As I continue to research this topic, I came across some new information that can useful for every teacher. On scholastic.com they bring up a key point that can be relevant to every classroom in America. Every teacher should be trained in Special Education. With the push for inclusion becoming larger, it is crucial that teachers can effectively teach to every student. This is also true for an entire school. The administrators must push for each teacher to be continually learning and be properly trained to assist each child in learning. This is recognized in IDEA 2004 and must be recognized by all educators.
This also leads into the idea of how we test and label students and how they are placed in "categories". Every child is different, and this goes for children with special needs as well. It is important to remember that not every child that is placed in a specific disability category, will have the same strengths or weakness' as another child with that disability. People often forget that the disability is a part of the child and that is does not define who they are. Children with special needs have different strengths and weakness' and enjoy different subjects, just like their regular education peers. It is crucial that teachers are aware of this and learn the proper way to reach each student in their classroom. Yes, this can be extremely difficult, but by learning about your students and understand what works best for them, you will be able to teach to all of them effectively.
The same article on scholastic.com also mentions the importance of communicating and having a positive relationship with the parents of your students with special needs. As is the same for every child, their parents know them best and by working collaboratively with their parents you can create the best learning environment. Their parents will most likely be able to give you an insight to what works and doesn't work for their child and this could assist you in finding their learning style and what works best for them!
I definitely agree that all teachers should be trained in special education. There are fewer special education classes and through inclusion, special education students are placed in the general classroom more than in the past. Having certification or training in special education, teachers will be able to better cater to their students. While at school, I have only taken one special education course, however in my other courses we have addressed how to modify our lessons for special education students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both when you say that all teachers should be trained in special education. With the push for inclusion being able to teach special education is going to become more and more important for regular education teachers. It is important we realize special education students might be in a category but they are all individualized like all of the students, and getting to know the parents is a key way into understanding the child. Once we are able to understand are students special or not, it is then we are able to teach to help every child learn.
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