Approaching Special Education- Thoughts about Teaching Diverse Learners
Building Confidence Recognizing Diversity Expanding Understanding Providing Support
Building Confidence
At this present stage in my teaching career, I have little experience teaching students with disabilities. However, a belief that informs my general education practice that translates into special education is that all students have the ability to learn. I am unsure if this belief has developed as a result of my teaching experience or my own learning. I can still remember overcoming times of doubt in my own ability to learn. I think that all students should be given opportunities to recognize their own abilities regardless of how significant they may or may not appear to be.
Recognizing Diversity
In my experience as an ESL teacher, I have worked in classrooms comprised of students with a wide variety of language abilities and learning preferences. I’ve taken away two important lessons from teaching extremely heterogeneous classes: (1) significant learning differences exist and (2) a teacher’s job in any classroom is to present lesson content in a way that maximizes the likelihood that all children will learn something. The basic principle translates well into special education, which I define as intentionally making curriculum accessible to all students. Special educators are tasked with identifying and applying the changes that students with disabilities need in order to access the curriculum. Good teachers differentiate their instruction to achieve their goals in both general and special education classrooms. To realize this reduces the perceived distinction between general and special classrooms and can help guide a teacher’s approach to special education.
Expanding Understanding
I find it interesting that in trying to define what special education is I’ve had to stretch my overall impression of what education is. Education, or the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge, is a human right that isa teacher’s duty to ensure. Experience has shown me that merely having a student in the classroom doesn’t mean that this right is granted. Teaching occurs when a manageable problem is presented to a student and new skills or knowledge is acquired in the process of solving the problem. When the teacher meets the student at his or her level of ability learning is possible. The teacher’s duty, then, is to meet all of his or her students at their learning ability regardless of that ability.
Providing Support
My only apprehension about special education is that I will not be prepared to meet the needs of all of my students. School administration plays an integral role in special education because teachers need support and training in order to meet the needs of all students. Even if a teacher’s intentions are well placed, without the proper expertise there are chances that special education can go awry. The school administration sets the tone for the school by including provisions for students with disabilities in its motto or vision statement and providing teachers with the time and professional development necessary to make informed pedagogical decisions about their students. Supported by their administration, skilled and well informed teachers have an opportunity to create a school culture where disability isn’t stigmatized and differences are valued, not judged.