Students with Special Needs - Case Study Example

Teaching with Special Needs Roll No: Teacher: 21st July 2009 Teaching with Special Needs Thecase study reports about Jake who has a learning disability and also some motor problems. Jake is reported to be an efficient student academically but he is somewhat problematic for the teacher Betty Armstrong because of his disorganization or some handling problems. Jake is a first grader and Betty regards him a competent student. Betty being a teacher of general class feels unsure about allowing Jake in her class. In the beginning of the case study, it is reported that Betty is very much concerned about the organization of her class and students. The arrangement of the class along with all its details is given to indicate the discipline Betty likes in her class. Jake being a student with some disabilities causes some indiscipline in the class unintentionally, which is regarded as problematic for her organized class by Betty. She is resistant to allow Jake to sit in her class on full time basis because the two hours that Jake passes in her class indicate about his behavior, which is quite undisciplined and annoying for Betty. She informs Sharon, the teacher of the disabled class that Jake shuffles through his papers, drops his crayons and is unable to manage his stuff. Jake is very good at his studies due to which, Sharon regards that Jake has full right to sit in the general class to sharpen his skills and learning. Jake only needs some practice at handling his things. He should be placed in the general class but he also needs the support of his teacher Sharon in order to become much capable to show a disciplined attitude in his general class. Because of his efficient learning at studies, it is quite clear that he has a good learning mind. He should be provided with appropriate accommodations and teaching in order to become more disciplined and organized and to suit the classroom environment of Betty. Therefore, Jake should be allowed to sit in the general class for full time but he should also be supported by Sharon. Sharon and Betty can serve better to identify and resolve the needs of Jake. Being a teacher for the disabled, Sharon is quite aware about how she can assist Jake in his behavior improvement. As far as Betty is concerned, she is able to assist Jake in his academics but she feels annoyed at his undisciplined attitude. Sharon can give two hours daily to Jake and can help him in his physical exercises and aptitude. Also, Jake should be trained to keep his things at separate places such as he should keep crayons, papers and other things separately and he should be trained to manage his things in this manner, so that, he does not disturb the whole class in his findings. This assistance can be very much supportive in enabling Jake to improve his behavior in a class. Therefore, Jake can have an improvement behavior along with improved academic qualification because of the collaborative efforts of Betty and Sharon. As far as involvement of Jake’s parents and other education professionals in decision making is concerned, it is also an important issue. Jake’s parents should be involved but other education professionals are not required. Jake’s parents should be involved because they can also assist their son in his development. In addition, it is their legal right to be involved in the decision making process pertaining their son and his development. Science Content Standards I wish to teach the first graders like Jake and I am interested to teach science. The science content standards are as follows: Physical Sciences 1. Materials come in different forms (states), including solids, liquids, and gases. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know solids, liquids, and gases have different properties. b. Students know the properties of substances can change when the substances are mixed, cooled, or heated. Life Sciences 2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places. b. Students know both plants and animals need water, animals need food, and plants need light. c. Students know animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and nesting. d. Students know how to infer what animals eat from the shapes of their teeth (e.g., sharp teeth: eats meat; flat teeth: eats plants). e. Students know roots are associated with the intake of water and soil nutrients and green leaves are associated with making food from sunlight. Earth Sciences 3. Weather can be observed, measured, and described. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know how to use simple tools (e.g., thermometer, wind vane) to measure weather conditions and record changes from day to day and across the seasons. b. Students know that the weather changes from day to day but that trends in temperature or of rain (or snow) tend to be predictable during a season. c. Students know the sun warms the land, air, and water. Investigation and Experimentation 4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will: a. Draw pictures that portray some features of the thing being described. b. Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements. c. Record observations on a bar graph. d. Describe the relative position of objects by using two references (e.g., above and next to, below and left of). e. Make new observations when discrepancies exist between two descriptions of the same object or phenomenon. (California State Board of Education, 1998) Instructional Strategies The instructional strategies that I will like to choose are related to behaviorism and constructivism. According to the learning theory of behaviorism, the knowledge that a person keeps or attains by means of experience or rationality can be assessed by means of change of behavior (Gredler, 2005). When a person attains knowledge, his/her behavior changes with the acquisition of knowledge. I will analyze the progress the students by means of their change in behavior. According to the learning theory of constructivism, knowledge comes to a person with the help of his/her past experience (Gredler, 2005). A person is able to learn on the basis of his/her past experiences in terms of knowledge acquisition. Knowledge is acquired by means of comprehension of experiences that a person goes through in his/her life time. I will also make use of previous experiences of learners in order to accommodate them with further knowledge. I will make use of the above mentioned instructional strategies in order to accommodate the first graders like Jake and others with improving knowledge and skills. With continuous teaching and care, the students will be able to show signs of developed behavior, which will be indicative of their acquired skills and learning. The first student activity that I will like to conduct is teaching about different forms of matter by means of charts, projector, real objects, audio-visual aids and assignment making. The second will be related to experimentation. The students will be asked to observe some objects on the projector and as an analysis of their observation, understanding and learning, they will be asked to draw those objects. For this purpose, projector, charts and other audio-visual aids will be used. For both the activities, PowerPoint presentations will be made and shown to the students along with teaching. Jake’s learning skills can be improved by means of continuous care and support. He can be made to sit in a general class as a full time student by means of exercises dealing with his physical work out. He can be made more disciplined and organized by making use of accessories most of the time. The instructional strategies of behaviorism and constructivism are very much supportive in accommodating students like Jake to organize their skills related to organization and behavior. With daily exercises of the same task, Jake will be trained to handle his stuff easily and without any unorganized behavior. He will be able to learn with the help of his past experience with the same jobs and his gained knowledge can be assessed by his transformed behavior. References California State Board of Education. (1998). Science Content Standards. Retrieved on July 21st, 2009 from http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp Gredler, M. E. (2005). Learning and Instruction: Theory into Practice. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Read More