Synthesis 1 - Response to Intervention

Synthesis 1 – Response to Intervention

My classroom is filled with opportunities for students to succeed in their endeavors to receive an education in the public school system.  My primary goal in the classroom is to provide instruction which meets the needs of a diverse grouping of students. The main concept is for the curriculum to offer a variety of individualized learning accommodations. Due to large classes, meeting and maintaining the academic and inclusion requirements for each individual student are often difficult. By interjecting a variety of learning styles into each day’s lesson, the result leads to accommodations for all styles of learning.  As lessons are taught, opportunities for students to apply the knowledge gained are provided throughout the class period. The application of knowledge learned comes in a variety of forms: writing assignments, handouts, class discussion, group round table discussion, oral readings, and quizzes. The ability to practice the day’s lesson provides immediate results for the students and for me. I am able to interpret the strengths and weaknesses immediately, make adjustments during the lesson being taught, and can more thoroughly prepare for the next class lesson. It is vital that the students in my classroom learn for application and understanding, rather than for memorization or reproduction. It is essential in my classroom for students to actively engage in activities with their peers. In sharing the experience of learning and being held accountable by your peers, the students tend to be more responsible for their learning. This leads the students to individually hold themselves accountable for their personal growth and relationship with the material taught.

Although lessons taught in my classroom are designed to accommodate all learning styles, it is extremely difficult to individualize one on one instruction. Due to the vast amount of material requirements, I often find myself overwhelmed and feeling an internal rush to cover all the academic standards today! This is extremely unrealistic, causes personal frustration, and often defeats my primary goal. I find myself being overzealous, planning beyond the time frame, and experiencing internal tension when there is no time to instruct students individually. As mentioned in the text on what secondary teachers should know about RTI, I have limited knowledge of how to use my assessment results to target instruction. This is an area where this teacher needs instruction in order to enhance the coaching in the classroom.  

My number one priority for the future in my classroom is to provide conceptualizing and implementing effective RTI approaches for the struggling reader. My Hybrid students are taught ninth and tenth grade English in one year. This is a tremendous task for me to accomplish and a major undertaking for the students.  The vast majority of these students are struggling readers. The text discussed a number of proven research strategies which can easily be adopted into my classroom setting: word meaning, word concepts, word study interventions, and comprehension strategies.  A primary goal for this course and the remainder of my teaching year, is to initiate strategies which trigger the urge in my students to read.