Standard #: 7.

Artifact #: 7.3

Artifact Name/Title/Description: Special Education Meeting- Data Collection

I have selected this artifact to demonstrate my knowledge on the collaboration between

special educators regarding data collection. During the special education meeting, I learned the
HOW and WHAT to teach to an individual student. In other words, I learned how to collect data
on students with exceptionalities, including anecdotal records, checklists, and behavior records.
Information was provided on how to provide a complete description of a students behavior in a
particular setting or during an instructional period. The checklists are used to indicate whether
the behaviors are or are not mastered and I also learned the step-by-step guide to developing
checklists: students and observers name, steps in sequence, data of behavior, system or key
used for recording, and space for additional notes. Lastly, learning was reflected on how to
record the frequency, interval, and duration recordings for behaviors. Frequency is a list of the
target behavior recorded within a specified time, interval recording indicates whether a behavior
occurred during an interval within a specified time period; duration is recorded to measure the
length of time a student engages in a particular behavior, so for example, Frankie sat in his seat
for 27 minutes. Standard 7.0 entails that beginning special education professionals use the
theory and elements of effective collaboration. All of the self-contained teachers met after school
to discuss the details regarding data collection. Each of the teachers used his and her particular
area of specialty to guide the other teachers so that everyone could grasp a full understanding of
every aspect of data collection. One of the teachers answered questions about writing anecdotal
records for the other teachers. Some of the other teachers were confused on what to write before
writing about the student so the teacher clarified that for them and said that they have to write the
who, what, when, and where and she provided a full detailed description. Another teacher
provided an example of a duration recording that she previously used on a student. All of the
self-contained teachers were able to feed off of each others ideas, and to provide general
knowledge and increase growth among each other.
As a student teacher, my competence is continuing to grow in the collaboration aspect of
teaching. After observing the interactions among the special educators, I learned many effective
strategies for communicating with colleagues. Some of the teachers were unsure of the material
that we touched base on, but other teachers were able to act as mentors and guide them through
the process. No one was hesitant to ask questions and it made me realize that when I become a
teacher, I should not be hesitant to ask questions. I am also constantly learning about the
effective intervention strategies for each individual student. A few of the teachers explained their
situations and they each provided insight for each other on what they think they should do to
support their student. I am continuously learning how to use multiple interventions in the class,
such as behavioral reward systems, self-monitoring, teaching a replacement behavior, etc. In the
future, I can refer to the data collection packet and apply the information to my new experiences.
I took notes on the examples that each of the teachers provided so I can refer to those notes to
deepen my understanding of the concept. The staff members always stayed positive, asked many
questions, and guided each other. Regardless of the difficult situation in each classroom setting,
each teacher helped one another to overcome the problem and gave each other advice on how
and when to act in each situation. In the future, I will maintain a positive attitude, ask questions,
and direct others when they ask me to do so. In special education, it is imperative that the staff
members establish a relationship and work effectively as a team.