Every student is “special needs” to some existent, meaning every child is different and they all learn different ways. However, some students do have serious learning disabilities. As a teacher, it is important to be able to meet the needs of every child in a classroom. Teachers will encounter diverse groups of students, some will learn very quickly, other may have a slight learning disability, and some may have serious health problems or other disabilities. After my field experience, I learned the importance of being able to connect and work with all students. The article also helped to break down what special needs children look and act like and what additional assistance they may need.
During my field experience, I observed a sixth-grade class with several students who were part of the special education program. There was a paraprofessional assigned to the classroom to help out these students. However, she was not able to help all of the students by herself. I felt my cooperating teaching did not try her best to meet the needs of these students. She seemed to act like they were not her responsibility because they were special needs, and the para was in charge of them. Many times, she expected them to be able to do the same work as the other students and at the same pace. It was clear they were struggling, but instead of helping them she would get frustrated and upset with them. I know special needs children are capable of doing some work and I believe it is okay to
Special education teachers make a conscious decision to work on a daily basis with students who display various disabilities. Some of the disabilities include autism, negative social and emotional behaviors, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, mobility disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, as well as students who suffer from being blind and deaf. When these disabilities interfere with the daily educational activities of a child, the child is in need of the valuable opportunities provided in a self-contained classroom.
After reading chapters one and two of the book “Exceptional lives”, I could more easily understand special education. As a teacher, I will mostly likely have many students with disabilities in my class throughout my career. With
Since the government decided inclusions of the special needs children in a regular classroom, the general education teachers shall be mandated to study how to cope and deal with these children with disabilities. The government perhaps should provide additional training to these teachers. Schools aren’t equipped, teachers are not trained to handle children with such different
Students with special needs should be placed into specialized schools so they are able to receive individualized learning. If they are in a classroom specific to their needs, they are able to receive much needed attention. In order to receive the optimal level of attention that is needed, schools would have to consider reducing class sizes or hiring multiple teachers for one classroom so more help would be readily available for these disabled students. Corwin argues that today’s schools offer a general curriculum and that they should convert to a specialized system. He states that students of various backgrounds, ethnicities, IQ scores, and physical, emotional, and mental disabilities should not all be placed in the same classroom because students learn in diverse ways and at different paces. Further, it is necessary for teachers to become specialized in certain areas in order to effectively teach students with special needs (Corwin).
“One of the essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.
The special education teacher interviewed, talked about this goal to meet each child’s need is challenging to her especially in eleventh and twelfth grade. The teacher tries to strive towards their educational goals, their need areas, and work on their strengths.
We need to adjust the classroom with hands on materials that are in reach for the child and fit their specific developmental aspects. Most importantly, we need to make sure they are included in the classroom and treated like the other students. This will help them social, emotionally, and physically. By having children with special needs in the classroom with those of general education, this allows the teacher to get training on ways to teach to all of the children and help them feel like one. Instead of pushing children with special needs off and into another classroom, it is important to keep them with the other children and allow them to grow and learn along with others. Teachers need to remember different approaches, time frames, and be flexible. Everyone learns differently and we need to be patient and understanding of the diversity among the students. The first and most important thing though is to make sure that the child is being seen by a professional or even having an aid in the classroom with them, this provides extra hands and different teaching approaches, to assure that all of the children are
Everybody’s Special is an instructional video in which the writer of the “The Whole Child: A Caregiver’s Guide to the First Five Years” Joanne Hendrick talks about the special and exceptional children. The thesis of this video is to inform the parents, educators, and caregivers about the latest information about the child development and the child care during the first five years of age. She gives some tips for special needs kids as well as for exceptional children. According to this video inclusion is more beneficial for both kids with disabilities and everyone else. The main advantages of this integration are socializing as well as learning progress. We as a teacher or caregiver can help the children and their families to treat and guide
Over the past few decades, education has dramatically changed. Educational laws were made to protect individuals with disabilities and to provide free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for ALL students. No longer are there institutions or special schools where disabled students are sent. Today we must educate all students and for most teachers, these exceptional students are in their regular education classrooms right alongside their same aged peers. How do you include and teach these students? Throughout this course, you will learn how to meet the needs of exceptional students, which will not only enhance your own teaching but enhance the lives of exceptional students.
Having the proper education, understanding how to behave, and knowing about the kids will guarantee that whoever wants to become a successful special needs teacher will. To get the proper education, I need to go to a good college; to understand how to behave, I need to watch the special education teachers at my school; to know stuff about the kid, I need to sit down and talk to them so that I can get to know them better. If I have all of these traits, I believe that I can make an impact on students’
Before taking this module, Children and Special Educational Needs (SEN), I was uneducated and uncomfortable with the idea of teaching children with special educational needs. During the class we were given the opportunity to volunteer at a special needs school and I spent the day at The Clare School. This school was full of vibrant colors, technology and lots of smiling faces. I knew from there that this was going to be a new and exciting experience then any volunteering I’ve done in the past. Being introduced to the class, you could see the children’s comfort level decrease by their lack of attention and participation in the activities. This was the first time I have ever interacted with SEN, leaving me as nerves as they were to me. In this essay will I will reflect on my own personal experiences through the module, discuss exactly what Autism or PPD (pervasive developmental disorder) is, characteristics of autism, diagnosing Autism, misconception and barriers, and lastly, classroom strategies for educators to partake in to further the child in their educational journey.
A learner with special needs is first and foremost an individual, an individual that has their own unique personality, learning style and needs. There are a variety of different types of learners with special needs ranging from physical, mental or intellectual, emotional and/or socio-economic. Those with a physical disability can range from hearing, visual, orthopedic, death – blindness, traumatic brain injury or other health impairment. Mental or intellectual disabilities may include those students who have significant limitations in an intellectual ability or those students that have significant problems in learning how to read, write and compute. Students with an emotional
Children with special needs are slightly different from non-disabled kids, but they’re should not be a barrier between non-disabled children and children with disabilities. Special needs covers a wide range. Some children with physical disabilities use wheelchair, or cane while other children with learning disabilities such as, autism, or emotional disorder. Children with special needs are like all children they want to make friends. Non-disability children want respect, love, good education and job of their dream. Children with special needs can do the same things non-disabled kid do, but it can take them longer. It requires additional explanation or attention. Parents of children with special needs usually feel isolated and uncertain about their child 's future. Schools can help them find support that children are not alone and help is available. Teachers should meet with parents in order to get to know the children better, the specific of their children. Special teachers may come into the class to work one-on-one with the student, for individualized attention. Change begins with an honest examination of understandings, knowledge and belief. Children with special needs should spend more time with non-disabled kids. Children with special needs should study more at public school to learn from
The modern classroom has many challenges that face it. Shrinking budgets, less parental involvement, higher expectations, and growing class sizes, just to name a few. If this list was not daunting enough you also have the special needs students that have an array problems in your classroom that need specialized attention, lessons and seating. There are many forms of diverse learners from students who suffer from ADHD to physical disabilities to students with autism to ones that are bullied in school. There are so many things going on in our students lives we sometimes forget they have lives, pressures and disabilities that affect their performance and attitude in our class that have a profound impact on how they learn. For this paper I
I am currently teaching a practicum where my students (who are actually teachers getting their master’s degree in special education) are teaching students with special needs. Some of these teachers are encountering students with autism for the first time and have felt some anxiety about this so they asked for some ideas and strategies to help them in the classroom. These are some of the suggestions that I have given them that I have used in the classroom successfully.