Essay Topic Examples
1. The Role of Empathy in Special Education Teaching:

Explore how empathy plays a vital role in the daily responsibilities of a special education teacher, enhancing the educational experience and development of students with special needs. Discuss the impact of empathetic teaching on establishing trust, motivating students, and adapting to their unique learning challenges.


2. Innovative Teaching Strategies in Special Education:

Discuss the various innovative teaching strategies employed by special education teachers to cater to diverse learning needs. Examine how these strategies accommodate different disabilities and learning styles, and how they facilitate an inclusive classroom environment that promotes equal learning opportunities.


3. The Challenges of Being a Special Education Teacher:

Analyze the challenges faced by special education teachers, including emotional, physical, and cognitive demands. Consider how these professionals navigate bureaucracy, limited resources, and varied caseloads while striving to provide the best…...

mla

Primary Sources

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 2004.

U.S. Department of Education. \"Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).\" 2004.

American Association of Special Education Teachers (AASET) Code of Ethics.

American Association of Special Education Teachers. \"AASET Code of Ethics.\" n.d.

Special Education Teacher Interview Summary.

Smith, John. [Interview Summary of a Special Education Teacher]. Personal Collection of [Interviewer\'s Name], [Year of Interview].

Reflective Teaching Journal of Special Education Practitioner.

Professional Qualifications of Special Education Teacher Assistants
Special Education is a field that continues to grow rapidly throughout the world. The 21st century thus far has seen an increased interest and attention paid to the area of Special Education. There are a variety of staff members within a Special Education facility or department within a larger facility that contribute to the well-being and education of the students. Teacher Assistants in Special Education are a part of this group. Special Education Teacher Assistants play a valuable role in the Special Education classroom experience. They often provide the assistance, additional supervision, and attention to the students that allows the teachers and other specialists to do perform their job functions successfully.

To be an effective Special Education Teacher Assistant (SETA), one must have some training and specialized knowledge regarding the types of student populations, classroom environments & procedures, as well as what kind of paperwork…...

mla

References:

Education Portal. (2012). Special Education Assistant Career Info, Job Duties, and Requirements. Web, Available from:   2012 October 26.http://education-portal.com/special_education_assistant.html .

New York City Department of Education. (2010). Handbook for Special Education Teaching Assistants (Paraprofessionals). Division of Human Resources, Operational Support Services, SubCentral, Brooklyn.

disappointments of educational reform in recent memory has been the failure of the mainstreaming of special-education pupils. his disappointment arose because the idea of mainstreaming held - at least for some educators and families, at least for a while, such a bright promise for so many children who were markedly different from their peers. For years such children had been denied access not only to the educational opportunities available to other students but also to the social interactions that are also such an important part of the school experience. Moreover, mainstreaming seemed to often an end to some of the worst of stigmatization that children with development difficulties had been made to suffer.
However, it was very soon apparent that the promises of mainstreaming - an appropriate education for all - were illusory. Children with developmental challenges were not being adequately served in classrooms in which there were too many…...

mla

This is, of course, not because special education children are not teachable in terms of academic skills but rather that, inhabiting a much smaller social world than their counterparts, they have fewer chances to learn essential citizenship lessons.

This paper suggests ways in which the special-education teacher can meet both of these challenges at once, providing children them with both the academic and social skills that are essential for each individual to have a successful - because rewarding - life.

Dennin, 2002, interview.

Teaching
A special education assistant is classified as a teaching assistant in the British Columbia educational system. The definition of a teaching assistant, according to the Make a Future: Careers in BC Education Web site, is someone who provides general assistance to support teachers, students, and/or school programs (Make a Future: Careers in BC Education, 2012). In addition to the desired post of special education assistant, other teaching assistant positions include general teacher assistants, Supervision Aides, Food Program Aides, Library Aides, Science Aides, Multicultural Support Worker, Youth Care Worker, Aboriginal Support Worker, and Community School Assistants. For each of these teaching assistant positions, including special education teaching, a high school graduation is required.

The specific qualifications necessary for a special education assistant includes include certificates or diplomas from recognized college programs such as Classroom and Community Support Worker Program, Special Education Assistant Certificate, and Special Needs Worker Program (Make a Future: Careers…...

mla

References

Abbotsford School District. Website retrieved:  http://hr.sd34.bc.ca/careers 

"Abbotsford: School District 34." Retrieved online:  http://www.makeafuture.ca/bc-school-districts/regions/fraser-valley/34-abbotsford/ 

Make a Future: Careers in BC Education (2012). Retrieved online:  http://www.makeafuture.ca/career-resources/overview/support-staff/special-education-and-teacher-assistants/

Special Education: Collaboration Between Teachers
The majority of special education students receive instruction in both general education classes as well as special education support classes. Most of these students are enrolled in esource Support Programs in which a special education teacher has responsibility for offering learning supports across the general education curriculum. The job of the special education teacher, or esource Specialist, is to ensure that the student's IEP is properly implemented. This requires ongoing communication and collaboration with general education teachers.

