Disabilities and its Importance to Science Education
When it comes to diversity in the classroom, one of the key issues that teachers face is that of disabilities. The issue of disabilities affects not only science teachers, but all teachers. For this reason it is important to understand the different types of disabilities and some of the strategies that teachers should use to address the students’ differences.
There are many types of disabilities, and these can either be learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral disorders. Child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with §300.304 through §300.311 as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as emotional disturbance), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who by reason thereof needs special education and related services (Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities, 2007).
First of all, it is important to understand the different types of disabilities. As seen from the definition of a child with a disability above, there are several kinds of disabilities. The disabilities are based on the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and each disability involves cases in which a child’s educational performance is negatively affected (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010). Some of the disabilities are more common than others, but it is important that teachers are familiar with each type of disability. Once...
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...the many types of disabilities and as well as the symptoms for each disability. Once teachers understand the disabilities, they can begin using some of the “best practices” in order to effectively teach students with disabilities.
Works Cited
Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities, 34 C.F.R. pt. 3 (2007)
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2010, September). Categories of Disability Under IDEA. Retreived from http://nichcy.org/disability/categories
National Science Teachers Association Board of Directors. (2004, May). NSTA Position Statement: Students With Disabilities.Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/about/positions/disabilities.aspx
Norman, K., Caseua, D., Stefanich, G. (1998). Teaching Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Science Classrooms: Survey Results. Science Education, 82(2), 127-146.
Graziano’s article over the handling of his son’s disability in the classroom also involves issues that relate to teachers detecting signs of mental illness in the classrooms, how teachers identify a behavioral troubled child, and training school counselors on the Section 504 policy that are all happening in the world today. Realizing these issues can help parents with giving their child the best out of their education and can also help teachers understand the importance of their relationship with students. Everyone should have the opportunity for a brighter future and having a learning disability should not be the end of the road for any student.
Dillon, P., & Grammer, E. (2001). Success stories of students with disabilities noted in new book. Science, 294(5543), 879.
Disability can affect development in a variety of ways. It is important that every pupil feels valued and included. Diversity should be welcomed. Children should not be stereotyped because of
Students with disabilities are not the only students who can benefit from creative tasks, projects, and assessments. A positive and caring approach to dealing with all student regardless of culture, disability or any other thing that make then different from the norm is key to the success of all concerned.
The Individuals with Disabilities Act, 2004 (IDEA), has 14 different categories of disabilities (IDEA Partnership, 2012). Students with disabilities can be placed into two more distinct groups which are high incidence disabilities or HID and low incidence disabilities or LID. IDEA defines low incidence disabilities as those students with visual, hearing or significant cognitive impairment (Outcome Data, 2006). These students need personal that are highly trained in specialized skill and knowledge to provide early interventions and education. Those with LID account for less than one percent of the school population (Outcome Data, 2006). Students that fall into this category are usually educated outside of the general education classroom for part of the school day.
It is essential that all students have access to a quality education and an inclusive education system should meet their diverse needs. The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development [DEECD] (2014) stipulates that education providers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support students with disabilities to comply with the standard. Graduate teachers should also demonstrate an understanding of legislative requirements and be able to identify teaching strategies that support the involvement and learning of students with disabilities (AITSL, 2014). They should understand the importance of focusing on what a student with a disability can do and work with the student’s strengths. A graduate teacher should know what resources, agencies and assistive technologies are available to support the learning needs of a student with a disability.
Individuals with disabilities have laws in place to protect them and their rights as Americans. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act “requires public schools to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs” (Us department of education, 2011). Schools have resources available to help educators meet the needs of any individual with a disability.
One obstacle that I believe many special needs students and families will face is understanding and dealing with the disability itself. Speaking from experience, this process can take time to understand and accept. This is where a special education teacher plays a significant role, assisting the student and family with information and support for understanding the student’s disability, facilitating education programs, and most importantly hope and progress for a bright future. Another obstacles that students with disabilities may face, is social interaction and acceptance. It is vital that all special education teachers and programs, try to incorporate strong social connections with their regular education peers and other community members and
Career and technical education (CTE) can provide significant benefits to students with disabilities. CTE teachers need to be aware of the rights of students with disabilities and of the planning process involved in meeting their needs. In addition, CTE teachers must know what role they play both in planning and in providing instruction. CTE teachers often need background information on the details of disabilities and the accommodations required. This Digest provides information on students with disabilities for secondary CTE teachers.
Students with learning disabilities can learn; each student has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Educators must continue to focus on the strengths of each student and building on them, creating a stronger student and person. Identifying the weakness is at the core of getting a student help with their learning disability, but after this initial identification and placement, the focus should shift to the strengths and adjusting the student’s schoolwork to reflect these strengths. For instance, if a student is weak in reading but has wonderful group interaction skills and is good with his or her hands, the students' reading tasks should then be shifted to reflect these st...
The majority of students with disabilities should be in an inclusive setting. These students are generally placed based on the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Furthermore, the majority of these students are able to keep up academically with their peers, even
specific learning disabilities in the United States of America. The Journal of International Association of Special Education, 10(1), 21-26.
To be truly inclusive teachers, we need to first know the student and identify the real reasons for any individual to be classified as having a learning disability.
Wamba, Nathalis G. “Children with Learning Needs: An Overview and Discussion of Legislative Initiatives N the United States.” Insights on Learning Disabilities 5.1 (2008): 5-18. Education Research Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.