Special Education

Special needs students participating in athletics see many benefits. The majority of people believe that special needs students can and should participate in athletics, but there are also some people that think that it is not beneficial, and even a safety risk for them to participate. Therefore, there are many arguments supporting it and some arguments that oppose athletics for special needs students. Although some see it as a safety risk, special needs students partaking in athletics see great cognitive, social, and academic improvements.

There are many benefits of athletics for special needs students. One of the great benefits is that the students see great cognitive improvements once they have participated in athletics. “Providing careful directions and simplifying steps involved in activities can help students with cognitive limitations understand what is to be done in a particular activity” (Orlick). This quote shows that kids with lower cognitive capabilities are better able to apply the skills that they possess within athletics.

“But unfortunately, we know that students with disabilities are all too often denied the chance to participate” (Duncan). By making sure special needs students are given opportunities to participate in a variety of activities and athletic events, thus encouraging them to experience success and failures like any average kid. In reality, special needs students are just as unique as any other human being and their cognitive skills improve when participating in athletics.

Although there are some safety concerns regarding special athletes competing in sports, there are always modifications that can enable and encourage students with the best opportunities possible to succeed and to have fun while doing it! “Just about any sport or activity can be modified to allow special needs children to get the cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength-training benefits that allow kids to stay healthy and fit” (Joseph).

In order for some athletes to compete, some sports must be modified to a form that would best fit there abilities. Children in a wheelchair, for instance, can play basketball or tennis. “Children without the use of limbs or those with mental disabilities can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding” (Joseph). Children with those disabilities are now able to better compete and just all around benefit from these athletics. Most people see participation as a greater benefit enriching the athletes life.

Special Olympics is one of the big supporters of athletics for disabled students. “The transformative power of sports to instill confidence, improve health and inspire a sense of competition is at the core of what Special Olympics does” (Five Benefits of Physical Activity For Children With Autism). Special Olympics host many events which include a wide variety of sports. “Children learn how to play with others and develop important skills for learning. Children also learn to share, take turns and follow directions. These skills help children in family, community and school activities” (Five Benefits of Physical Activity For Children With Autism). This is one of the ways that Special Olympics hopes to enrich the lives of special athletes.

Special needs students that partake in athletics often see academic improvements both in the classroom and at home. These students are often underachieving academically but whenever they play sports they seem to grasp things from a different perspective. “Among its many benefits, participation in extracurricular athletic activities promotes socialization, the development of leadership skills” (Duncan). These leadership skills might not only benefit the athlete in the classroom but also benefit them in their daily social and family lives as well.

Once students are given the opportunity to work with other kids of similar abilities it enhances their ability to comprehend what is going on around them. These kids are introduced to all sorts of new ideas and activities when performing in athletics, hence enhancing their ability not only on the sports field but also their comprehension of what they are being taught in the classroom. “When children engage in sports programs they build social relationships with teammates, work with others to accomplish goals, and build confidence.

Sports participation also allows children to feel like they have a role in society and be part of a team, which they may not have felt before” (Autism Speaks). It really allows the athletes to have a sense of belonging and realize that they too can fit in with society in someway no matter what their disability is. There has been research done to prove that athletics can help with many different aspects of a specially challenged childs life, including their social life and their emotional and confidence levels.

Both for people with and without disabilities, social lives can play a big role in how a person sees themselves but can also greatly affect their confidence levels and how they are able to perform academically and in real world situations. Because athletics plays a big role in molding a person’s sense of self worth and sense of belonging, then enabling a belief that they can accomplish anything.

In conclusion, athletics can greatly affect a mentally or physically disabled athletes life in many ways. It can affect the way that they approach their entire life, even stretching to include how they perform in the academic field. In some cases, athletics can improve an individuals social life by inspiring them to be closer to teammates and allowing them to form closer bonds with people. Athletics also greatly improves the students ability to react to any situation that life throws at them.

“Among its many benefits, participation in extracurricular athletic activities promotes socialization, the development of leadership skills, focus, and, of course, physical fitness” (Duncan). These are many ways that athletics benefit special needs athletes. “An estimated 10 million children in the United States between the ages of three and 17 have a developmental disability and that number is rising” (Steele). Accommodating and including special needs athletes benefits everyone.

Works Cited

1. Joseph, Thomas N. “Sports and Children with Special Needs.” Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses For Pain – Health Encyclopedia – University of Rochester Medical Center, 2019, www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=160&contentid=20
2. Duncan, Arne “We Must Provide Equal Opportunity in Sports to Students with Disabilities.” ED.gov Blog, 4 Feb. 2013, blog.ed.gov/2013/01/we-must-provide-equal-opportunity-in-sports-to-students-with-disabilities/.
3. “Five Benefits of Physical Activity For Children With Autism.” Be The Best Sport, 16 Sept. 2017, bethebestsport.org/five-benefits-of-physical-activity-for-children-with-autism/.
4. Steele, Darrin. “Why Make Room in Sports for Kids with Developmental Disabilities?” The Aspen Institute, 26 Feb. 2015, www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/why-make-room-in-sports-for-kids-developmental-disabilities/.
5. Orlick, Terry. “Including All Children.” Action for Healthy Kids, 2006, www.actionforhealthykids.org/what-we-do/programs/%20game-on/about-game-on/850-children-disabilities.
6. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_works_cited_page.html

Reflective Practice in the context of teaching ESOL Reflective practice engages practitioners in a continuous cycle of self-observation and self-evaluation in order to understand their own actions and the reactions they prompt in themselves and in learners (Brookfield, 1995; Thiel, 1999). Reflective practice is considered as an evolving concept which views learning as “an active process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice. (Reid, B 1993 cited in Garfat, T. 2005). In my opinion, implementing reflective practice approach to professional development in order to expand our knowledge is a challenge. This challenge involves teacher’s ability to “reflect on his or her practice” in order to “bring about change and improvement”, especially in the ESOL context that is represented by variety of learner groups, curricula, available resources, and amount and type of teacher preparation (Schellekens, 2007, p. 199).