In most cases a special education student in elementary school and above will have a least two to three different teachers in addition to his or her special education support. These general education teachers need to be offered guidance and support regarding how to modify curriculum and how to properly implement any behavior plans.

The most effective way in which teachers can collaborate is to ensure that they spend a sufficient…...

mla

References

Leonard, L. & Leonard, P. (2003, September 17). The continuing trouble with collaboration: Teachers talk. Current Issues in Education [Online], 6(15). Available: http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume6/number15/

National Center for Research in Vocational Education. 1993. Teacher Collaboration in Secondary Schools. Sourced from Web. December 6, 2011. http://vocserve.berkeley.edu/centerfocus/cf2.html

In their study, "Thinking of Inclusion for All Special Needs Students: Better Think Again," asch and his colleagues (1994) report that, "The political argument in favor of inclusion is based on the assumption that the civil rights of students, as outlined in the 1954 decision handed down in Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down the concept of 'separate but equal,' can also be construed as applying to special education" (p. 36). According to Mcgregor and Salisbury (2002), since then, the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, P.L. 105-17, 1997), and the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as the "Improving America's Schools Act"; ESEA, P.L. 103-382, 1994), mandate the inclusion of supplementary services and instructional supports in the general education classrooms to provide all students with access to challenging and stimulating learning environments (Mcgregor & Salibury, 2002). In addition,…...

mla

References

Allan, J. (1999). Actively seeking inclusion: Pupils with special needs in mainstream schools. London: Falmer Press.

Balfanz, R., Jordan, W., Legters, N., & McPartland, J. (1998). Improving climate and achievement in a troubled urban high school through the talent development model. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 3(4), 348.

Banks, J. (1994). All of us together: The story of inclusion at the Kinzie School. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.

Bullard, H.R. (2004). Ensure the successful inclusion of a child with Asperger syndrome in the general education classroom. Intervention in School & Clinic, 39(3), 176.

The teacher was understanding of the student's disability, but knew he could overcome it and was simply being lazy. I gave the teacher a copy of the student's reading level test results and this sparked an idea and a solution that proved most effective. The teacher mentioned that there were abridged and simplified versions of the books, most of which were at a 4th grade or slightly above reading level. The plan was to use an abridged book for the first novel in order to help the student gain confidence and then allow him to tackle the regular novel for the second book of the year. Additionally, the student would not be made aware of the switch in texts to prevent any additional laziness or excuses from being utilized.
Over the next few weeks I worked with the student using the book. It was a battle getting him to focus…...

mla

Resources

Brock, S.E. (1996). Reading Comprehension Abilities of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders. Vol 1.3, 173-185.

Cutting, Laurie; Hollis Scarborough (2009). Prediction of Reading Comprehension: Relative Contributions of Word Recognition, Language Proficiency, and Other Cognitive Skills Can Depend on How Comprehension Is Measured. Scientific Studies of Reading. Vol. 10.3, 277-299.

They will not have to sit through lessons that are not meant for them. Every lesson would be targeted towards that particular group of students.
Teacher etention

Special education is a highly specialized field making teacher retention an even more important issue than in the general population of teachers. Teaching a diverse array of students with specialized needs increases the workload of teachers more than those who only have to concentrate on a single subject. When teachers become overwhelmed, they are likely to experience higher amounts of job related stress. This stress translates into job dissatisfaction and can lead to lower teacher retention (Greiner & Smith, 2006). The proposed strategy would reduce teacher workload by allowing them to concentrate on the needs of only one group of students. They could become more proficient in the needs of this particular group of students, resulting in fewer job related stresses.

Every year the number…...

mla

References

Greiner, C. & Smith, B. (2006) Determining the Effect of Selected Variables on Teacher Retention.

Education,   Summer 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2007 at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_200607 "

These are the students who are suffering from sort of problem; it may be a cognitive disorder, a memory problem, a writing problem, or some sort of physical problem that does not allow him to cope with the burden of the educational system without special help and instruction, or anything else. The proponents of the exit exams also state that unless students are held to certain high standards, it would be impossible to identify or address the various inherent flaws and weaknesses in the entire system of examinations. Another advantage of the exit exam system, according to them, is that there will be an increase in the motivation levels for both students and teachers to do better and excel at the exam to the best of their abilities.
This, again, is valid only for those students who are in the normal stream of education, and not for those students who…...

mla

References

CA High School Exit Exam." Retrieved at Accessed on 11 January, 2005http://www.suhsd.net/html/cahsee1.htm.

