Helping teachers teach : exploring student needs in elementary classrooms
Capstone Project (B.A.) Liberal Studies Department
Abstract
Unmet student needs negatively affect the ability of teachers to create a successful learning environment for all students. Some of these needs include students not being at the academic levels they should be and special education students not getting individualized attention. As a future educator, I sought to discover what could be done to help teachers address these needs in order to create a better classroom environment. Two teachers from the same elementary school were interviewed about student needs, how student needs impact their teaching ability, and what is being done to assist theses needs. Preliminary data analyses indicate that more participation is needed from within both the school and the outside community in classrooms and additional attention given to special education students. Thus, it has been learned that schools benefit most from further assistance, participation, and collaboration by teachers, parents, and other involved community members.