To me, nowadays, teaching students to meet their requirements does not only involve the effective and professional use of methodology, training and concept alone. I think that it is all about the ability of integrating both theory and practice with highly exploratory process of reflective practice. I consider reflective practice as a reflective professional development tool, which I treat merely as a personal low-tech way of incorporating reflective practice in day-to-day classroom teaching in order to make my class more effective.

Developing own reflective or critical thinking skills should engage various aspects of teaching, such as preparation process, receiving feedback form the learners, self-evaluation process, feedback or criticism from the colleagues, statistical data, teacher’s diary, training/development and own teaching experience.

According to The Institute for Learning’s policy statement on professional formation, reflective practice is a professional requirement to show reflection on the impact of professional development (Lifelong Learning UK, 2007). The Institute’s online personalised learning space, REfLECT, requires teachers to submit variety of individual reflective practice evidence that includes: * self evaluation – an individual analysis of the applicant’s learning needs and goals for the next 12 months, * professional development planning – n individualised learning plan detailing the actions the applicant will take to address the needs and goals identified through self assessment, * reflective practice – reflection on the impact of professional development on the applicant’s teaching practice, the benefit to learners and wider communities of practice: could include, or be a mix of, a personal reflection on the impact of CPD, peer review, learner observations, observation of teaching and learning, collaborative working, etc. (IfL, 2008)

The models of reflection, which I have chosen to mention in this paper, promote looking at what has been learned and planning how those lessons can be applied if similar experiences re-occur. The two models of reflective practice in the context of teaching are: Brokfield’s model of four reflective “lenses” and The Reflective Cycle by Gibbs (1988). 1. Brookfield’s model of four critically reflective lenses In his “model of four critically reflective lenses”, Brookfield (1995) suggests that we should make use of the four “critical lenses” through which to view and reflect upon our teaching practice, and he suggests the following: 1. ur own view (which he refers to as autobiography); 2. that of our students; 3. that of our fellow professionals; 4. and the various theoretical perspectives propounded in educational literature. Brookfield treats teacher’s personal experience as the most important insight into teaching to which teachers have access, and this personal experience should combine both: considerations of classroom and lesson management as well as whether or not the learning experience was a profitable one for the students.

By talking to colleagues about what happened in the classroom, not only may we find solutions to problems but also share and broaden our teaching experience. (Brookfield, 1995; p. 31-36). 2. The Reflective Cycle by Gibbs (1988) Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, and analysis to make sense of the experience to examine what you would do if the situation arose again. This straightforward and therefore useful cycle appeals to me in several aspects. An incident is identified and thought about to provide a description of what happened.

The abstract aspects of the situation – the emotional dimension – are taken into account and reflected upon. This has to be done because if I can stand back from what happened and identify how I felt then those feelings can be evaluated. In the light of reflection I could see how perhaps extremes of emotion affected my outlook and thus actions. Was there anything positive that could be carried forward into the future or negative that needs to be addressed? Is it possible to find the cause of these positive and negative aspects that I might examine later?

This analysis allows me to break down the incident into smaller parts that made up the situation. The question I ask myself is: What were the issues, key factors and influences and how did they combine to bring about the incident? Once I have this deeper understanding drawn from all the information I have about the situation I can try to work out what else could have been done at the time. Having concluded what, upon reflection, would have been the way to address the situation I can produce an action plan for the next time the same situation arises.

By applying this reflective practice cycle to similar situations the outcome should be steady, gradual improvement, associated with stimulating personal and professional growth, and closing the gap between theory and practice. DESCRIPTION My reflection below describes a critical incident involving my 17 year old, Entry 1 ESOL student from Somalia with undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). In undifferentiated ADD, the primary and most significant characteristic is inattentiveness but hyperactivity is not present. The student manifests problems with organization and distractibility, even though he may seem quite and passive.

The symptoms I noticed in the classroom environment included: * a short attention p, * occasionally impulsive behaviour, * difficulty sitting still, * a tendency to express the wrong answer, * inconsistent levels of task-attentiveness, * a tendency to appear forgetful as the consequence of inadequate access to actually well-stored information, * inconsistent levels of task-completeness, often losing things necessary for tasks * an appearance of being forgetful, when in fact the information was never really received or processed, * compromised summarization/paraphrasing competencies.

FEELINGS I have found myself wondering whether this student might have a learning disability about three months ago as I noticed that his learning issue, ADD, is impeding his progress in English. At times I was also slightly frustrated with the students’ classroom behaviour and lack of his academic progress. I was advised to take a “wait and see” approach to this case. I decided that there must be a better way of handling these exceptional students.