Definition of Special Education" Retrieved at   on 11 January, 2005http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:Special+EducationAccessed 

Goodwin, Sherry Posnick. "Students with learning disabilities campaign against high school exit exams" Retrieved at   Accessed on 11 January, 2005http://www.cta.org/CaliforniaEducator/v7i8/MTC_1.htm .

High school exit examination: District and School Information Packet." (April 2000)

55). Hence, good ideas need to be brought to the fore so special education teachers can help students progress in a society that is too often indifferent to their needs. King-Sears presents and then rebuts two fallacies vis-a-vis that students with disabilities cannot master content that "…at times seems to be swiftly passing them by" (56).
The first fallacy -- students with disabilities can't learn general education curriculum -- can be dismissed because it has been shown through "…group work, monitoring and facilitating group thinking, and recursive opportunities for students" that children with learning disabilities can indeed learn (King-Sears, 56). This is true particularly if those disabled students have access to their peers, access to specially designed instructional content, and access to "assessment" strategies showing them what they have learned (which gives them direct feedback). The second fallacy is that teachers are legally required to cover the curriculum as quickly…...

mla

Works Cited

Ingersoll, Brooke, and Dvortcsak, Anna. (2006). Including Parent Training in the Early

Childhood Special Education Curriculum for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(2), 79-87.

King-Sears, Margaret E. (2008). Facts and fallacies: differentiation and the general education curriculum for students with special educational needs. Support for Learning, 23(2), 55-62.

Instead of the special education teacher and the general education teacher duplicating efforts for many children it has been shown that their efforts are better put to use in collaborating in their teaching efforts. Individuals cannot be effective team members unless they see themselves as being an important part of the team. An effective team should be viewed by others as having all individual members be contributors to the work of the team.
esearch has shown that some children with disabilities learn best in inclusive classrooms. The process of getting children with diverse abilities and typically achieving students together often brings with it the need for general and special education teachers to collaborate. Collaboration between general and special education teachers has been shown to be an effective technique when carried out properly. It is thought that this approach to education can help improve instruction as educators pool their talents in…...

mla

References

Delvin, Patricia. (2007). Create Effective Teacher-Paraprofessional Teams. Intervention in School & Clinic. 44(1), p41-44.

Murawski, Wendy W. And Hughes, Claire E. (2009). Response to Intervention, Collaboration,

and Co-Teaching: A Logical Combination for Successful Systemic Change. Preventing School Failure. 53(4), p267-277.

Tannock, Michelle T. (2009). Tangible and Intangible Elements of Collaborative Teaching.

More importantly, our appreciative and participatory stance with our co-researchers has allowed us to witness and learn about the cutting edge of leadership work in such a way that is and feels qualitatively different from other research traditions we have used in the past, because it is built on valuing. Even though it is challenging at times (Ospina et al. 2002), our inquiry space is enhanced by our collaboration with the social change leaders. (Schall, Ospina, Godsoe and Dodge, nd)
Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative research methods are those of:

(1) Phenomenology -- this is a form of qualitative research in which the researcher focuses on gaining understanding of how an individual or individuals experience a phenomenon.

(2) Ethnography -- qualitative research that focuses on the culture of a group and describing that culture.

(3) Case Study Research -- form of qualitative research that provides a detailed account of a case or cases.

(4) Grounded theory…...

mla

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Betts, Dion E. (2008) Professional Learning Communities and Special education: We Are Gathering Student Performance Data, Now What? PA Administrator.

Blaydes, John (2004) Survival skills for the principalship: a treasure chest of time-savers, short-cuts, and strategies to help you keep a balance in your life. Corwin Press, 2004.

Condelli, Larry and Wrigley, Heide Spruck (2004) Real World Research: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research for Adult ESL paper was presented at the National Research and Development Centre (NRDC) Second International Conference for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, Loughborough, England, March 25-27, 2004.

Cotton, K. (1996). School size, school climate, and student performance (School Improvement Research Series, Close-Up #20). Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved September 30, 2006, from  http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/10/c020.html

This qualitative research uses a Delphi study to explore the perceptions of special education teachers regarding retention. This Delphi study includes twenty-five to thirty special education teachers of K-12 in two California districts of less than 40,000 students. The information gathered provides leaders in the field with successful practices in retaining special education teachers.

Purpose of the study

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of special education teachers regarding the factors that influence their decisions to stay with a specific job placement or school community and develop recommendations for increasing teacher retention by developing more supportive school policies and practices. The study will employ the Delphi method to systematically survey special education teachers and develop an informed opinion about teacher retention by reviewing and distilling teacher input through several rounds of review. This survey of special education professionals can provide policymakers at all levels with an informed…...

mla

References

Allard, J., Chubbuck, S.M., Clift, R.T., & Quinlan, J. (2001). Playing it safe as a novice teacher: Implications for programs for new teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(5), 365.

