There are many issues involved with assessment and instruction when including children with special needs. The biggest idea that stuck out to me was when the chapter discussed how educators try and make the child fit into the classroom instead of attempting to make an effort to modify the classroom to include the child. This statement made me frustrated because every child learns differently to begin with, so why would the classroom ignore that fact? There needs to be room to move around as well as having materials at a reachable height for all. Without even considering the possibility of having a student with special needs in the classroom, teachers should recognize the fact that regular education classes still need to have enough room to move around. If educators continue to ignore these aspects, then children with disabilities will become isolated in the classroom. The child will not interact with his or her peers. As we watched in the video where you were working with Anna, it clearly demonstrated her being isolated due to the set-up of the classroom. Teachers need to be more aware of the circumstances and allow the room to be changed when needed.
In many classes before, I feel that we have discussed what good classroom management is, and the set-up of the room is a vital aspect. If a child has a wheelchair, there needs to be enough room for him or her to maneuver around the room. If a child has anything that takes up more room than usual, the room needs to be set-up in a proper way. When considering interaction between peers, as we saw in Anna’s film, it was difficult for her when working at the table. She became isolated, which caused her goal to come to a halt. In my field placement at the high school, there was a lot of open room for the students to move around in. They had one long table where at a good height where it would be okay to sit down on a chair or in a couple of their cases in their wheelchair. I thought that was very nice and allowed all students to interact together. During circle time, they would sit around in a circle so they were all facing one another, which I also thought was good. They allowed them to go to gym one time while I was there, and all of the students seemed to really enjoy being able to have such a large space to play in. I definitely think having space is a key part of allowing all students to interact with each other.
Another issue with instruction is not teaching content that is assumed to be known, meaning absent curriculum. Although we may think and assume students know how to survive out in the world, they actually may not. This is something we as teachers need to recognize and make sure we cover these topics. Essentially, all students need to be able to know and carry out basic life skills. Inflexible curriculum has also been an issue. Teachers struggle with adapting their lessons to fit the need of that individual child. It is important to add in adaptations to the general education lesson to help that child specifically. Assessing students with special needs causes problems for some because they also have to modify and/or adapt to the child’s needs. Many teachers may feel overwhelmed by this or may not have additional support to help carry out that specific need, but it must be done. Differentiated instruction must take place in order to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for the student.
Inclusion is one of the main issues, and many believe that children cannot be effectively served even with modifications. I believe it really depends on the specific disability and how well they have matured with it to say whether or not they belong in the general education classroom. With the right support, I do believe that all students should have the opportunity to be in a general education classroom. Yes, some may be in a classroom where they may cause harm to others in which they should be placed in the most adequate least restrictive environment. It is important to look at how the curriculum addresses students’ needs.
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