In order to help me understand the complexity of the issue I decided to do extensive research on students with ADD and ADHD and how to tackle the issues in class, as well as how to help my student achieve in ESOL. EVALUATION After careful evaluation why my student may advance through his ESOL studies at a slower rate than their peers and having done a detailed “tick-off” evaluation sheet of all of the symptoms I noticed during lessons, I decided to explore future solutions to this problem.

Extensive research about students with ADD and ADHD helped me understand the complexity of the issue and how to tackle the issues in class. It really motivated me to find out how to help my student achieve in ESOL. ANALYSIS During my reflections after each lesson and reflective analysis of the student’s action during lessons, I thought it was essential to uncover his special needs before he could get into disciplinary trouble, lose all self-esteem, or drop out of school. I realised that a “wait and see” approach is this case was not a way to go.

Instead, I should act fast and refer this student to be professionally assessed by the Educational Psychologist and organise a Study Support Assistant. In conclusion, I became conscious of the fact that having a special education aide in the ESOL classroom, cross-training of special education and ESOL teachers, and making resources on this topic (literature and trained staff) more available, would be of great help in recognising such learning difficulties and dealing with them on regular day-to-day basis of ESOL teaching. CONCLUSION

On the positive side, this reflective practice raised my awareness of the numerous reasons some ESOL students may reveal through inappropriate behaviour and/or limited language learning progress. I have learnt and I will continue to observe such students, incorporating teaching strategies for teaching students with learning disabilities in the classroom, analyse teaching and learning process to help them, make adjustments in delivery of the language when dealing with students with ADD/ADHD, and promptly refer students that present truly special education needs.

On a slightly negative side, the previous teacher did not identify the student’s problems early enough or did not have enough evidence to justify my student’s ADD/ADHD as a potential threat to his achievement in ESOL class. I started teaching this student about three months ago but it was only a month and a half ago when I started applying various strategies to meet his individual learning needs to help him success in ESOL despite his ADHD, such as: student monitoring, self management, discipline, and encouragement.

In more detail, I provided supervision and discipline through enforcing classroom rules consistently, encouraging him to positive self-talk, trying to be very patient with him, avoiding all distracting stimuli and transitions, physical relocation, changes in schedule, and disruptions, developing an extensive individual learning program, simplifying instructions, giving extra time for certain tasks. I strongly believe that his learning difficulties should ave been identified much earlier and appropriate strategies put in place at the beginning of the course. ACTION PLAN Next year, I am planning to apply the background information obtained by this reflective practice in the new group of ESOL young learners and to relay it to my colleagues. I will also connect with a special education professional who will be happy to observe my ESOL students next year and to provide assistance with strategies to use in my classroom, if the students with learning difficulties are going to be identified.

I will also research some literature resources to educate myself more about placement procedures for students with special education needs, practical reading strategies for ESOL students with learning disabilities, and teaching teens with ADD and ADHD. As the most immediate action plan, I shall incorporate special reading and writing strategies for the student with ADD/ADHD. These may include the following strategies.

However, the student will be required to give me feedbacks which of them works best for him, and these include: * Using “previewing” strategies by being aware of the following reading problems: 1. Reversals when reading (i. e. , “was” for “saw”, “on” for “no”, etc. ) 2. Reversals when writing (b for d, p for q, etc. ) 3. Transposition of letters and numbers (12 for 21, etc. ) 4.

Loss of place when reading, line to line and word to word * Shortening or lengthening the amount of required reading * For all assignments, clearly identifying expectations in writing * Making required book lists available prior to the first day of class to allow students to begin their reading early or to have texts put on tape * Encouraging the use of books-on-tape to support students reading assignments * Providing students with chapter outlines, or handouts, that highlight key points in their readings * Having students make a chart similar to the one below of their strengths and challenges so that they, as well as I, can learn from their perceptions of how well they read, write, remember, listen, speak, attend and get ideas out. Skills| Strengths| Challenges| Comments| Reading| | | | Writing| | | | Memory| | | | Listening| | | | Speaking| | | | Attention| | | | Getting Ideas Out| | | | To sum up, reflective practice is perhaps best understood as an approach which promotes autonomous learning that aims to develop students’ understanding and critical thinking skills.

It also helps students to understand that learning is individual. It is an act of being able to reflect on our strengths, weaknesses and areas for development. It is also an emotional response that complements our knowledge and what we understand about a subject, and which enables us to act in a situation. Personally, I strongly agree that the importance of reflecting on what we are doing, as part of the learning process, is one of the defining characteristics of teaching professional practice. References * Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey Bass * The Excellence Gateway http://excellencegateway. org. k/tlp/cpd/assets skills_life_basic_key. rtf (accessed 13/05/2011) * Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. * The Institute for Learning http://www. IfL. ac. uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/4640/ProfessionalFormationStatement. pdf (Accessed 13/5/11) * Lifelong Learning UK, 2007, New Professional Standards for Teachers, Tutors and Trainers in the Lifelong Learning Sector. http://www. lluk. org/documents/professional_standards_for_itts_020107. pdf (Accessed 05/5/2011) * Reflection Models http://www. brainboxx. co. uk/a3_aspects/pages/ReflectionModels. tm (Accessed 16/05/2011) * Root, C. – A Guide to Learning Disabilities for the ESL Classroom Practitioner http://www. cc. kyoto-su. ac. jp/information/tesl-ej/ej01/a. 4. html (Accessed 16/05/2011) * Schellekens, P. 2007. The Oxford ESOL Handbook. Oxford: Oxford University Press. * Strategies For Teaching Students with Attention Deficit Disorder (AD/HD) http://www. as. wvu. edu/~scidis/add. html#sect0 (Accessed 16/05/2011) Professional Values and Ethics Values are enduring beliefs, both hard-wired (meaning acquired genetically) and shaped by cultural context, about preferred “end states” (Urbany, Reynolds, & Phillips, 2008, p. 75).

