EDUC 627

Teaching Students with Cognitive Disabilities

Description of Artifact
One of the assignments given for this course was to modify a lesson for a student with cognitive
disabilities. The academic area that was targeted for this lesson was written language. This
particular student was allowed to sit at a table by himself, not a desk that is located in the back
right corner of the classroom. This modification allows him to move about the room if needed
during instruction time without being a direct distraction to the rest of the class. He was
allowed extended time to turn in his assignments and movement breaks within the class period
if needed. The student needed to be reminded that his movement breaks should be discreet
and not distract the rest of the class. One modification that was helpful for this student was to
pair him up with a buddy when responding to questions asked by the teacher, or when
directions were given for a specific assignment. This made transitions within the classroom
easier for him.
Professional Growth
This course was what made me realize that I had chosen the right profession. In many of the
classes that I have taken at Viterbo University there was a great deal of information and
resources shared amongst classmates and our instructor. This was the first online course
through Viterbo University that I had taken. It wasnt until we were about a week into the
course that I realized how much information was being shared. One of the best parts of these
classes was the discussion posts. It was interesting to read other classmates posts. Each time
that I completed a discussion question post, it made me truly think about the question. I would
often ask myself what my personal experiences with this question were. If I didnt have a
personal experience, then I learned something new. Everyone in our classes is on their own
unique educational journey. Each of us has a story or experience to share. The assignments in
this course were helpful. The lesson plan assignments will be a great resource for discussion
lesson modifications with regular education teachers in the future.
Impact on Student Learning
This particular student has come a long way throughout this past school year. Part of the
curriculum that we used in our cross categorical classroom was News 2 You. News 2 You is a
curricular resource developed for special education teachers. This particular curriculum has
specific worksheets each week that are geared towards many of this students IEP goals. He
was able to sort words into nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs with 85% accuracy. This
student wrote a five sentence paragraph about another student in our classroom with minimal
assistance. The other student was quite excited to have a story written specifically about him.
The student continued to work on reaching the goal of choosing the correct word to complete a
sentence with 80% accuracy. It is my understanding that at the end of the school year he was
completing this goal with 75% accuracy.
When given a buddy to work on the science lesson, this student was able to complete his
assignments within a reasonable time frame. One area that I could help this student improve
would be to keep his body quiet while the regular education teacher is giving direct instruction.
This will be helpful to this specific student, as well as the rest of his class.
Understanding and Application of Standards
The Development and Characteristics of Learners is definitely present in this course. As we
well know, many of our students have varying learning styles. As we get to know our students,
we will develop a sense of their particular style of learning.
In order to modify a lesson, educators must take the time for Instructional Planning. Each
individuals needs and abilities should be considered when doing this. Communication with the
regular education staff is highly important when dealing with modified lessons. It is also
important to communicate with our students parents as well.