Archive for the ‘Education’ Category
Children with special needs: Are teachers getting too involved? – Part 8
Are teachers getting too involved with Children with special needs? what an interesting question to ponder on. Not even 30 years ago a child like mind would have been locked in an institution or thrown into a dark closet and his education been called ‘appropriate’. Have the school systems overcompensated too far? As the mother of child with special needs I would have to give a resounding no. Teachers just like children are unique creatures. You can not judge them on their degree, really even on their experience , I have found that it comes down to their heart in their ability to reach out and truly touch the lives of those with special needs.
As a parent Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsFinding educational support for special needs children
Education for special needs children becomes more challenging for the ADHD child as she ages. Due to the lack of attention and the often present hyperactivity the ADHD student is often seen as a problem student if the teacher is not informed about ADHD symptoms. Added to the challenge of education for the ADHD student is the fact that one of the criteria for an official diagnosis of ADHD is the presence of other unrelated learning and psychiatric disorders.
ADHD students often have one or more of the following learning disorders, Asperger Syndrome, Tourettes Syndrome, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Depression and/or Bi-Polar diagnosis. A student who doesn’t pay attention, or follow rules, who is impulsive and highly active Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsMeeting special education needs without major facility modifications
ARD is a special education way to say that the Admission, Review and Dismissal Committee has determined what is best for the child with special needs in your classroom. When the ARD committee sends a special needs child into the regular classroom, they will most likely send a list of modifications with him.
Teacher’s often feel overwhelmed by the list and wonder how they will find time for this. Still, what the ARD committee decides is best for the special needs child is printed on a legal document and must be implemented. Not only is the school held liable, but the classroom teacher is too. You don’t want to go into a court room and explain why Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsBest ways for matching gifted students with special programs – Part 1
Employed as a special educator my experiences have ran the gamma of the low-level abilities to the gifted and talented. In one opportunity my teacher’s experience has led to enrichment classroom structures. This entailed “pull outs” for a specified period of time to give opportunities in a differentiated instruction periods. The students benefited by exploring their areas of interest upon each individual’s abilities. We worked with concepts that would not have either been available in the regular classroom or not feasible for the teacher to present. Students were given more complex understandings of generalizations, principles, and structure of the content areas. In another teaching opportunity class level was part of the class roll assignments. Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsProblems with teacher retention for special education – Part 3
Teacher retention is a problem in the field of special education is a challenge. Teacher retention is an issue in the special education field due to the increasing demands placed on special education teachers. All teachers have experienced increased responsibilities and paperwork and this is especially true in special education. Good special education teachers leave the field every year due to the unreasonable expectations that are placed on them.
All teachers have an uphill battle with developing lesson plans,standardized testing, collaborating with colleagues, communicating with parents, attending meetings and conference, and dealing with classroom management. That is a given. Most special education teachers must do all of the above as well as comply with federal,state, and local requirements pertaining to Individual Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsSpecial Education Needs Causing Financial Crisis in California Schools
Now, I am all for special education for children with disabilities. I attended school at a time when such children were either put into “special” schools or thrown in with the general student population to sink or swim on their own. It was a terrible inequity. It finally was addressed in the 1970s with a law designed to correct such discrimination by giving these children the civil right to an equal opportunity to learn. The law covered children from birth to age 22, guaranteeing them the right to a free and “appropriate” public education. It is the ambiguous word “appropriate” written into the law that is creating a crisis for the California schools, according to Nanette Asimov, staff writer Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsTips for helping a child with math skills
Three key points to helping your child with math:
1. Make it memorable
2. Make it real (money, travel, construction)
3. Understand it yourself
The theme park Great America has a high school physics day. The idea is that kids will remember the physics of roller coasters and free fall because it is fun. But the real reason they remember it may be the heightened emotion, particularly fear, that they may feel at the apex of the highest hill on the roller coaster.
Research has shown that events coupled with intense emotions are better remembered. Think of a kid trying to learn math in a classroom, staring blankly as the teacher writes on the board. Now take Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsHow Waldorf educational methods help special needs children – Part 5
Waldorf education is becoming one of the most popular educational programs in use. It has been put into place at thousands of schools across the United States. While most of these schools are private or home schools, it is becoming much more common place in the public school system as well. The reason it is becoming so popular is because of the results that it produces in the children that are involved in the program.
The major difference with the Waldorf program and the traditional program, is that rather than just focusing on the content at hand, the Waldorf program focuses on methods of being creativity and common sense into everything that is taught. By doing Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsAttitudes towards special education kids – Part 18
Being the mother of three children, ages; 20, 13, and 7, I have a great interest in education. My oldest was an average student and my youngest is a gifted child. That leaves my middle child with some learning disabilities. Not because he is the middle child, of course.
We noticed that he was learning slower than his peers when he was in the first grade. Being that he is a July baby, I thought perhaps I had started him in kindergarten too early and that his maturity level was not yet ready for school. I was a stay-at-home mom, so he was never in pre-school. But once he was in first grade Read the rest of this entry »
No CommentsMainstreaming special need students: Understanding the debate – Part 1
People learn by example. Monkey see, monkey do, as the saying goes. How can we, as a society, expect people to learn when they are surrounded by the same people all the time? How are they expected to grow and develop?
Inclusion of students with special needs is a rapidly growing trend that is sparking controversial debate. Students must be introduced to children of all abilities, whether they have special needs or not. It is important for people with special needs to develop normal communication skills. This is virtually impossible if they remain secluded all throughout their education. Also, inclusion allows them to feel accepted and appreciated. Shielding them from other students only Read the rest of this entry »
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