According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2009), ethics is discipline dealing with good and evil and with moral duty or moral principles and practice. Professional ethics and values guide the decision-making process of all companies and organizations. Most businesses and organizations state their values and ethics in their mission statement and in their code of ethics. The professional ethics and values of a business or organization will set the tone of how they conduct their operations, how they interact with customers and how employees interact with each other. Sources of Professional Values and Ethics The three groups include the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA), Ethics Resource Center and the Institute for Ethics.

The CEJA develops ethics policy for the American Medical Association by preparing reports that analyze and addresses ethical issues (AMA, 2009). The Ethics Resource Center develops practical solutions for physicians who are confronted with ethical challenges and provides continuing education and outreach programs for medical students, practicing physicians, and residents. The Institute for Ethics is an academic research and training center on ethics in health care. The Institute covers issues such as, professionalism, health information policy and health preparedness (AMA, 2009). Association of American Educators (AAE) The ethical conduct toward students outlines how teachers should interact and communicate with their students. This principle states that teachers hould take responsibility to ensure that students learn qualities that will help them evaluate the consequences of and accept the responsibility for their actions and choices. The second principle, ethical conduct toward practice and performance instructs teachers on assuming responsibility and accountability for their performance and maintaining the dignity of their profession. Ethical conduct toward practice and performance also covers official policies and laws. The third principle, ethical conduct toward professional colleagues discusses issues such as confidentiality among colleagues, and making false accusations about colleagues or the school system.

The final principle, ethical conduct toward parents and community includes issues such as, effectively communicating with parents, respecting the values and traditions of the diverse cultures, and manifesting a positive and active role in school/communities. Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) How Ethics and Values Affect Success Professional ethics and values can have both positive and negative affects on a business’ or organizations’ success, “Values, whether neutral, virtuous or not so virtuous, drive our decision making” (Urbany, Reynolds, & Phillips, 2008, p. 76). Many companies have made millions using unethical strategies, while others have been destroyed by them. For example, several banks were lending money to individuals who they knew could never pay back the entire amount owed as a result most of the banks went bankrupt.

However, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the biggest offender in this situation was bailed out by the government with a slap on the wrist. On the other hand, there are several companies that pride themselves in choosing to make the tough ethical decisions. For example, companies that recall millions of dollars worth of products to ensure their customers safety, or companies that choose to operate in the United States although they could operate at a lower cost outside of the United States. Conclusion {text:bookmark-start} {text:bookmark-end} References American Medical Association (AMA). (2009). American Medical Association. Retrieved from www. ama-assn. org Association of American Educators (AAE). (2009). Association of American Educators. Retrieved from

I would like to begin by saying, “Whatever it takes to teach my students, I am willing to do! ” Whether I need to make print outs of everything covered in class, to e-mailing them, to wearing a microphone, etc. The need for technology in the classroom is rapidly increasing with the changing times.

I will be teaching high school mathematics and even still I will incorporate technology into my classroom in any way possible, whether it is with computers or calculators. According to this article there is a “list of benefits of implementing these technologies for special students as follows. He maintains that using these technologies: •Maximizes independence in academic and employment tasks, •Increases participation in classroom discussions, •Helps students gain access to peers, mentors and role models, •Helps them self-advocate, Provides them with access to the full range of educational options, •Helps them participate in different experiences not otherwise possible, •Provides them with the opportunity to succeed in work-based learning experiences, •Secures high levels of independent living, •Prepares them for transitions to college and careers, •Gives them the opportunity to work side-by-side with peers, •Helps them enter high-tech career fields, •Encourages them to participate in community and recreational activities” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009).

According to Odabasi, et. al, “Aksan defines communication as the transmission of information, ideas, emotions and intentions from one place to another or from on person to another through primitive or mature indicators” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009). A common language is necessary in order for one person to communicate with another. Odabasi, et. al states that “hearing impaired children follow the same processes followed by their hearing peers during learning.

However, because of their impairment, their language acquisition, reading comprehension, and written production are later realized in comparison to their intact peers” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009). The swift increase in the demand for “portable information-technology devices” is quickly growing out of control (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009). But, the demand has been the driving force for the influx of cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), and GPRS available on the market today.

I say if the making of these devices is going to help students with disabilities, then so be it and bring them on. According to Odabasi, et. al, “Mobile learning provides a motivational stimulus, offers ease of storage and portability, contributes to improved written work, increases knowledge of computers, offers a range of useful functions, and is readily available at all times” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009).

Within the need for “Mobile learning” also comes “Mobile technologies that can be used whenever there is a need for learning, support individual learning, provide collaboration and communication everywhere, accommodate to individuals’ particular knowledge and skill level, sustain uninterrupted access to information resources, and accommodate to daily communication needs” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009).

Students will be able to contact teachers and access their work outside the classroom with “Mobile Technology” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009). Odabasi, et. al says “PDA’s have two basic purposes in mobile learning – to provide sustained personal access to ICT, through which teachers might develop familiarity with relevant concepts and practices; and to provide access to the projects and professional development materials” (Odabasi, Kuzu, Girgin, Cuhadar, Kiyici, & Tanyeri, 2009).

