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The Only Real Downside Course On Special Education Essay

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The only real downside I’ve experienced in the Community of Teachers (CoT) program here at Indiana University is that I was not required to take a course on special education. Although I could have taken this on my own, I did not have much wiggle room in my schedule due to joining education later in my career. Within some of my methods courses, I covered how to teach reading and writing, how to differentiate instruction, and how to implement different types of instructional strategies, but I never got to learn how to read an IEP or know how they are used. I never got to experience different techniques of teaching that was specifically tailored to students with various types of LDs (learning disabilities). After this late realization, I immediately went to thinking that I was left for dead. As soon as I got my own classroom I wouldn’t know what to do, how to act, or even how to be an effective teacher for a student with a disability. But if not taking a special education course within the CoT program was detrimental to my ability to be an effective teacher for all learners, my interactions with special educators within my CoT seminar, and in the field, has more than made up for it. When I expressed my convictions to my mentor teacher, he just chuckled. He quickly told me how well I differentiate my instruction to students with all different types of learning styles and abilities. He did say that it would be good for me to brush up on some of the information though. He

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