Teaching Exceptional Children - Research Paper Example

Teaching exceptional children "There are no learning disabilities. There are only teaching disabilities. Each child wants to succeed and each childis successful on his own time line." Dr. Jane Snider “Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way.” George Evans Introduction Education is a fundamental right of every child. Educational institutions across the United States promote the cause of inclusive education, and stand by the maxim ‘equal education for all’ in a bid to provide inclusive education to one and all regardless of their various differences. However, not all children are same, in terms of learning abilities – some are regular, in terms of learning and physical abilities while some have restricted / exceptional physical and mental growth. Providing education to such, exceptional children, hence is a daunting task and needs to be addressed with great care. The concept of ‘exceptional children’ refers to children who exhibit exceptional qualities which are drastically different, in any way, from that of regular children in the same age group. Such children are either far below or above average and hence, the type of education provided to them, must be different than what is provided to regular children. It is only through the right approach to education, that the learning abilities / disabilities of such children can be dealt with in an appropriate manner. This paper on ‘Teaching exceptional children’ discusses the various aspects involved in educating such children. Meaning & Definitions: The term exceptional children refer to those children whose physical attributes or learning abilities differ greatly from regular children. It includes children who have learning disabilities as well as those with exceptionally developed learning abilities; children with physical impairment; behavioral problems; as well as children who are intellectually gifted and talented (Education.com, 2010). The learning styles of such children, hence is drastically different from regular children. The notion of ‘one size fits all’ does not hold any relevance, especially in the field of education, since the level of knowledge of every child depends on various factors such as: their prior learning Children when enrolled in school differ in terms of knowledge they possess. Certain children come with very little knowledge and / or support from their parents while others come with a level of knowledge which far exceeds their age and experience (Tomlinson, 1999). According to Caine & Caine (1990) there can be a difference of up to five years, in terms of maturation between ‘average’ children. Such gap is even wider in case of children with exceptional learning needs. Language and culture Family, community and external environment The deprivation of exceptional children from a healthy environment causes an adverse impact on the development of their mental and cognitive abilities such as the ability to memorize, focus, concentration, discrimination etc. among others. The manner in which we think and act is largely influenced by the environment in which we live in. Differences in emotional development on account of ones external environment causes the children to behave a certain way, for instance, some children are exceptionally quiet while others constantly remain tensed and this greatly affects their intellectual functioning; creativity, inventiveness etc leading to despair and frustration (Reynolds, Janzen, 2007; Borland, Wright, 1994). health Children with physical and mental developmental disabilities display vast differences in terms of learning and acquiring knowledge. Certain students learn better with visual aids (such as those with hearing impairment) while others learn through auditory aids (for instance, those with visual impairments), while yet others require novel teaching methods, such as a combination of both audio and visual aids. Children with various physical and / or mental handicaps – such as hearing & visual impairment, mental retardation, learning disabilities, etc., face great difficulties in language development as well as general learning and hence differ in terms of academic achievements as compared to their counterparts (Dash, 2007). Gender differences Various gender differences exist among boys and girls in terms of learning difficulties experienced by them. Research suggests that boys and girls with learning disabilities are known to display differences in coping with such disabilities. Boys with learning disabilities are known to confront such issues on their own, rather than run away from them, while girls tend to engage themselves in other activities rather than trying to solve the issues faced by them (Levine, Munsch, 2010). Furthermore it has also been established, through research, that gender stereotypes play a major role in addressing the learning disabilities among boys and girls. According to various research conducted in the past, boys are more likely than girls to get diagnosed and treated for learning disabilities as compared to girls (Reynolds, Janzen, 2004). Such children hence, need to be educated by special educators who are qualified to cater to their exceptional needs and requirements. Various theories and models have been developed and researched over the past couple of years, with a view to ascertain the appropriate and effective methods of teaching children with exceptional learning needs (Gardner, 1999; Caine & Caine, 1990; Dunn, 2001; Sternberg, 