In conclusion, I will definitely be using technology in my classroom. However, I will have a limited selection and availability of programs, as I will be teaching high school mathematics. I do believe that it would benefit more students to have more access to material pertaining to their classes, no matter which classes they may be.

In this essay I am suppose to explain what the plans for my life are, how I plan on achieving them and the problems I might face. If you have a goal it gives you a clear focus on things. It also helps you to organize your plans by letting you set time limits and boundaries. I think if you plan on achieving things in life then you have to set goals. After high school there are many things I want to do and accomplish in my life. My goals probably aren’t different from most kids, but it will take a lot of hard work to get where I want to be.

I have many goals, but to accomplish these goals I will probably have many things that could get in the way. The reason I need to set goals is to make sure that I don’t fall behind in life and not achieve my dreams. Last summer I was into some bad things that really messed up my life. Luckily, I was assigned to Youth Court to help me through this. Youth Court is helping teach me the importance of goals because of the way it is set up. I have a 6 month sentence. During this time I have to complete certain goals.

Writing this life plan is one goal, an apology letter due the 1st month, a shoplifting class the 2nd month, and a jail tour another month. I have jury duty the first Thursday of every month, I have to phone in weekly, I have to attend school regularly, stay out of trouble, obey my parents, obey 10:00 pm curfew, and complete 40 hours of community service by the end of the 6 month period. If all of this is not complete then I will not reach my goal of having my offense taken off my records.

The way Youth Court is set up is to do a little each month until you can complete your goal. If I do the required stuff every month then by the time the 6 months is over I will have completed everything I needed to do in order in graduate from Youth Court and have my offense taken off my record. Even though I haven’t finished setting my goals, I already have some. Two of the most important are to be happy and successful, even if I haven’t started out so well. One goal I have is to get my drivers license, I have already finished my classroom training.

I have just taken my written test and I now I my permit. I will have my permit for 6 months before I can get my license. I still need to complete my drivers training class which I am already signed up for. This is an important goal for me because I will need a license to drive. This leads to a goal I am trying to achieve and that is finding a job. I am starting to look for an after school/weekend job to save money to buy a car and for gas money. Another goal I have is to graduate from high school in 2 ? years.

I have problems in school because I have learning disabilities, including ADHD. I am also in Special Education classes. I need to work hard every day so I can keep my grades up. I think the most important value that will make me successful is determination. In order to be successful in my life I have to stick with it. While you can be happy achieving something it can take a lot of effort. There can be many mistakes and setbacks, I already know about some of those. Another goal I have is to become an x-ray technician.

The history of American special education has taken a long, ever-evolving journey to get to the place it is today. Marilyn Friend (2008) discusses how in the early twentieth century students were still not accepted into public schools. Students who had physical or mental disabilities were placed into separate classes, made up entirely of students with disabilities.

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century students with a wide range of disabilities were enrolled in special education classes. Over the past century, various court cases have defined how special education has changed. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education, gave way to questions about whether or not separating special education students from the general education population was appropriate or not. Some people believed that taking students out of the classroom gave them a label for their disability and therefore was discriminatory towards students, rather than helpful in providing services they needed to make them successful. Friend, 2008, p. 47) Not only did educators become advocators for children’s with disabilities, so did parents. The Mills v. Board of Education (1972) sparked the determination of providing special education services for students. In response to various lawsuits against the Board of Education legislation created mandates to ensure the rights for students with disabilities. Structure of Special Education Parents continued to push for the rights of children, as well as congress.

The elementary and secondary education

Act of 1965 were laws that provided funding to states to assist them in creating and improving programs and services for children with disabilities. The Education for All Handicapped children Act in 1974 was created to allow full educational opportunities for students with disabilities. In 1986, the federal special education law was changed to include services for infants and young children. (Friend, 2008, p. 49) In 1990, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was changed to Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and more disabilities were added.

The most recent change was in 2004 when provisions were added to help resolve disputes between parents, as well as the requirement for student instruction to be taught using evidence-based practices. Federal law forced educators to change their view of special education students and how to best serve their needs in the school environment. Also in 2004, President Bush and Congress wanted IDEA to align with No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 so that schools would be held accountable for making sure students with disabilities achieve high standards (Friend, 2008, p. 68).

Jill Hockenbury (2000) pointed out that special education is a key part of the public education system but that there are still challenges in special education today. Critical changes that are needed in special education include constructing a defensible philosophy of education, providing effective and intensive instruction, and improving the quality of teacher training. These changes are still being worked on today. The needs of children today are demanding that teachers provide effective instruction, that’s meaningful and allows the teacher to reach all levels of development in one classroom.

Trends and issues

Quality teacher training is also one of the biggest challenges facing special education and relates directly to a key topic heard a lot about in special education, which is inclusion. Inclusion centers on the belief that students with a disability should be allowed to be a part of the general education classroom. However, inclusion is difficult because of the requirement of the general education teacher. The general education teacher should be able to meet the needs of the students in his or her classroom, which can be difficult depending on the students needs.

However, inclusion states that students should be in the classroom full time, receiving instruction the same as non-disabled peers, and there should be no need for pull-out. In some cases, members of a child’s IEP team may not agree on the appropriate environment for a student. With increased opportunities for teachers to have training with research-based methods and strategies, this area should be able to improve in the future. Researchers have stated that inclusion is beneficial to both students with disabilities, and those without disabilities.

