Special education is an incredibly important, but often underappreciated aspect of education. There is a stigma around individuals with disabilities, that leads people to assume those in special education are less capable or smart as their peers in in a strictly traditional classroom setting. That could not be farther from the truth though, and the individuals in special education are just as capable of learning and maturing in to successful adults. As a future teacher, I was not really aware of how little I knew about special education until I enrolled in this course. This course has helped change and shape my views of special education, and helped me gain a better understanding of what exceptional children are and how I can better serve them …show more content…
Really, special education is a about teaching, and finding the appropriate ways to teach those students who may need additional help or who may not be able to learn in a traditional classroom setting. 6.4 million children with disabilities between the ages of 3-21 receive special education services, so there is a real need for great special education teachers in schools. One thing I was really unaware of before taking this course is how many different types of students need special education, and I had a very narrow view of what a disability was. I am now aware that students who receive special education may have speech/language impairments, autism, intellectual disabilities, hearing or vision impairments, emotional disturbances, and many more. You cannot just categorize all students in special education into one category, they are individuals who have individual disabilities and obstacles to …show more content…
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to
There are many individuals who contribute to the education of the student with special needs. Their roles and responsibilities are varied, and each play an important part in the education of the student with disabilities. In the early years of special education, individuals with disabilities were not educated in the traditional classroom. Many of the students were left at home to be taught by their parents, or, sent away to institutions if the families were unable to care for them. In addition, some were education in private schools at the cost of the families. It was not until the 1970’s that special education became acceptable in the public schools. The passing of legislation made it possible for all students to have a right to a free and public education, regardless of their disabilities. The individual with disabilities education act (IDEA) opened the door to education for all students and therefore a change in special education.
Did you know that over two thirds of special education students receive services for non-mental health issues, among these students 17% have serious behavior as well as emotional issues compared to over 51% of special education students with mental health issues and 4% of students not in special education (Pastor and Ruben)? My research paper will first explain what Special Education actually is and it will focus on the issues that arise when disciplinary actions are called for and what is to be considered the most appropriate and effective forms of discipline in special education. It will also cover the most common issues that arise in special education as well as what strategies are effectively administered to solve these issues. My research paper will also take an in-depth look into special education students with non-mental health issues. It also will look at some misconceptions of special education students.
The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system?
The students in our classrooms, both special education and general education classrooms, require individualized education to reach their full potential. Each child’s potential is different just as each child’s road to reach it is different. Our job as teachers is to be there for the student’s to help them reach their potential through their own unique way.
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
Special education has not always been a passion of mine. I went back and forth during my college experience deciding if I wanted to be a certified strategist I teacher. I was convinced my last year of college to take summer courses and 18 credits last two semesters just to finish my special education endorsement. Now that I look back on those who encouraged me to go for it and squeezing in those required courses, I am thankful for those people and happy I did it.
Not many people who are not already involved with special education understand what exactly a student in a special education program does. Most people assume special education is for only the worst cases, such as autism or Down syndrome or that the students are completely different from any other student. However, this assumption is not the case. These assumptions only show some of the stigma against special education. Special education is the term used to “describe specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of a child who has a disability,” (Hancock). As predetermined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), one qualifies for special education if they meet one or more of the thirteen disabilities included in the act. These disabilities include, but are not limited to, autism, hearing impairment, specific learning disability, visual impairment, and emotional disturbance. The IDEA act requires the public schools to provide a “free appropriate education”, or FAPE, to those who qualify. An example of a free appropriate program is “modifications in the educational program, such as curriculum and teaching methods,” (Hancock).
Special education is the practice of educating students with special educational needs by addressing their individual needs and differences. This process involves the individually planned arrangements of teaching procedures, adapted materials and equipment, as well as accessible settings designed to help students with special needs to achieve a higher level of education and success. Usually parents who have a child with special needs would like for their child to receive a quality education. People understand when talking about or describing a child with special needs that the child has educational needs, or has learning difficulties or disabilities, for instance it is harder for them to learn than other children. When my oldest son was in 7th grade, he was a little slow to understand when the teacher was lecturing, he was behind in class work and he missed some homework.
Ysseldyke, J. and Algozzine, B. Special Education: A Practical Approach for Teachers. 3rd.ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995.
The first reason is many teachers are not trained to deal with special needs. Teachers don’t have enough training to properly teach special education. In a survey, teachers were asked if they had enough training in special education, and most of them said that they had very little training. "We read one chapter in a class, but it was a really quick overview of
What is special education? The common belief is that it a program only dedicated to helping students with disabilities, whether physical or mentally. This is not entirely accurate in regards of what special education is. While special education does provide assistance to students with disabilities ns meet their needs in quality education (Küpper 2009)—the program extends to all students facing difficulties keeping up with the pace of learning (Huerta 2009). This brings the next question onto the table: the importance of special education. Before 1970s, majority of students with disabilities were shun into isolation with little to no education in general classes (Bradley 2016). However, with the passage of Education for All Handicapped Children
Special education is such a broad and sensitive topic to talk about as well as the several issues that come with the Special education topic. And although there are a variety of issues, such as: special education children being accepted, segregated from their peers, the financial ability to support many special education programs, and the fact that a lot of teachers are not properly certified and do not know how to handle special needs children; there are also many resolutions. Special education Awareness, peer understanding, support from the local and state government, proper teacher certification, and most importantly social unity and understanding amongst peers are all a part of this controversial issue and they will also help maintain and resolve the growing concerns in the Special education programs and the children.
When teaching students with disabilities it is important to know and understand the needs of all the students in the classroom. Ultimately, the goal for any educator is to educate all of the students in the classroom and ensure that appropriate accommodations are being made for students with disabilities. By utilizing these skills in reading, writing, and classroom management, an educator will be able to help all students be successful.
What is special education? The definition of special education is complex and varies from state to state. The purpose of special education is to provide students with disabilities specially designed instruction to help them meet and reach their full potential. Special Education requires continuing planning, assessing, and monitoring of goals and curriculum used to meet their needs. To understand the importance of special education, we will look at the history of education and treatment of individuals with disabilities. What we now call general education has been around for nearly four hundred years. John Cotton established the first school in 1635 where Latin and Greek was taught. Even with the establishment of schools, many students were taught
Teacher education programs should prepare teachers to address the needs of a diverse student population, including students disabilities. By teaching student teachers these methods, they will better learn to adapt instruction to all students and will improve their teaching skills and add to their inventory of strategies (Downing &MacFarland, 2010; Houtveen & Van de Grift, 2001; Mastropieri &Scruggs, 1997). Changing the service delivery model of special education can change the structure of special education. There are several models that have the special education teacher as a consultant or coteacher to a general education teacher rather than having a self-contained class. Rather than removing students from the classroom, the teacher comes to the student (Idol, 2006) and does not remove the student from their peers with whom students should be educated (Houtveen & Van de Grift, 2001). If inclusion is not possible, other methods are possible. Pull-out instruction removes the student from the class for short period to focus on specific skills, and for students who cannot spend the majority of their day in a general education classroom, support staff can accompany them to general education classes for part of the day (Idol,