Michael Johnson's flowchart illustrating the special education process in my classroom.
Behavioral Issues
It is disruptive to the learning environment.
It is dangerous behavior.
It is disrupting the student's attention in class.
Academic Issues
The student is struggling to learn new information.
Ask comprehension questions to determine if the student understood the necessary prior knowledge.
The student has consistently low performances on assessments.
There is consistent pattern of incomplete homework assignments.
Consistently ask the student questions regarding the lesson in an attempt to involve them as much as possible.
It works? Great!
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
It's not helpful.
Involve the student in a group game/activity.
They're still distracted.
Involve the student in the next game/activity to refocus their energy in a positive way.
The disruptive behavior persists.
There's no more disruptive behavoir.
Continue to monitor the student and their behavior.
Ask the student to share their feelings (may lead to a class discussion). Is there a problem they're having that we can solve together?
Yes, there's a problem we can solve together.
No, I can't solve this problem.
Help the student to feel better.
Ask the student to share their feelings (may lead to a class discussion). Is there a problem they're having that we can solve together?
It works? Great!
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
Yes, there's a problem we can solve together.
No, I can't solve this problem.
Help the student to feel better.
Ask my co-teacher to intervene and help the student in English (higher-level student) or in their native language (lower-level student).
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
Pause the lesson and engage in a classroom discussion about why this behavior's not acceptable.
The dangerous behavior stops.
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
The dangerous behavior continues.
Ask the student to share their feelings (may lead to a class discussion). Is there a problem they're having that we can solve together?
Yes, there's a problem we can solve together.
Help the student to feel better.
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
No, I can't solve this problem.
Ask my co-teacher to intervene and discuss the behavior with the student.
The student returns to the lesson and the dangerous behavior is no longer an issue.
The student returns to the lesson and continues with their dangerous behavior.
Continue to monitor the student/situation.
Ensure an appropriate distance is kept from the student and their classmates. Ask my co-teacher to discuss the situation with the parents and attempt to come up with a solution together.
Speak with the student to try to locate the cause of the incomplete homework.
There's a reasonable excuse for the incomplete homework.
There is not a reasonable excuse for the incomplete homework.
Inform my co-teacher of the current situation (for purposes of teacher/parent communication), and monitor their homework completion over the upcoming weeks.
Ask my co-teacher to involve the parents to discuss strategies moving forward.
The student understands the underlying knowledge necessary for this lesson.
The student doesn't understand the underlying knowledge necessary for this lesson.
Continue teaching the new material.
Review previous relevant lessons/knowledge.
The student continues to have difficulties understanding the lesson.
Break down the new lesson into its simplest forms.
The student continues to struggle with the new content.
It makes sense to them now.
Continue to ask them comprehension questions to ensure understanding of the lesson.
The student continues to have difficulty understanding the new material.
During games/activities, seek a basic understanding of the content from the student. Ask my co-teacher to notify the parents that their child struggled to understand the day's lesson. Encourage them to seek out assistance with the homework, if necessary.
The student now understands the lesson's content.
The student is now able to make connections and understand the lesson.
Provide positive reinforcement whenever possible.
Assist the student as much as required during games and activities. Ask my co-teacher to speak with the student's parents regarding their struggles with the new lesson.
Determine if it's an issue of understanding the material, lack of review, or other issue.
It's an issue of not understanding the material.
It's an issue of a lack of review.
It's an other issue.
Speak with the student and try to understand what's causing them difficulty.
We can resolve this together.
Continue to monitor the student, checking in with them to ensure the issue doesn't reoccur.
It's something I am unable to resolve.
Ask my co-teacher to intervene and help the student in English (higher-level student) or in their native language (lower-level student).
Seek updates about the situation as time passes, offering assistance where/when I can.
Listen to the student, and go through the coursework, identifying gaps in knowledge.
There are small gaps of understanding.
The student doesn't understand a significant amount of our course material.
Create a review plan to cover the unclear information during the upcoming lessons.
Check for understanding.
If problems persist, ask my co-teacher to discuss strategies with the parents regarding their child's understanding of our English program.
The information is understood. Continue to monitor the student's comprehension of class information.
Ask my co-teacher to speak with the parents about possible solutions to the student's problem. Work together with them to form a plan of action.
The student didn't review enough at home for the assessments.
The student didn't understand the in-class review.
Ask my co-teacher to speak with the parents about review/study plans for their child.
Monitor the student's upcoming assessment performances.
Listen to the student, and go through the coursework, identifying gaps in knowledge.
There are small gaps of understanding.
The student doesn't understand a significant amount of our course material.
Create a review plan to cover the unclear information during the upcoming lessons.
Check for understanding.
If problems persist, ask my co-teacher to discuss strategies with the parents regarding their child's understanding of our English program.
The information is understood. Continue to monitor the student's comprehension of class information.
Ask my co-teacher to speak with the parents about possible solutions to the student's problem. Work together with them to form a plan of action.
Ask my co-teacher to intervene and help the student in English (higher-level student) or in their native language (lower-level student).
Continue to monitor the student/situation.