Towards the Same Goal

          There are many ways for teachers to design lessons for every student with different abilities. When planning activities or assignments, teachers should first consider the goals of each student because they may have different ways of approaching tasks. One way to consider including the special needs students would be to provide multiple alternatives to an activity. In "Teaching Students with Special Needs" (2007) an anonymous author states, "When necessary, plan to repeat instructions or offer information in both written and verbal formats. Again, it is vitally necessary that learning disabled children utilize as many of their sensory modalities as possible" (para. 4). For example, if it were to be a written assignment to write simple sentences, the student could recite the words and read them. Teachers could also use manipulatives such as cards of words or pictures to assist the student to formulate the sentences. Another example would be that some students may not be able to merely listen to the instructions; they may need a demonstration or visual instruction of the assignment. From experience, when I went to a school to observe a classroom with students of special needs, one of their methods of learning was using their iPads. Using the iPad can enhance the students’ technology skills and it can also be used to help them with basic skills. Some basic skills that are within apps would be reading, writing, or math. One of the applications they used in the class that I observed is called First Words Animals. This app introduces new words, letters, and sounds. The teacher recommended this app for the parents and the child to play at home as well as in school. It is best to give the student hands-on activities in order for them to understand and engage in what they are learning.

 

First Words Animals app available on iOS, Android, Google Play

          A way to assess a student with special needs is to list down goals they need to reach every week. This can be used to evaluate their progress at the end of the week and to see if they have met each goal. For instance, at the beginning of the week, the student may only be able to perform 20% accuracy and by the end of the week, the student can improve to 80%. Each task will be divided so that the student can participate and it will not be overwhelming for the child to complete. Students will also have the opportunity to share what they did and the teacher will often track their progress to see if the students understand the content.
           The important part of teaching is to consider that all students have the ability to work towards the same objectives, but in different ways. Therefore, every lesson plan should accommodate all learning styles and disabilities in order for students to complete and understand the lesson. In the video, “STEM and People with Disabilities” (2015), students with disabilities were able to practice skills that helped them prepare and fulfill their dream career in the STEM fields. One of the college students in the video has a very meticulous job where she creates DNA libraries for sequencing and is successful at her job although she is legally blind. Being blind did not stop her from completing each task because each experiment was hands-on. This student is considered a kinesthetic learner because she benefitted from hands-on practices that the labs and lectures provided for her. Students with disabilities benefit from practice, and educators work to accommodate them and help them become more independent in what they do.

References

The DOIT Center (Producer). (2015, April 20). STEM and People with Disabilities [YouTube video].

          Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIogBga8zgc&feature=emb_logo

Anonymous. (2007, February 1). Teaching students with special needs. Teacher Vision. Retrieved

         from https://www.teachervision.com/special-needs/teaching-students-special-needs