Teaching Special Education Students
We have all had questions on Teaching Special Education Students before. Below are the top questions posed by visitors just like you to our. We hope our answers located below will help you solve your teaching problems today. Feel free to ask another question, or even comment on what has been written.
There has been a lot of debate recently regarding Teaching Special Education Students, and it is therefore critical for you, the reader, to grab all of the information that is out there on the vast topic of teaching. Your teaching can have a huge impact on your future, so don’t procrastinate any longer. Read up on Teaching Special Education Students today!
Joseph Said:
What are the THREE most common types of special education students a REGULAR teacher will teach?We Answered:
LD (learning disability); BD (behavioral disorder); and ADD/ADHD - although we also encounter MI (Moderately Impaired) from time to time.George Said:
Does anyone have ideas on ways to teach dance to special education students while pregnant?We Answered:
Exercise is good during pregnancy as long as you know what not to do. Read up on it and talk to your doctor about it. I don't see any reason why you can't continue teaching them dance while demonstrating how to do it yourself. I don't teach dance, but I sometimes use music and dance during organized recess. If the dance calls for bouncing, I just tell them to bounce without doing it myself. You could try finding some videos (online even) that show the students the moves you want them to learn, or you could make some yourself using a friend to model the moves. It can be done. :)Tom Said:
what are the downsides to being a Special Education Teacher?We Answered:
Here's the most important piece of advice I can give you: Make sure you have the heart and the passion for teaching children with special needs. That's the most essential quality, and you can't acquire it by taking classes.If you have the passion to teach special education students, you can learn all the necessary procedures and protocols. I would say that the main issue a beginning teacher should understand - and this applies to general ed as well as special ed - is that you need to establish a clear and consistent classroom management plan from the very first day of school. You need to teach the kids what the procedures are: where do they put their backpacks? What do they do with homework or notes from their parents? When are they allowed to get up and move around the room, and when do they need to sit at their desk? How do they get your attention when they have a question? Take the time to teach all the procedures in your classroom and then teaching of content, or subject matter, flows much more easily.
Every new job is hard, with lots of things to learn and mistakes to be made. Don't worry too much about that - as I tell my student teachers and intern teachers, you will learn a lot more from situations that didn't go the way you planned them than you do when everything goes perfectly. Mistakes happen to all of us, so you learn from them and move on.
In my state, California, the Department of Education has a program called Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) that pairs new teachers with veteran teachers. As a BTSA support teacher, I meet weekly with my intern, and we work on everything the new teacher wants help with: writing IEPs, behavior management strategies, lesson plans, activities and materials, etc, etc. My intern can also call or email me at any time if issues arise between our weekly meetings.
I am not sure what systems are in place in other states, but I am sure that the special ed administrator will be very interested in seeing that you write IEPs properly, since they are a legal document. They will certainly send you to trainings, and I am certain that they will give you resources to assist you, no matter where you are working.
Are you going to do student teaching? In some places, like CA, there are alternate paths to getting your credential, but I would highly recommend student teaching if you are somewhat inexperienced and lacking confidence. As a student teacher, you get to gradually take on the duties of the teacher, and that includes IEPs. You work directly with a master teacher in the classroom, so you have his or her support, as well as their example.
The first year of teaching is the hardest. Almost every new teacher questions whether or not they have made a terrible mistake in going into teaching and whether or not they will actually survive the situation. But if you have the passion for it, don't get scared off by the hard times. The rewards are worth the pain. And it doesn't take long before the pleasures of the job far outweigh the pains.
Tommy Said:
How would minoring in special education affect my overall teaching career?We Answered:
I highly suggest getting dually certified.. Math & Special ed. Learning all the teaching techniques of special education will arm you with so much more information and give you more confidence as a teacher. You will be a better teacher because you will be able to reach students of all learning styles. Not all students who are in special ed are low functioning. You may have several students who are mainstreamed and go to resource room. They will benefit from your knowledge as well as general ed students who just have a different learning style. GO FOR IT... You will only regret NOT doing it down the line. It will make your more marketable as a teacher. TRUST me!!!Good Luck to YOU!!! : )