to WTS and Targeted Student Learning Objective(s)
I believe that continuing to implement a personalized learning program in my classroom
for my students will be beneficial for them. I want to incorporate their input and interests at the
beginning to give them ownership in their learning and provide them with the best chance to be
successful in school. This approach is very student-centered, will improve their willingness to
change things to make it run more smoothly and effectively. The research I did validated those
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ideas and provided me with even more to try. One challenge I am having is the long-term plan
for each student. I think that will come together as the year progresses, I want to provide
educational opportunities that best meet the needs of each student; therefore it will always be
changing. It requires a change in mindset to prepare unique and relevant lessons and activities
for each student individually. It will be a lot of work on the front end, but will be worth the time
Artifact A. It is a weekly plan, but can always be adapted and changed based on how quickly
students work through their content. On Mondays, I will meet with each student to go over their
plan for the week and to establish two or three goals for the day and/or week. We will
collaborate to determine what an appropriate and timely goal would be for the week. There are
certain tasks that are required for all students to do based on the district-mandated curriculum.
Those are listed under the “must-do” for the week. Students have the opportunity to work on any
academic task they choose, as long as they complete the “must-do” by the end of the week or
have met their goal. There is also a list of “can-do” activities students have the option of doing
to enhance their learning. I plan to incorporate a personalized learning program for all the
students on my caseload in some capacity by offering them a choice in regards to their education.
Eventually, my hope is that the classroom teachers also implement a personalized learning
system so that we can work together to ensure a positive learning experience is had by all.
Artifact B is an example schedule for students to follow if they choose to. Some students will
use this as a guide as they lack the ability to drive their learning enough to determine what task
to complete at what time. The only things that stay scheduled are morning meeting and special
With personalized learning, and my plan for improvement I believe my students will
make great gains in both math and reading, as well as motivation and all around academic and
social skills. The four students I worked with this past school year all made some progress and
some made significant progress. Student one went from a 0.3 grade equivalent to a 1.2 grade
equivalent on the STAR Math assessment. This is still not at grade level, but a significant
improvement. STAR Reading was still not assessable based on the reading skills, but student
one is now able to identify all letter names, sounds, and read pre-primer and primer sight word
lists with 80% accuracy. Student two made some growth by scoring a 2.3 grade equivalent in
Math from a 2.1 and a 2.9 in reading from a 2.2 grade equivalent. Student three made great
progress, especially in reading by improving from a 5.5 grade equivalent to a 6.5. STAR Math
score for student three went up from a 5.5 to a 6.0 grade equivalent. This data shows me that
these students benefited from this type of instruction and were able to make gains academically
and behaviorally.
Comparison of Learning Environment While Learning Targeted Objective(s)
My classroom environment will be similar to how it was ending last year, with some
structural changes. There will be two teachers and one paraprofessional to instruct the 15 to 20
students in the room at any given time. There will still be stations in which students can work
independently as well as stations that they can work collaboratively or with small groups for
instruction. There will be less commotion of students coming in and out as well, because there
will be a separate space for students to go where they can get help with work or for instruction
by me or another teacher. I think this will help the students stay focused and be able to take their
personalized learning plan into the classroom with them to continue their progress towards
meeting their goals. I will not have all the students on my caseload in my classroom at all times.
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implementation based on my research, I think this will positively affect my students’ growth and
achievement. I determined that with a student-centered approach to teaching and learning with
highly engaging activities is most beneficial for all students, but especially those students with
disabilities.
What Worked or should work and Why
1. Personalizing an instructional plan to meet the needs of each individual student.
2. Involving each student into the decision-making process for learning tasks.
3. Setting attainable goals and making a plan to achieve those goals.
4. Incorporating inquiry-based learning experiences through “Genius Hour” projects.
What Did Not Work or may not work and Why
1. Student driven learning objectives, if the student is lacking the confidence or
learning.
My Next Steps
1. Create personalized learning plans for each student to begin the school year.
2. Plan and implement a personalized learning program with my students in my
classroom, giving them the opportunity to take ownership of the space and materials they need to
and help them process through how to enhance their progress moving forward.
4. Be flexible with ever-changing student behavior and mindset and adapt their learning
improvement consistently.
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References
Basham, J. D., Hall, T. E., Carter Jr., R. A., & Stahl, W. M. (2016). An Operationalized
Artifact A
Artifact A: Personalized Learning Plan template with examples of must do’s and can do’s
Can do…
Word sort
Word game
Word Work folders
Listen to books
Raz-kids
Frontrow.com
Epic
Objective/Focus
Skill
M T W R F Science I can… Must do…
___ Read Science
book pages and fill
out graphic
organizer
Can do…
World book
research
National
Geographic online
Research a topic
Can do…
iPad Writing
folder
Look in the
dictionary for
words you like and
write them in your
personal dictionary
Skill
M T W R F Social Studies I can… Must do…
___ Read Social
Studies book
pages and fill out a
graphic organizer
Can do…
World book
research
Research a topic
iPad-Stack the
states
iPad-Stack the
countries
Can do…
Research
Decide how to
present the project
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Can do…
Can do…
Practice the
character daily
Share the
character’s ideas
with others