Sara Falkenhan
Final Exam
This situation is becoming more and more common in the everyday classroom these days.
Obviously a few accommodations need to be made in order to ensure that John can perform
successfully in the class. In my Spanish classroom I would use a screen reader and a small lap top.
The screen reader can reinforce the visuals because John has such poor vision. Not only can this help
him with the visuals, but it will help him with pronunciation as well. On the screen reader it is like
someone is reading for you. The student is able to read, but I am sure it is easier for him to use the
screen reader, due to his poor vision.
I would also have John use a small lap top because of his dsygraphia. His disability makes it hard for him
to write on paper, so with the lap top he can type. I would have a system on the lap top where he could
speak and the word would automatically go into the computer and be typed for him. He could also
utilize the computer to make documents bigger for him, so he can see well.
The screen reader and lap top are two accommodations that could be made for John. In today’s
classroom this situation is becoming more and more typical. We all have to make accommodations in
order to help all of our students.
2.) My ideal learning environment would be an eleventh or twelfth grade class that is at a Spanish four
level or higher. The class would be small, preferably ten to fifteen students. I would like to have screen
readers in my classroom to help all students with pronunciation, not just the visually impaired. I would
like to have a smart board to make PowerPoint’s more exciting and interactive for students. The smart
board could help me show students to conjugate verbs and I could have them drop the ending off
themselves on the board. I would also like to have enough computers in my classroom for everyone. I
want students to be able to do a lot of hands on learning in my classroom and not have to go to the
library or computer lab. The computers will really come in handy when we are researching Spanish
speaking countries.
3.) I researched John Dewey for the learning theorist PowerPoint’s. John Dewey is known as the
grandfather of constructivism. This means he preferred a non-traditional style of teaching. For example,
group work and class discussion. Essentially he wanted students to come up with their own ideas. This
learning theory can be applied to technology in my classroom. I can have students make PowerPoint’s
about a country they researched on their own and share them with the class. I could also have students
listen to a story on a screen reader and they discuss the story as a class or with a partner.
4.) Research shows that constructivism is more effective, but sometimes you have to use behaviorism as
well. For behaviorism I will have to do PowerPoint’s when I teach grammar. I could make it somewhat
constructivist with a smart board. I will only use behaviorism when I need to teach my students
something they would not be able to figure out on their own. With constructivism I could have students
listen to an audio and list their vocabulary words. I could also, allow them to listen to a story on a screen
reader and then discuss it as a class or with a partner. The students could also work in groups to
research a country on the computer and create PowerPoint’s to share with the class. They could also
make videos for the childhood unit then talk about them as a class. I will have to use both strategies in
my classroom in order for it to be effective.