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Teaching diverse students in the classroom
Teaching diverse students in the classroom
Teaching diverse students in the classroom
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In the past, teachers had to learn new strategies for teaching disabled children through the use of trial and error. However, the teachers of today are asked to effectively teach ALL students using research-based strategies in inclusive classrooms that encompass both traditional students’ and special education students. The following paper will include instructional strategies and methods which are essential for the success of not only traditional students, advanced students, and disabled students, but also students diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). The strategies explored in this paper are peer-peer tutoring, direct instruction and even some behavioral strategies that utilize self-monitoring. One teaching model that will be referenced throughout this paper is known as co-teaching, a model which is becoming more of the norm in schools across the country. It is believed that concrete knowledge of instructional methods/strategies can be effective in co-teaching situations and they may even reduce teacher frustration and even improve academic and behavioral performance of autistic students, as well as, average learners in a variety of settings.
Introduction
When President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law, it had a purpose of making sure that all students’ will have a better chance at learning, and to fulfill their dreams. (www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/achievement/chap12.html). This law stated that every teacher has to be highly qualified in their core subject areas, utilize research based instructional methods, and present information to parents in a timely fashion. While fulfilling the requirements of NCLB, schools across the nation are trying to minimize the gap between student achievements, including those in special education. One way of doing this is by using effective, proven teaching strategies/methods which must include
Autistic children have been analyzed for correct mainstreaming involves a gradual and supported procedure with encouragement and supervision years, and with the proper supervision and education aids, have been found to succeed in regular education classes. Because of the opportunity to develop social interaction skills, as well as the need to stay on the right educational pace, mainstreaming autistic children into regular learning environments with the use of special aids is the best option.
As classrooms become more diverse, and with the push-in model being implemented for special education, this can be a difficult task. There are many things to consider when deciding upon a teaching format for each lesson. The most important is the student’s instructional level or Zone of Proximal Development. There is a fine line between independent, instructional, and frustration level. Lessons should be differentiated so that all students are challenged. To meet the needs of all students it may be necessary to collaborate with the special education teachers and the ESOL teachers. Teachers should be facilitators to student learning. It is helpful to connect the learning to a student’s prior experience. Teachers also need to consider the role of technology in their
A longstanding national issue that continues to concern the public is the disproportionate representation of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in special education. The fact is that the proportion of minority students in the population of school-age children has risen dramatically to over 35%, which is increasing the diversity of students in many public schools throughout the nation. This makes the phenomenon of disproportionality especially troubling. With a growing population of minority children comprising a greater percentage of public school students, we must be responsive to the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. The overrepresentation of minority students in special education has been posed as an issue for more than 3 decades, but it is worth asking whether the efforts of legislative actions, educational reforms and legal challenges have really made improvements to this issue. More importantly, disproportionality should be examined as a correlation to underlying conditions that can pose a great effect upon not only the quality of a child’s education, but also ______.
Special education is evolving, evolving in form and substance. Education of the special needs population in the United States lacks uniformity of purpose and deed. In many school districts within the United States, special education creates a financial burden that subjugates the traditional programs (Higbee, Katz, & Shultz, 2010). The lack of consistency to approach and positive results has created academic chaos for methods and strategies in working with the special needs population. The difficulty in educating special needs children to develop their academic and social skills has created many strategies for supposed benefit, and in fairness, some work for some children. Too many instances exist where not all children benefit (p. 8). The problem is developing a strategy and curriculum that provides for the needs of all children whether they are involved in an inclusive, mainstreaming, or self-contained classroom. This is particularly significant with a particular segment of the special needs population, Asperger’s autism. Asperger’s autism is a controversial diagnosis, a diagnosis that creates a schism of psychiatric thought. Some psychiatrists classify this as a pervasive developmental disorder, while other psychiatrists see this as a form of personality disorder that has many traits associated with schizophrenia (Odom, Buysee, & Soukakou, 2011). The Asperger’s child lacks emotional development normally associated with their age group. An example that illustrates the emotional development issue concerns age appropriate demonstrations of concern or awareness in their environment. Many of the Asperger’s children are not able to tell whether someone is making fun of them and will join in making fun of themselves as unsuspecting ...
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?