A study done investigating perceptions of learning of nearly 5,000 kindergarten students through 12th grade revealed that students with disabilities wanted to learn the same material, use the same books, and enjoy the same homework and grading practices as typical peers. (Friend, 2008, as cited in Klinger and Vaughn 1999) Other trends in special education include universal design for learning and differentiation. Universal design for learning (UDL) is the instructional approach that students with disabilities should have access to the curriculum.

Along with UDL is the use of differentiated instruction (or differentiation) to explore the concepts of UDL further. Differentiation means that within one environment, students with multiple needs will have their needs met through various ways. UDL and differentiation should be utilized by general education teachers to meet the needs of their special education student. (Friend, 2008, p. 77) These trends are all key concepts in the world of special education. They all impact the way special education teachers should teach to meet the needs of all their students.

Pat Beckman (2001) reiterated this fact stating that “improved student learning requires teachers, schools, and districts to give up unproductive traditions and beliefs, replacing them with validated practices and a full understanding of the intent of the law. ” IDEA requires teachers to use “programs, interventions, strategies, and activities” that are researched based. (Friend, 2008, p. 63) As the needs of students increase, the resources provided need to increase, which is the responsibility of those providing the education.

Special education has come very far since placing disabled students in their own separate classroom, but it still has a long way to go. There is much to be said about meeting the needs of special education students and reaching those administrators, parents, and educators who still do not have a full understanding of inclusion.

References

Beckman, Pat (2001), Access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children, retrieved May 28, 2012 from http://www. cec. sped. org/AM/Template. cfm? Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay. cfm&CONTENTID=5519 Friend, M. 2008). Special education: Contemporary perspectives for school professionals. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Hockenbury, J. C. , Kauffman, J. M. , & Hallahan, D. P. (2000). What is right about special education. Exceptionality, 8(1), 3-11. Obiakor, F. E. (2011). Maximizing access, equity, and inclusion in general and special education. Journal Of The International Association Of Special Education, 12(1), 10-16.

U. S. Department of Education (2007) “Thirty Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA”, retrieved May 28, 2012 from http://www2. ed. gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history30. html

Public jurisprudence 94-142 Part B of the Education of the Handicapped Act ( 1975 ) states that a free and appropriate public instruction must be provided for all kids with disablements in the United States ( those up to 5 old ages old may be excluded in some provinces ) . ( Hardman, & A ; Drew, 2008 )

In 1974 amendments to ESEA and EHA were passed ( Public jurisprudence 93-380 ) in order to increase fiscal aid to provinces to supply services to kids with disablements. This jurisprudence besides included linguistic communication that informed school territories that federal assistance for plans for pupils with disablements would be dependent on provinces developing programs for adequate services for kids with disablements. Finally, in 1975, The Landmark Education of All Handicapped Children Act ( EHA ) ; Public Law 94-124 ) was passed. This jurisprudence requires that all pupils have entree to liberate and allow public instruction that is provided in the least restrictive environment. Under Public Law 94-142, schools were required to supply service merely for kids of school age. But In 1986, public jurisprudence 99-457 was passed. This jurisprudence mandated particular instruction services for kids ages 3-5 and provided fiscal inducements to provinces to supply services for kids ages birth to 3.

I can merely conceive of the troubles that schools had to face before PublicA jurisprudence 94-142 was passed. But even after 1975 kids with disablements who were non yet in schools ( ages 3-5 ) had no rights that support their educational demands either. It took eleven old ages for the jurisprudence to be revised.

Hardman, M, & A ; Drew, C. ( 2008 ) . Human exceptionality scool, community and household. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

• The American with Disabilities Act ( ADA )
• Persons with disablements education Act ( IDEA )
• Agencies for Students in Particular Education
• II. Students with Learning Disabilities
• Emotional/behavioral Disorders ( EBD )
• Intellectual disablement
• Communication upsets
• Physical disablements

III. The Individualized Education plan ( IEP )

The intent of IEP

Who is involved?

Developing the individualised instruction plan

Developmentally appropriate pattern is instructional attack that uses course of study and larning environments consistent with the kid ‘s development degree. It uses more child-initiated acquisition by promoting kids to research their involvements through drama. It besides encourages household engagement. Age appropriate arrangement on the other manus is the arrangement of pick for all pupils with or without particular demands that are within chronologically age appropriate regular schoolrooms. Students with disabilities have the same environment as non-handicapped equals of similar age in order to better the quality of interactions in those environments. Inclusive preschool schoolrooms are designed to run into the demands of each kid. Classrooms are staffed by extremely trained professionals in both kid attention and particular instruction. In add-on, the schoolroom physical environment supports all of the users. The kids have all of their day-to-day activities together and the kids are seen as persons and it is recognized that all kids are on a continuum of development. I believe the “ Best Plan ” depends upon the specific demands of the kid. Developmentally appropriate course of study should supply for all countries of a kid ‘s development ; physical, emotional, societal, lingual, and cognitive.The course of study should besides construct upon what kids already know and are able to make to consolidate their acquisition and to further their acquisition of new constructs and accomplishments. Integrated scenes have, in fact, been found to bring forth higher proportions, rates, and degrees of societal, cognitive, and lingual accomplishments in kids with disablements than unintegrated scenes.

