The Importance Of Teaching Special Needs Kids

School staff (e.g., classroom teachers, instructional assistants) should be afforded training in basic instructional procedures that facilitate learning by students with special educational needs in the context of typical classroom activities.

Research has demonstrated that the classroom educator can have the largest impact on gains in student learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollack, 2001). Marzano et al. (2001) provided teachers with many different research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. In later research, (Marzano, 2007) went on to say, “Arguably, keeping students engaged is one of the most important considerations for the classroom teacher” (Marzano, 2007 p. 98). He additionally states that engaging students have become increasingly difficult with the “influence of a society with fast paced media and video games.”

For new teachers the challenge of keeping student engage may seem somewhat difficult, but with the proper lesson plan this can be achieved. It’s very important that when lesson plans are design that they are designed with achievable goals that are based upon the students’ academic grade level. The students should become proficient with one part of the strategy before he are she is moved onto another section of the assignment. When instruction is given to students make sure that it is given in written text with bold print for important subject matters, this should also be given verbally and with the use of technology when possible. At all times students should be

The National Center for Education Statistics states, “in 2014–15, the number of children and youth ages 3–21 receiving special education services was 6.6 million, or 13 percent of all public-school students. Among children and youth receiving special education services, 35 percent had specific learning disabilities” () Special education teachers teach a variety of different individuals. These students can have learning, mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. Their disabilities can range from mild to moderate. Everyone is different in many ways, and may need to be taught in diverse ways. I would say that teaching special needs individuals can be a challenging task for anyone. Some of the challenging tasks are; interpreting, and implementing the child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), as well as staying abreast of the continual changes being made to the implementation of education. It is important for rising teachers to know upfront and understand what is expected of them upon accepting employment.

My personal philosophy of special education drives not from teaching in the field, but from, observations, and personal experience, and the workshops I attended. I have had the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs in many different settings, all this help cultivate my knowledge in handling the needs of the special needed student. Special needs students have the ability to learn, to function, to grow, and most importantly to succeed. The difference comes into how they learn or how they need to be taught. There are as many beliefs about the "hows" as there are teachers and each of us forms our own philosophy through our experiences and research. As a student in a special education teachers’ program, learners with

“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.

In schools all around the country, teachers are helping children with special needs overcome pivotal obstacles that they are faced with almost everyday. They are implementing new strategies to encourage students to explore learning opportunities, and they have established procedures and rules for behavior to maintain order among their students.

Special education teachers remain in high demand. Although there are numerous special education teaching jobs, there aren't enough individuals in the field to fill these positions. Children suffering from mental or physical disabilities often need special learning method and require more time and energy from their instructors. Currently, approximately ten percent of individuals working in this field lack the necessary credentials, and states are authorizing temporary licenses. Teachers with a temporary license are then given a predetermined period of time to complete their license. As the need for teachers in this field is expected to grow by approximately 35 percent over the coming decade, those wishing to become a special education teacher will find they have numerous job opportunities.

We all have a collective responsibility to support and meet the needs of our youngest citizens so they can grow, achieve, reach their full potential, and live a fulfilling life. Educators have a special role to play in identifying barriers to learning and a duty to work to overcome these barriers. My philosophy of special education comes not just from what college taught me, but from my work experience in the field through out the school, what I continue to learn everyday, and my general beliefs and values about people. This view is not static, it is evolving. I seek to practice what I know to be effective and right, to reflect upon what works and what does not, and to change when change is needed.

Prior to tailoring learning to the student’s needs, it deems necessary to establish the Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) through additional testing and a specialized team observations. Once students are labeled as needing special education teachers can create specific problems

Are your students engaged or just entertained? Wait, there’s a difference? Yes! Engagement is active learning where as entertainment is a passive activity. With the end of the year weeks away, how can you eek out any sort of learning let alone engagement? There are many ideas educators can use to engage students. Today, I will focus on my top three ways to increase engagement anytime of year.

Around the school system there is a lack of engagement in our students in the classroom setting and it looks bad on the school and parents. Engagement is actively participating in classroom by asking questions when you do not understand something, answering questions, and more. This affects badly on for all the parents and school system, since students need to have responsibility for their education. The teachers are fighting to “tooth and nail” to get students to turn their work or even to ask a question in class. Teachers should not have to do this, it is not their job. Students have many problems why they are not engage in the classroom which is that students do not understand the roles for a student in the academic engagement, of student

When I was younger you could have asked me what I wanted to be and you would think that it might have been the same answers every little girl gives. But not me. I was different, I didn’t want to be a princess, a celebrity, an astronaut or even a famous singer. No, I wanted to be a special needs teacher. People have asked me, “Why teach special needs kids?” And I simply tell them, “There is something special about them that makes me want to be around them. I want to help them learn new things”. Kids with special needs hold a big portion of my heart. “Why?” you might ask. Well, special needs kids have always been extremely important to me. The number one reason I love kids with special needs is because of my twin sister. My twin sister has a rare syndrome called Smith-Magenis Syndrome. It is especially rare for only one of the twins to have the syndrome and the other one to not have it.

Being a special educator, there are different roles and responsibilities separate from a general education teacher. As a special ed teacher, you need to be able to be more flexible and open-minded when it comes to teaching. These students, whether in a self-contained classroom or an ICT class, will have such differing needs than their counterparts. While they may still have some same needs, most of them will be different and individual. Even though we may have several students with the same disability in our class, that doesn’t mean that we can treat them the same; each student has differing abilities that we must figure out individually. This is one huge problem that I see prevailing in schools today. Teachers tend to think that if a child has autism, they have the same issues and needs as another child with autism but this is not the case. One child might need headphones for noise-canceling features while the other child might be ok with sound but need more social interactions skills. The ability to discern what a child needs based on their own performance is a crucial aspect to supporting every student equally. As a special educator, we need to not only look at their deficits but their capabilities as well. To define someone by what they can’t do is such a negative point of view. If we go into the classroom trying to find what is wrong with a child, we may never notice what exceptional skills they may have. For example, in class when Mark Sarabian came to talk about the