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Assignment
#2
In the case of Christopher Melrose the fact that he is a happy and enthusiastic student places the situation on a positive footing. That being said, his current difficulty in meeting the curricular demands of the class and the fact that he is falling behind his peers owing to his mild learning disability may place this happiness and enthusiasm at risk.
The dilemma in this case lies in the fact that the school believes that Christopher would be best served by being removed from the regular classroom to work with a special education teacher for a couple of hours a day and Christopher’s mother is in vehement opposition to this course of action. The school likely feels that Christopher’s needs might be best met with some intensive time with a special education teacher outside of the possible distractions his normal classroom. The atmosphere in the resource room may be more conducive to identifying and addressing Christopher’s needs, as the school views them, and will hopefully allow Christopher to make up the ground that he is currently losing in comparison to his peers.
Christopher’s mother may object to his removal from his usual classroom for any period of time for a number of reasons. She may fear that his happiness and enthusiasm for school may be negatively impacted if he is removed from his peer group. She may also fear that Christopher will be ‘labeled’ by his needing to go to the resource room for a couple of hours a day and may encounter difficulty in the social realm. She may also feel that his removal from his class may actually place him even further behind academically than he already is and in so doing a mild learning disability may grow into something that may be far more difficult to overcome.
The needs of all parties to this discussion need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve a positive outcome. The school is interested in providing Christopher with the means of addressing his mild learning disability. Christopher’s mother needs to see that her son’s needs are being met by the school and that he remains happy. Christopher himself should also be asked how he feels his needs can be met. Can the special education teacher work with Christopher in his own classroom without him needing to go to the resource room? Can the curriculum being presented in the class be done so in such a way that it accommodates Christopher’s needs? The regular classroom may not be the best place for Christopher depending on student numbers, layout and other needs amongst the students.
All things remaining equal, should Christopher’s needs be met by the special education teacher and regular teacher within the classroom that may be the best place for him to be. Such an arrangement would need to be revisited often by way of regular IPP meetings for all those involved. So long as Christopher can hold onto his happiness and enthusiasm while developing strategies for his mild learning disability there can be a high likelihood of success.
Assignment #1
Inclusion is not something that I had given a great deal of thought to prior to entering this program. I did not have much in the way of experience in interacting with special needs students in a school setting when I was younger but my family joined an organization that linked children with a disability with another child from the community with the purpose of learning from each other. It was a valuable experience for me and I was very fortunate to not only make a friend but learn a great deal about myself at a young age. I have since been open to other experiences that I might not have otherwise been owing to that early exposure to inclusive practice and look to include such practices not only into my teaching but also with my own family.
My experience in this past year’s practicum led me to question the supports available to teachers facing the challenges of an inclusive classroom with special needs students. Of a Grade 1/2 class with 28 students there were 9 students with varying degrees of special needs which is certainly not an insurmountable challenge however the lack of classroom supports due to a shortage of Education Assistants made for an experience that did not meet the needs of students. All of the staff involved were highly engaged and additional resources were sought, they were just inadequate and not in time. As I pursue a career in teaching I believe that this will not be the last time that I experience a situation such as this and it is obvious that a high level of teacher efficacy is required to persevere.
After taking the self reflection exercise in the text I found that I have high teaching and personal efficacy. I believe that this is a reflection of my positive outlook on the teaching profession now that I have had time to reflect on my previous practicum as a whole. Had I completed this exercise in November my responses and the outcome may have been very different.
In the case of Christopher Melrose the fact that he is a happy and enthusiastic student places the situation on a positive footing. That being said, his current difficulty in meeting the curricular demands of the class and the fact that he is falling behind his peers owing to his mild learning disability may place this happiness and enthusiasm at risk.
The dilemma in this case lies in the fact that the school believes that Christopher would be best served by being removed from the regular classroom to work with a special education teacher for a couple of hours a day and Christopher’s mother is in vehement opposition to this course of action. The school likely feels that Christopher’s needs might be best met with some intensive time with a special education teacher outside of the possible distractions his normal classroom. The atmosphere in the resource room may be more conducive to identifying and addressing Christopher’s needs, as the school views them, and will hopefully allow Christopher to make up the ground that he is currently losing in comparison to his peers.
Christopher’s mother may object to his removal from his usual classroom for any period of time for a number of reasons. She may fear that his happiness and enthusiasm for school may be negatively impacted if he is removed from his peer group. She may also fear that Christopher will be ‘labeled’ by his needing to go to the resource room for a couple of hours a day and may encounter difficulty in the social realm. She may also feel that his removal from his class may actually place him even further behind academically than he already is and in so doing a mild learning disability may grow into something that may be far more difficult to overcome.
The needs of all parties to this discussion need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve a positive outcome. The school is interested in providing Christopher with the means of addressing his mild learning disability. Christopher’s mother needs to see that her son’s needs are being met by the school and that he remains happy. Christopher himself should also be asked how he feels his needs can be met. Can the special education teacher work with Christopher in his own classroom without him needing to go to the resource room? Can the curriculum being presented in the class be done so in such a way that it accommodates Christopher’s needs? The regular classroom may not be the best place for Christopher depending on student numbers, layout and other needs amongst the students.
All things remaining equal, should Christopher’s needs be met by the special education teacher and regular teacher within the classroom that may be the best place for him to be. Such an arrangement would need to be revisited often by way of regular IPP meetings for all those involved. So long as Christopher can hold onto his happiness and enthusiasm while developing strategies for his mild learning disability there can be a high likelihood of success.
Assignment #1
Inclusion is not something that I had given a great deal of thought to prior to entering this program. I did not have much in the way of experience in interacting with special needs students in a school setting when I was younger but my family joined an organization that linked children with a disability with another child from the community with the purpose of learning from each other. It was a valuable experience for me and I was very fortunate to not only make a friend but learn a great deal about myself at a young age. I have since been open to other experiences that I might not have otherwise been owing to that early exposure to inclusive practice and look to include such practices not only into my teaching but also with my own family.
My experience in this past year’s practicum led me to question the supports available to teachers facing the challenges of an inclusive classroom with special needs students. Of a Grade 1/2 class with 28 students there were 9 students with varying degrees of special needs which is certainly not an insurmountable challenge however the lack of classroom supports due to a shortage of Education Assistants made for an experience that did not meet the needs of students. All of the staff involved were highly engaged and additional resources were sought, they were just inadequate and not in time. As I pursue a career in teaching I believe that this will not be the last time that I experience a situation such as this and it is obvious that a high level of teacher efficacy is required to persevere.
After taking the self reflection exercise in the text I found that I have high teaching and personal efficacy. I believe that this is a reflection of my positive outlook on the teaching profession now that I have had time to reflect on my previous practicum as a whole. Had I completed this exercise in November my responses and the outcome may have been very different.