IV. Teacher ‘s Roles in the Classroom

Particular instruction instructors compile, organize and keep good accurate records on each pupil and work straight with the pupil ‘s parents to guarantee that they are familiar with what is being taught. Since the particular instruction instructor needs to cognize whom to depend on for role- specific advice, he or she has the duty to organize the pupil ‘s individualised instruction plan by maintaining the line of communicating unfastened with each squad member. The General instruction instructor ‘s function is critical ; he or she provides support for pupils by repeating or lucubrating on the pupil ‘s verbal parts. The instructor assesses the general course of study and aids in finding appropriate positive behavioural intercessions and schemes for the pupil and provides services and plans alterations. Professionals who collaborate trust one another but coaction and audience will work in a school if, and merely if, the people involved are prepared for the functions. Understand their specific functions, and know the ends for the procedure

Working with Children with Special Needs

Intensive instructions

Adaptive instructions

Inclusive instruction

VII. Passage to adult life

Passage Servicess are designed to be within a results-oriented procedure, that is focused on bettering the academic and functional accomplishment of the kid with a disablement to ease the kid ‘s motion from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary instruction, vocational instruction, integrated employment ( including supported employment ) , go oning and big instruction, grownup services, independent life, or community engagement. It is based on the single kid ‘s demands, taking into history the kid ‘s strengths, penchants, and involvements. The jurisprudence is really clear in saying that every effort must be made to guarantee that pupils take part meaningfully in their ain passage planning. IDEA ordinances require schools to affect the pupil in the planning procedure to the maximal extent possible, every bit good as to guarantee that the pupil ‘s penchants and involvements are considered in composing the ends and aims.

The passage from school to adult life is a complex and dynamic procedure. Passage planning should stop with the transportation of support from the school to an grownup service bureau, entree to postsecondary instruction, or life as an independent grownup. ( Hardman, Drew, & A ; Egan, 2008 ) Planing for pupil ‘s future requires the position of multiple people who are vested in the pupil ‘s life. IDEA 2004 requires that the planning squad include the parents ; at least one general instruction instructor ; the particular pedagogue who works with the pupil ; a representative of the school territory ; the school must besides ask for the pupil to go to the IEP/transition squad meeting and help the pupils in making his or her ends.

What chances are available for pupils with disablements after they complete secondary school? Teachers, parents, households, and schools should go on to look for available community resources to assist pupils with disablements become more independent and passage from high school to the community. Many times there are authorities funded bureaus that have plans and services available for persons with transitional barriers. One of the bureaus that found to be helpful is The Job Accommodation Network ( JAN ) . It has an international toll-free consulting service that provides information about occupation adjustments and the employability of people with disablements. JAN besides provides information sing the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ) . Another bureau is The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth ( NCWD-Y ) . It offers proficient aid plans to assist the work force development community with issues that affect the employment of young person with disablements. The NCWD-Y besides seeks the aid of experts in disablement, instruction, employment and work force development issues to guarantee that young person with disablements are provide full entree to high quality services.

Institutions of higher acquisition besides have different chances on their campuses for pupils with disablements. Postsecondary academies are one-day conferences-type events for high school juniors and seniors with a broad scope of disablements. Parents, instructors, passage specializers, and other high school staff are besides encouraged to go to.

To to the full fix for the passage from school, pupils and parents must be educated about critical constituents of grownup services systems ; Self finding and societal accomplishments besides play a critical function in the successful passage from school to adult life. Students with disablements in the secondary school old ages need entree to societal activities in order to be successful in the community and the workplace. Competence in utilizing societal accomplishments will take to positive perceptual experiences of individuals with disablements in extended community scenes such as postsecondary instruction.

Special education has come a long way since the room down the hall with the crayon books and easy work. There was a time that special education students were placed together in a classroom, given easy work to do that would not challenge them and provided separate recesses and lunch periods so that they would not mingle with the regular education students. It was a stigma that nobody wanted for their child but it wasn’t until the mid-1960’s that it began to change.

Beginning with Brown vs the school board lawsuit, stemming from a Black student who wanted to attend a predominately white school, the life of a special education student has transformed significantly. Today, special education students are protected from discrimination and segregation by federal and state laws. Students with special learning needs are educated in the least restrictive environment and school systems are ordered to accommodate their special needs so that the playing field will be level for their educational journey. Blind students are classified special education by the very nature of their disability.

They are classified as such so that the federal education statutes with regards to special education can protect them from being segregated or shunned by the regular education system. Blind students have their inability to see in common, however, outside of that they are as individual and diverse as their sighted peers. There are federal guidelines in place regarding the education and interventions that pertain to blind students however. A student who is blind can present challenges when it comes to behavioral interventions because some of the tried and true methods are not applicable when it comes to a blind student.

Making a student write an essay, write sentences or run laps is not feasible when the student needing the intervention is blind. While many behavioral interventions that apply to sighted students will in fact work with blind students it is important to have alternative plans in place for the behavior intervention of those who cannot see. When the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was passed, educators, parents and students began to hammer out plans and pathways to the fair treatment and education of those who had special needs.

The students who were blind had previously been sent off to schools for the blind, where they only associated with other blind students, worked with blind geared materials and learned that they were blind in a sighted world. Today, blind students who want to attend regular public schools are not only encouraged to do so they are given the right by federal law to do so, and the school must take whatever steps are needed to allow that education(Anderson, 2004).

The 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the resulting final federal regulations published in 1999 describe related services as an essential component of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for many students with disabilities(Anderson, 2004). ” Those related services include everything from transportation to counseling services that will assist the special education student in their quest to receive a public education with their peers. Every special education student, including those who are blind is provided with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan).