President George Bush signed the ‘No Child left behind’ law in 2002. The intent of this law is to guarantee every student, in the American school system, is offered the same opportunities. There are many benefits NCLB offers to students in America’s schools. One benefit is an effort that supports learning in the early years, thereby preventing many learning difficulties that may arise in students, later in the learning process (Department of Education, 2004). For example, the National Institute of Health estimates that 15 percent of the U.S population has some type of learning disability (Department of Education, 2002, p.74). Suppose these learning disabilities are detected earlier in school, some students may receive therapy and correct this disability. Some facts that show how important early learning is for a students development are: Children who enter school with language skills and pre-reading skills (e.g., understanding that print reads from left to right and top to bottom) are more likely to learn to read well in the early grades and succeed in later years (Department of Education, 2004). ‘NCLB’ targets resources for early childhood education so that all children begin their education with the right start. The category of Specific Learning Disability, its definition, assessment, and eligibility criteria, are currently the subject of much discussion (Department of Education, 2004.ii) Nearly 3 million school-age students are currently receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) due to identified specific learning disabilities (SLD) (The Advocacy Institute, 2004). With so many children suffering from disabilities, many would believe ea...
This paper was reprinted with permission of Susan Moreno on the O.A.S.I.S. (Online Asperger's Syndrome Information and Support)
Collaboration in the world of education has become an increasingly popular method of addressing a variety of school issues, such as curriculum design, behavioral plans, professional development and management of resources. One of the areas in which collaboration is becoming more popular is co-teaching in special education, where special education teachers and general education teachers share the planning and instruction responsibilities for inclusion classrooms (Friend & Cook, 2010). As academic standards for the education of students with disabilities are held to the same standards as their typical peers due to the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the co-teaching model has been increasingly implemented to meet those needs. Most research has shown co-teaching to be effective in the inclusion classroom, though there are a few studies which have refuted its significance and identified reasons for problems in implementing a successful co-teaching program.
Difficulty with independent functioning impacts overall outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities. The National Research Council identified the development of independent skills for students with disabilities as one of the six recommended areas for intervention and instruction (Hume & Reynolds, 2010). Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and other developmental disabilities often rely on the presence of an adult to remain engaged or to complete activities, (Stamer and Schreibman, 1992). Hume, Loftin and Lantz, (2009), indicated that adults with ASD, despite IQ scores above 50, rely heavily on others for support in employment, daily living, and relationships. Promoting independent engagement and performance of classroom activities and decreasing dependence on adults is an important objective when teaching students with disabilities (Hall, McClannahan, & Krantz, 1995). Some of the most successful interventions targeting increased independent skills in students with developmental disabilities emphasize a shift in stimulus control from continuous adult management during instruction to an alternative stimulus. Stimulus control refers to a verbal, physical or gestural prompt from another individual. This shift in stimulus control is vital in increasing student independence across settings (Hume, Loftin, Lantz, 2009). This shift increases their independence by transferring reliance on an individual to an alternative stimulus such as a visual support. This alternative support can then transition across environments and grows with the student as they progress through their education. One method of shifting this stimulus is structured teaching. The Treatment and Education of Autistic and r...
Informing teachers of the areas that students with autism spectrum disorder struggle in will better help them understand...
Marks, S. et. al. (2003). Instructional Management Tips for Teahers of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Teaching Exceptional Children, 35 (4), 50-55.
However, it still met with inconsistent criticism due to the myth that “positive intervention” doesn’t work and draining resources of regular courses. However, evidences shown prove the opposite effect. Special education is constant need of more funding – especially when it constantly gets budget cuts from congress and thus, schools are unable to keep up with the afford to provide the necessary need of special education (Wall 2014). So the myth of special education draining resources is the no way the truth. How could they be able to drained resources from other students if the programs themselves are in limited supply? Lack of understanding and easy to become a scapegoat for the blame of overall score of a school being poor is quite easy to pit the blame. Another reasoning is due to socialization—the label of being placed in special education is rather an unfortunate burden that could follow the child (Huerta 2015). Often times, stereotypes are attached and are considered inferior to other students, potentially adding onto potential fears. In order to improve any form of education for special education, funding a provided them resources should be considered the first thing to look
In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while maintaining passing scores for the whole student body. To ensure academic success, teachers employ a multi-strategy approach to develop students of differing abilities and backgrounds. Every student is different in what skills and experiences they bring to the classroom; their personality, background, and interests are as varied as the ways in which teachers can choose to instruct them. Differentiated instruction has been an effective method in which teachers can engage students of various backgrounds and achieve whole-class success. When using differentiated instruction, teachers develop lesson strategies for each student or groups of students that provide different avenues of learning but all avenues arrive at the same learning goal.
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
As a prospective secondary mathematics educator, I felt that it was unfair that I would have special education students in my classes. I would rationalize my attitude by saying that I signed up to teach “normal” students, and that the special education students were not my problem or responsibility. I did not want to deal with them. I did not see them as individuals who seek meaning through learning.