I chose to inquire about how we as teachers in the US make provisions and accommodatioins for children and young adults with special needs.
In my search to find out more information about this topic I interviewed people from the campus to find out about the provisions being made in some parts of the U.S.
My first question is:
"What is currently in place legally for you as a teacher to make provisions for those with special educational needs (SEN)?"
1. Background: I first interviewed Anikke at the writer's centre. She has been teaching for six years in a private institution ESL teenagers.
Response: Anikke told me that each counsellor has to make up a document detailing the student's needs but is not aware of any state law which places any requirements on her as a teacher.
2. Background: Secondly I interviewed Kevin Pyatt of the technology
in education area. He has been teaching for a number of years and has great passion for accommodating for those with SEN.
Response: He is aware of many laws placed upon him as a teacher. One is the 1975 law I.D.E.A. places a requirement when teachers must make the environment for teachers as least restrictive as possible. He believes however, that this is not being met in the classroom as often as it should be as parents are not fully aware of this law.
3. Background: Bethany is a student from England entering her 4th year of study in primary education and is specialising in students with SEN. In her teaching experience last year she had a class of children where 8 of the children had SEN.
Reponse: Every Child Matters (5 commands a teacher has to cover. Every child in the classroom must be treated on an individual basis to create the best environment for each child), Inclusion (the idea where all SEN's are kept within the classroom environment where possible) and the referral system.
The second question I asked is:
"What do you do personally for SEN?"
1. Anikke- She had a girl with hearing impairments in her classroom. She accommodated for the student by rearranging the room in such a way that the student could lip-read more easily. She also made a point of writing more on the board instead of speaking as much. She also did not use videos as much in the classroom. Anikke also made a point of checking in on the student and how she finds she is doing.
2. Kevin- Kevin had a student with schizophrenia in his class and he was unable to attend the class most of the time. The class had a lab component placing a need for students to attend the class in order to pass the course. Kevin created an online lab for Andrew so that he could take part in the existing lab in the university campus.
The Third question I asked was:
"What do you think is needed in the future for SEN?"
1. Anikke- She felt there was a greater need for more teacher training on how to deal with the issue. She believed that there needed to be improvments in the attitudes of those working with SEN children/adults. She also said that interviews with students asking them what they need could be of great help.
2. Kevin- He had similar thoughts on the matter and felt that teachers needed to be more aware of differentiated instruction. He believes teachers are not fully aware of how to teach those with SEN. He also saw great benefits in the Universal Design Idea where different materials/technologies could be used to address and relate to all students and their own needs.
The final question I asked was:
"How effectively do schools use technology to accommodate for SEN?"
1. Anikke- She thought that technology is being used effectively but it is the individual teacher's preference as to what is being used and what works for their class. She also noted that public schools simply do not have the funding to provide the best technology as needed.
2. Kevin- He suggests that technology has been effective with those with very severe needs but not with smaller challenges.
Final thoughts:
In my opinion, SEN in the US is not moving as swiftly as in Scotland. We have in fact moved away from the term SEN and to a new term Additional Support Needs (ASN). This no longer places a requirement on a diagnosis for those with challenges to recieve help. Those with a need however great or small recieve any help/support that is required. I believe that technology is being used in the U.S. but with great difficulty due to the lack of funding available from the government. It is another reason why I believe Scotland has a better system for those with additional needs. I think accommodations are being made here in the U.S. but these are all dependant of money. This make me wonder whether the needs of the child are being put first?
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Charlotte, your last question "This make me wonder whether the needs of the child are being put first?" is one I think many parents are asking. Our reliance on funding and the establishment of systems that seem to prevent schools from receiving the attention they need has been a great detriment to our development for all students.
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited to hear that Scotland is working on such an inclusive method that moves away from stigmatizing those needs. In the US, between the lack of education/training/knowledge of how to best meet the needs of students who may require additional support truly stymies the development of a more functional system. For example, I've never heard of the Universal Design Idea before (would love to hear more about it) and it is this lack of knowledge that frustrates many teachers as well as administrators and parents.
As it has been mentioned in many of our school visits, there are not enough teachers with training in Special Needs, which I think stems from the misconception that so many have that when they teach, they won't have children who need extra support (which is obviously not the case). I think we could truly take a page if not a chapter from Scotland's book on Additional Support Needs and create a system that is much more functional as well as truly supportive of the children, as you've noted before.