Arnold, M. & Mitchell, a. (2004). Behavior management skills as predictors of retention among South Texas special educators. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 31(3), 214.

Colucci, K. & Epanchin, B.C. (2002). The professional development school without walls: A partnership between a university and two school districts. Remedial and Special Education, 23(6), 349.

Cooper-Duffy, K., Herzog, M.J., Prohn, K., Ray, M., & Westling, D.L. (2006). The teacher support program: A proposed resource for the special education profession and an initial validation. Remedial and Special Education, 27(3), 136.

Early Childhood Special Education Curriculum, Instruction and Methods Projects
This beginning chapter delineates education to the young children with special needs. In particular, early childhood special education mirrors impact and acclaimed practices resultant from the special education and early childhood fields. In the present, emphasis that is laid on early childhood does not encompass whether these young children can be provided with special needs service in typical settings but focus is rather on how the design of these inclusive programs can be most efficacious. Therefore, taking this into consideration, it is necessary to have early intervention for children with disabilities. However, an important element that is delineated in the chapter is that in as much as these children have special needs, they ought not to be treated in a dissimilar manner. The programs of early intervention for kids and preschoolers with special needs have to be centered on the similar developmentally…...

mla

References

Blackwell, W. H., & Rossetti, Z. S. (2014). The Development of Individualized Education Programs. Sage Open, 4(2), 2158244014530411.

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2011). Inbrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from:  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/multimedia/videos/inbrief_series/inbrief_science_of_ecd/ 

Cook, R. E., Klein, M. D., Chen, D. (2012). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs, 8th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall.

Edutopia. (2007). Smart Hearts: Social and Emotional Learning Overview. Retrieved from:  http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-overview-video

Description of the Classroom
The observation took place in an eighth grade level social studies classroom consisting of twenty-one students from diverse backgrounds. The teacher is Latina. Not wanting to make any assumptions about ethnicity or culture, I asked the teacher about the demographics. The teacher stated that of the 20, 8 were female and 12 male. Three students were African-American, two were Vietnamese-American, two Indo-American, five students were Hispanic, two were Jewish, three were from mixed backgrounds, and four were white. Two of the students had IEPs, one of them was an African American boy and the other a white student. Each of the students with IEPs had specific learning and developmental disabilities. One of the Vietnamese-American students had been recently diagnosed with audio processing disorder, and accommodations were being made to move the student to the front of the classroom. The IEPs provided for specific accommodations and modifications to…...

Incorporating principles of universal design and differentiated instruction into the philosophy of teaching special education helps ensure that all students, regardless of their abilities, can access and participate in the learning process.

Universal design focuses on creating environments, materials, and instruction that are accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. This approach not only benefits students with special needs but also benefits all students by promoting inclusive and supportive learning environments. By incorporating universal design principles, special education teachers can create learning experiences that are accessible to all students, regardless of their individual needs and abilities.

Differentiated instruction is a....

There are many reasons to become a special education teacher. Here are some of the main reasons:

1. Make a difference: Special education teachers have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of children with disabilities. By providing individualized support and adapting classroom strategies, special education teachers help students achieve their full potential.

2. Fulfilling career: Working as a special education teacher can be incredibly rewarding. Seeing the progress and growth of students, as well as the relationships built with families and colleagues, can bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose to your career.

3. Variety of roles: Special education teachers have the....

Embracing the Profound Impact of Special Education: A Journey of Purpose and Fulfillment

The realm of special education presents a unique and deeply rewarding path for those seeking to make a profound difference in the lives of others. Special education teachers serve as beacons of hope for students with diverse learning needs, fostering their growth, empowerment, and inclusion. While the challenges can be significant, the rewards far outweigh the difficulties, offering a sense of purpose and fulfillment that is unparalleled in other professions.

1. Nurturing the Potential of Every Student:

Special education teachers believe firmly in the inherent potential of every student, regardless....

Key Components of Effective English Language Learner Teaching Strategies

1. Focus on Language Acquisition Principles

Understand the stages of language acquisition and tailor instruction to each student's developmental level.
Use comprehensible input, providing language that is accessible and meaningful to students.
Create language-rich environments through visuals, gestures, and real-life experiences.
Encourage active engagement with language through speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

2. Build Language Proficiency

Establish a solid foundation in basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing).
Develop vocabulary and grammar through explicit instruction and ample practice.
Encourage language use in authentic and communicative situations.
Provide differentiated instruction and support for students....