1994). These include – the theory of multiple intelligences, learning style theory, theory of differentiated learning, brain based instruction etc. The basic underlying theme of all these theories is that students have varied learning styles and the manner of education they receive plays a critical role in influencing their knowledge and success in education. Teachers and / or special educators must incorporate a mix of such varied teaching styles in order to ensure enhanced participation of students and improve their learning abilities. A combination of such methods, if used in classrooms, would help the educators in enriching the learning experience of students and broaden the students knowledge, improve their academic achievement, help them excel in and / or overcome barriers faced by them in multilingual communication, and give them a richer learning experience. (Klein, 2003; Curry, 1990). Today, classrooms are increasingly becoming multicultural, with a large number of students belonging to diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Thus, there is an urgent need to recognize the demands of culturally diverse classrooms and adapt multicultural learning experiences in teaching. An inclusive classroom provides a platform for the students to engage in social interaction with students belonging to diverse backgrounds. Such interaction helps them in developing their strengths with regard to communication, language development, and other interactive and cognitive abilities. They learn to draw on strengths of their fellow classmates and share work and responsibilities with each other. This not only helps in disintegrating socio-cultural barriers but also helps the students in overcoming their disabilities and improves on their strengths (Goldstein, 2007). Children with exceptional learning needs, require greater care and attention, and special educational programs especially when they are enrolled in a school with a multicultural environment. Many a times, such children may have difficulties in learning in their first language, in such cases, enrolling them in classes where they do not speak English, would add to their woes; increase their failure rates, lower their self-esteem and further discourage them from participating in learning activities (Baker, Jones, 1998). Such language barriers tend to de-motivate the students and such problems can be resolved and addressed by special educators. There are various areas of exceptionality in learning, as discussed above, but more often than not, the understanding of certain terms and concepts are often misunderstood. For instance, a majority of parents or educators claim to understand the special education needs of a gifted or talented child but often fail to describe or identify such children with exceptional learning needs. According to Marland (1972): "Gifted and talented children are those identified by professionally qualified persons who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance. These are children who require differentiated educational programs and/or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and society" (CEC, 2010). Children with exceptional learning needs find themselves to be at high risk, and the most disadvantaged, in terms of access to proper education, despite several attempts to bridge the divide between them and an average student. This is largely because of the failure on the part of the teachers and educators to understand their special needs and a narrow understanding of the differences which exist in their highly developed cognitive abilities and their disabilities. Such children need intensive intervention and special care to help them achieve their full potential, and this can only be done by incorporating proper teaching methods across all levels. References: Baker, C., Jones, S. P., (1998). Encyclopedia of bilingualism and bilingual education, Multilingual Matters Publication, Pp. 580 - 585 Borland, J. H., Wright, L., (1994). Identifying young, potentially gifted, economically disadvantaged students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 38, Pp. 164 - 171 Caine, R. & Caine, G. (1990). Understanding a brain-based approach to learning and teaching. Educational Leadership, 47(2), Pp. 66-70 Curry, L., (1990). A critique of the research on learning styles. Educational Researcher, 48 (2), Pp. 50 - 52 Dash, M., (2007). Education of Exceptional Children, Atlantic Publishers, Pp. 5 - 14 Dunn, R. (2001). Learning style differences of nonconforming middle-school students. NASSP Bulletin, 85, Pp. 68-74. Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books Goldstein, R. A., (2007). Useful theory: Making crticial education practical, Peter Lang Publishers, Pp. 175 - 178 Klein, P. D., (2003). Rethinking the multiplicity of cognitive resources and curricular representations: Alternatives to learning styles and multiple intelligences. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35 (1) Pp. 45 – 81 Levine, L. E., Munsch, J., (2010). Child Development: An active learning approach, SAGE Publication, Pp. 330 - 334 Reynolds, C. R., Janzen, E., (2007). Encyclopedia of Special Education, Wiley Publishers Sternberg, R., (1994). Allowing for thinking styles. Educational Leadership, 52(3), Pp. 36-41 Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Education.com (2010). Who are exceptional children [online] Accessed: 12th December, 2010 from: < http://www.education.com/reference/article/who-exceptional-children/> Read More