Class 2 Reflection

A concept that really drew my attention during this class was the idea of front-loading. For something that seems to make so much sense, and be truly common sense, I was surprised to find from my Google search that for some this idea is still controversial. Front-loading seems to be a crucial element to students success not only for literacy, but also for almost any subject or situation you could think of. I feel that front-loading naturally resonates with me as a special education teacher because this is such a natural and important part of our instruction. I would never introduce a concept, materials, experience, or even a new location without providing a foundation of information and visual or auditory supports before hand.

This train of thought brings to mind the idea that the best practice supports for students that require additional help due to disabilities, are really just best practice supports for all students. It seems as if although teachers do learn this about differentiation, the fear of taking too long to teach something and falling behind on pacing is preventing them from implementing them in a general education setting. Shifting from the “traditional” way of teaching that many teachers have been raised on to one that incorporates more research backed strategies that may take more time initially, requires a leap of faith, and some guts on the teachers part. I think that as new teachers come into schools and model these strategies that they have learned, others will see their success and follow suit.