This plan outlines the student’s educational needs, the way those needs will be met and what accommodations will be provided by the school system in providing that education(Zabriskie, 2003). While the federal law protects all special education students there are areas of interest that are specifically geared to the education of blind students(Kozub, 2006). As part and parcel of an blind student’s IEP it is important to consider the disability and remember its limitations when planning the student’s curriculum, extra curricular activities and physical education abilities.

Because a blind student is often at a disadvantage when it comes to physical activity in both during the routine school curriculum and the aspects of physical education the IEP team must consider alternatives to include these elements in the school day. In addition the IEP team must consider appropriate behavior interventions for the blind student that acts out due to frustration about not being able to participate as fully as their sighted peers.

This frustration may be from the child’s anger at his or her limitations or may be founded in messages being sent to that student by well meaning parents who are concerned about their child’s physical development as well as educational development. “The need for heightened levels of fitness in order to navigate barriers found in both home and community settings is important for children and adults with visual impairments. This is a critical mobility issue for children given the need for independence in daily living activities that increases with age and becomes a necessity during adulthood.

In addition, issues of mobility within the larger community are a concern later in adulthood if individuals who lack vision rely on public transportation (which may or may not be accessible depending on fitness levels needed to independently reach bus stops). In all, it is imperative that adequate levels of physical activity are encouraged in children and adolescents with visual impairments to facilitate independence into adulthood. The following study is an initial investigation using a family systems framework of activity levels in a select group of children and adolescents with visual impairments(Kozub, 2006). “

These and other concerns raise a need for behavioral interventions that are specifically geared to meet the needs of blind students(Robinson, 2001). “School success may be minimal for students who have difficulties building social relationships and ultimately fail at developing social competence. As a result, social skills training is often provided to increase pro-social interaction. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of teaching appropriate social functioning, there is concern about generalization and maintenance of learned skills(Gilles, 2003). ” Blind students are at a specific disadvantage in the regular classroom setting.

They are unable to determine when the classroom is noisy when it is appropriate to speak out, when it is appropriate to remain quiet and how to gain the teacher’s attention by finding her by sight then moving toward her(Bricker, 2004). It is situations such as these that create a problem when it comes to behavior for the blind student. Not only are inappropriate behaviors a risk when a student is frustrated by being blind, but there are every day behaviors that must be addressed for the blind student and the regular education student to blend into a classroom and create a positive and cohesive learning environment.

A student who cannot see where the teacher is to gain his or her attention will often times yell out or shout out the teacher’s name. This can not only be disruptive to the classroom from a educational standpoint, but it can also provide a foundation for mimic behavior from the sighted students(Prochaska, 2002). A classroom with 15-23 students all shouting out names of the teacher or others that are needed will quickly become an impossible learning environment. It is important to develop a behavioral intervention for such situations and implement that intervention with the blind student(Bricker, 2004).

One intervention would be to provide the blind student with a bell, with which he could ring it once and then patiently wait for the teacher to either arrive at the desk or verbally let the student know he or she will be there momentarily. A blind student may become loud and disruptive when frustrated or angry. It is important for teachers to understand that the frustration may not be with any one person in particular but may in fact be about not being sighted the way the other students in the classroom are.

It is important o have appropriate behavior interventions in place from the beginning so that the students who are blind can depend on the consistent response to certain behaviors. When a student acts out and become verbally loud and disruptive it can be disruptive for the entire classroom. Whereas a sighted student can be told to go to the hall or go to the principal the sending of a blind student is more complicated as they will require an aide to accompany them.

If less drastic attempts to reduce the undesired behavior are not successful then an aide should be appointed to escort the student from the classroom, however, there should be mandated approaches built into the student’s IEP for behavioral interventions before that point arrives. One step that can be taken in behavior intervention with a blind student is to have the student learn how to self direct the anger. If he or she is feeling frustrated it is important that the student have a place to vent that frustration so that it does not come out in inappropriate behaviors in the classroom.

Allowing that student to be excused to talk to the guidance counselor about the current frustration is one behavior intervention that will allow the student to address the frustration while at the same time preserving the integrity of the classroom setting and the lessons being taught to the remaining students. Another approach to redirecting undesired behavior will be touch and sound. A blind student cannot read social cues from other students and teachers by the look on their face.

It is important to help the student who is blind find ways to read social cues using the other senses. Teachers should instruct the seeing students in ways to use hearing and touch to convey cues to the students who are blind. In addition the students that are blind should be guided in listening to voice cues and other sounds that can clue them to the social attitudes and feelings of those around them. It is important that blind student intervention programs provide clear cut guidelines in helping the students redirect themselves and their behavior to more acceptable avenues.

It is important for teachers and students to recognize the very real limitations that a blind student must face on a daily basis. The student who is educated in a regular education classroom is subjected to a well rounded experience, while at the same time must face frustrations that he or she would not have to deal with in a school for the blind. It is important that behavior interventions for the blind student take into consideration the disability and how that disability impacts the student not only from an educational standpoint, but also from a social and emotional standpoint as well.

Behavior interventions should include guidance for future behaviors that will provide a foundation for the student to build on successful encounters with each passing year. The federal government mandates that accommodations be put in place but it is up to the individual school to design the accommodations that fit the individual blind student. Blind students are as diversified as sighted students and as such must have behavioral intervention plans in place that address their individual needs.