Categorizations included 'steamer children', 'backward', 'defective', 'truant', and 'incorrigible'. At least two of these terms have persisted still today. In 1904, special procedures for identifying 'defectives' were presented at the World's Fair.
In 1951, the categorization changed again, with a major section of special education called the 'slow learner' what today we refer to as 'learning disability'. Even here, this term has split into countless subcategories such as 'ADD', 'ADHD', 'Asperger's', 'learning deficiency', 'special needs', 'borderline line special needs', and so forth.
The 'take home' points for inclusion in the classroom would be primarily the endeavor to respect each and every student as an individual and to look past the labels. I believe that the use of diagnostic labels are potentially stigmatizing to students locking student in an, oftentimes, undeserved categorization that impedes the teacher from seeing him as a complex, remarkably rounded individual who has tremendous potential. The label has the danger of fixing one in time -- permanently tagging him or her with a certain
Individuals, on the other hand, are shaped by their constantly fluctuating environments and experiences. Respect, dignity, compassion and understanding make them grow; perceiving them as objects may likely create negative self-reinforcers.
A good teacher -- all across the board but specifically for special-needs children who would need these characteristics most of all -- would embody the qualities of humanistic education: empathy, attentional listening, non- possessive warmth, genuineness, and -- most importantly -- respect for the particular individual.
Sources
Bateman, Barbara D. (1994). Who, How, and Where: Special Education's Issues in Perpetuity. The Journal of Special Education 27, 509-520.
Dorn, S., Fuchs, D., & Fuchs, L.S. (1996). A Historical Perspective on Special Education Reform. Theory into Practice 35, 12-19.
Kauffman, J.M. (1981). Historical Trends and Contemporary Issues in Special Education in the United States. In Handbook of Special Education, ed. James M. Kauffman and Daniel P. Hallahan. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Winzer, Margaret a. (1993). History of Special Education from Isolation to Integration. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
" According to Patton (1998) the overrepresentation of African-American children in special education programs that are intended for students that have serious emotional or behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and mental disabilities has continued to be a problem even though many researchers have recognized the problems that have occurred as a result of such overrepresentation. In fact there is exhaustive amounts of literature that explains the "causal factors that range from failure
It is also worth noting that the evolving nature of special education can be attributed to the cultural changes, family values, and civilizations taking place. Research attitudes towards people with special educational needs exhibit considerable variation as one move from one culture to the other. Findings show that people of different culture may perceive the similar conditions differently. For instance, Yoruba perceived that albinism as a punishment from God (Wilson,
J. This limitation is summarized in the following passage: Sometimes, disagreements about educational benefit are called "Cadillac-Chevrolet" disputes. Remember: In Rowley, the Supreme Court ruled that children are entitled to an appropriate education (i.e. A Chevrolet), not the best education money can buy (a Cadillac). http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep_guidance.html#Law_and_Regulations The above accurately describes some of the limitations that public schools have to meet the needs of special education children. This may or may not be
Then students use AlphaSmart software to paste the picture and explain in a paragraph why, how and where in the plot they feel that picture relates to the story. This tests three things: (a) student concentration; (b) student level of understanding of the general plot; and - student imagination. This is an important implementation because it opens the students' horizons and allows them to see the general links and
(4) Have participating teachers develop and lead online collaborative projects for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. (5) Develop and maintain an online community for teachers in self-contained units where ideas, lessons, and strategies can be shared. (6) Train staff on the concepts surrounding Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS) and support teachers as they develop preventative behavioral intervention plans that utilize PBIS strategies and concepts. (Rush, 2010, p.1) Rush (2010) states that the
It would not only be time consuming and expensive for each classroom teacher to develop an effective basic reading skills curriculum but such a curriculum is also fraught with a high degree of error. There is compelling evidence that supports the use of scripted programs rather than teacher-developed approaches to teach complex skills (Benner, 2005). Second, apply positive behavioral supports to manage the behaviors of students with behavioral difficulties during
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