https://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/emergent-literacy/
In this post, Emergent Literacy-Thinking about Writing Instruction, I was considering whether I was using best practice after observing the behaviour of one of my students, undertaking some online professional development on emergent writing and completing some assessment. Interestingly, the training I completed suggested that students did NOT have to know each letter of the […]
Emergent Literacy-thinking about writing instructionhttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/emergent-literacy-thinking-about-writing-instruction/
I have a class of 7 students with Complex Communication Needs. Being beginning communicators, at the moment they are unable to reliably use speech, sign or Augmentative or Alternative Communication (AAC) to meet their needs. Some of these students do have some speech, but it is often used out of context. Most of my students […]
Formative Assessment in a Special Education Setting: What does that look like?https://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/formative-assessment-in-a-special-education-setting-what-does-that-look-like/
I’ve been involved in the STEM 500 project since 2018, updating my knowledge and practice in the area of STEM each year. One of our requirements in 2019 is to ask a peer to observe us using formative assessment, with the intention of being able to learn from each other and apply constructive feedback given. […]
Assessment 2018: Mid-Term Reportshttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/assessment2018-mid-term-reports/
I’ve spent a fair amount of time over the past few weeks, reflecting on student progress, updating goals and having conversations with colleagues about assessment. At my site, we don’t have a school-wide template for writing reports, so they vary in layout and length. This is mostly due to the huge variation in student needs, […]
Prompt Levels, Wait Times and Assessmenthttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/prompt-levels-wait-times-and-assessment/
This post was partly inspired by a new relief teacher who shadowed me for the day a few weeks ago and partly by a conversation I had with some colleagues, including Giulia, who is working alongside me for part of this year as a 4th year Pre-Service Teacher. Both observed me working with the students […]
NEP Meeting: An Interpretationhttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/nep-meeting-an-interpretation/
Last Tuesday, I had a Negotiated Education Plan (NEP) meeting with a parent*. This is an opportunity for both parents and me as the teacher to discuss their child, what we hope to achieve this year, in an academic, sensory, behavioural and social sense. It’s also a perfect opportunity to bring up any concerns and […]
Report Writing 2017https://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/report-writing/
Last week I finished my reports for this year. These are written by the class teacher, based on aspects of the Australian Curriculum and baring in mind the priorities discussed with parents/caregivers at the Negotiated Education Plan (NEP) meeting in Term 1, Week 3. I’ve emphasised aspects of as I work at a special school and we’ve […]
Reflections on ProloQuo2gohttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/reflections-on-proloquo2go/
Reflections on ProloQuo2go I’ve written about ProloQuo2go in Term 1, but haven’t written a post on its use since then. My understanding and fluency has grown a lot over the past few months, as have my students. I also know the communication needs in my class better, the kinds of ProloQuo2go users I have and […]
Performance and Development 2017https://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/performance-and-development-2017/
Performance and Development 2017 Term 3 At the end of last term, every teacher on site was given a Performance and Development package, some of which was to be completed before undergoing our observation. This post will be a response to each stage in the Performance and Development process. Pre-Observation Chat My line manager and I […]
Motor Activity Ideas Workshophttps://edufolios.org/kzagotsis/motor-activity-ideas-workshop/
Physio Therapy Application for Classroom Practice I have a number of students in my class this year who exhibit a number of gross motor delays or impairments. Theory reflects this, with ‘motor impairment in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder significantly higher than the typically developing population’ (Lloyd, MacDonald and Lord, 2013). These delays range from […]
