Graduate Program Reflection I had a great experience completing the Graduate Program at Manhattan College.

I feel that the variety and depth of the classes that I took have significantly prepared me for my future as an educator. I have learned an extensive amount of information specifically about Special ducation students and the learning disabilities that affect their performance in the classroom. I have also been thoroughly instructed in ho! to accommodate the needs of the Special ducation students so that they can learn to the best of their ability. Psycho"educational #ssessment gave me the opportunity to focus heavily on assessing students$ a skill I didn%t I lacked previous experience !ith. &his course taught me that informal assessments are 'ust as important as formal assessments. #s teachers$ !e must constantly pay attention to and note the behaviors and responses of each individual student in order to accelerate their learning. Informal assessment allo!s teachers to pick up on developmental progress that could potentially indicate a student%s need for Special ducation. (ormal assessment could help to confirm these notions and put the student on the right track to having the most satisfying education possible. )hen I become a teacher$ I !ill make sure I am consistently assessing my students so that I can make sure they are receiving an education that is suitable to their needs and enables them to succeed. Methods of &eaching #t"risk Students gave me the opportunity to use prior assessments to develop an I P for my student. *efore this class I never had the opportunity to look at an actual I P$ let alone develop goals to enable the student to gro! academically. &aking a close look at an I P allo!ed me to see 'ust ho! much !ork goes

into !riting one. Creating lesson plans and goals based on the student%s !eaknesses gave me insight about ho! to approach improving these !eaknesses. +iteracy Instruction for the #t"risk Student broadened my understanding of teaching reading to students !ith disabilities. *efore taking this course$ I did not reali,e 'ust ho! many disabilities exist that can impair the ability to read. I came to understand 'ust ho! thorough and patient a teacher must be !hen teaching a beginner ho! to read. &here are numerous skills$ such as being able to identify letters and their sounds$ that !e as educators take for granted. -o!ever$ !hen teaching young students ho! to read$ !e must remember to start !ith the most basic concepts possible. It is important that ample time is spent on each concept$ until the student has developed a full understanding of the skill being taught. .ature and .eeds of the xceptional Individual provided me !ith detailed information about several disabilities that I !ill be able to put to good use in my future classrooms. xplicitly kno!ing the strategies and accommodations for each disability !ill aide me in dealing !ith each student/s individual needs. )hen I have a classroom of my o!n$ I !ill give my best effort to accommodate every student !ith or !ithout a disability so they can achieve their full potential. Management &echni0ues and Curriculum for #t"risk and *ehaviorally 1isordered allo!ed me to take the opportunity to explore the behavior management styles that I !ould likely implement in my future classroom. +earning about the various teaching styles and approaches to managing behavior gave me insight as to !hat type of teacher I !ill become. It !as also informative because it revie!ed the common behavior problems that a teacher !ill encounter in the classroom$ as !ell as effective !ays to minimi,e these

behaviors. )riting a (unctional *ehavioral #nalysis on an actual student !as great practice for the future because it taught me the proper !ay to address and tackle behavioral problems. ach class has thoroughly prepared me for a specific aspect of the teaching profession. Comprehensively$ they have transformed me into the educator I am today.