Part A
Learners with special needs face numerous challenges that limit their ability to achieve equal success in educational settings as others. Learning difficulties, in which children with disabilities struggle to read, do calculations, or write, are examples of such challenges. As a teacher, you must devise innovative and appropriate techniques to ensure that these students benefit equally as other not disabled students in the classroom. Such strategies may include using a Universal Design for Learning, which allows for the modification and adaptation of lessons to meet the diverse learning needs of all students (Van Munster et al., 2019). In this essay, I will be focusing on two scenarios. The first scenario consists of students with special needs whose learning outcomes exceeded expectations due to innovative strategies. In contrast, the second one comprises an episode that did not meet the expected outcome.
A Learning Episode That Exceeded Expectations
Two of the 25 students in my social studies class, Peter and John, have unique educational requirements due to different conditions. Peter has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), whereas John has Autism. Peter has difficulties paying attention, sitting still, and managing his emotions. His academic performance falls below grade level as well. On the other hand, John has problems with social communication and interactions, paying attention, and repetitive interests in which he repeatedly repeats previously accomplished tasks. However, during one of my social studies classes, the two students performed better than anybody else, which surprised everyone. Both displayed increased attention and participation, and their performance assessment on the unit outperformed everyone else in the class.
A Learning Episode That Failed To Fulfil Expectations
In another episode, I worked with two groups of students who had special educational needs. Four had dyslexia, and three had dysgraphia. I planned a lesson that included reading and writing an essay, but they struggled greatly and did not meet the expected standard. Although the students had a basic understanding of reading and essay writing, they did not complete the assignment in the time allocated, and their reading and writing were poorly done. Dyslexia students faced difficulties identifying sounds in speeches and learning how they relate to words and letters, while dysgraphia students’ writing was also often inaccurate or distorted. All the students with the two conditions struggled a lot with complex sentences, small font sizes and lengthy writing. Complex sentences challenged them to read and understand. Leaners also struggled to write lengthy assignments, with some giving up or distorting the larger section of the paper.
Factors That Contributed to Episode Success
Among the aspects that contributed to the success of both John and peter was the way I tailored the curriculum to meet their requirements. I used graphic organizers and visual aids to make the lesson more engaging and interesting to them. This greatly enhanced their concentration and understanding. With these tools, I also noticed that all students, including John and peter, opened up and communicated more than before. At times, John does not speak in lessons, but he was very active this time. I also offered individualized instructions to them. This allowed me to focus on individual educational needs instead of generalizing their requirements during the learning process. Besides, I displayed patience, understanding, and respect and celebrated their success throughout the learning episode. Furthermore, I discovered that these two students were very interested in the topic, so I incorporated their interests into the lesson to increase their engagement.
My Contribution to Their Success.
My role as a teacher in Peter and John’s learning episode was critical to their success. I discovered that these two children had special learning needs that required individualized support. I observed and investigated what could help or limit their learning process. Both suffered low self-esteem, could not maintain eye contact and were easily distracted by small things. I encouraged an inclusive classroom environment to address the issues of low self-esteem. This made every student feel included and comfortable in the lesson. Peter and John felt valued, which motivated them to work harder to keep up with the other students in terms of participation and engagement. I also provided both of them with individualized support and instruction, assisting them in understanding the material and providing comments on their progress. The two students appeared calm and relaxed, encouraging them to ask more questions and seek assistance. I was also conscious of maintaining eye contact and ensuring their complete engagement using graphic organizers and visual aids.
The Student’s Contribution
The supportive and welcoming attitude of the students in John and Peter’s classroom contributed to developing a positive environment that was vital in John and Peter’s success in achieving their goals. They made it possible for both students to communicate and ask questions, which boosted the students’ morale. These students made Peter and John feel valued and included an aspect that boosted their confidence and motivated them to strive to fit in with the group. In addition, the students offered emotional and social support, which assisted both Peter and John in overcoming the obstacles they were up against. They also understood the significance of providing individualized support and the value of cultivating a supportive learning environment.
Evidence demonstrating the Episodes success
Peter and John both demonstrated increased classroom engagement and motivation. They participated more actively in class discussions, asked more questions, and took responsibility for their learning. These motivations and engagements were noticeable in assessments and to other teachers and peers. After the lesson, I gave the class a short assessment with five questions to check their understanding before moving on to the new concepts. Both students improved, and their performance was comparable to that of other students. They also demonstrated comprehension of the concepts taught in the lesson.
In addition, the two students demonstrated improved emotional and social well-being. They appeared lively and eager to interact with the teacher and their peers. They could maintain their confidence and regulate their emotions even when they made mistakes answering questions and seeking clarification on specific concepts. This improvement can be attributed to the classroom’s supportive learning environment, in which both Peter and John felt included and appreciated. Both students’ behaviour in class inspired other students to participate more in class and to be more accepting and supportive of one another. Other students in the class demonstrated increased support and inclusivity because of this influence.
Analyzing the Observations in the Two Episodes
Inclusive education is a vital aspect of providing equal participation and opportunities to all students regardless of their challenges. Embracing differences, ensuring learners feel supported, and emphasizing full participation in the classroom are all components of effective inclusive education (Rasmitadila et,l 2020). In the first episode, the need for inclusive education that meets the requirements of all students is emphasized. Both Peter and John are shown to benefit from inclusive learning because it offers a good learning environment that supports their sense of security and full involvement in class. In addition, the teacher designed a curriculum that met the two pupils’ needs and provided individualized support. Individualized learning support is critical for special needs pupils. According to Timothy & Agbenyega (2018), it defines the child’s learning needs, the support to be provided by the school, and how success will be monitored. Visual aids, on the other hand, help attract students’ attention, recall ideas, and prompt proper action (Buzzi et al., 2019). This episode teaches teachers that recognizing and accommodating their students’ needs can achieve great outcomes for every student, not just students with special educational needs.
The second episode example demonstrated the significance of evaluation and feedback in addressing the special needs of students with disabilities. Through assessment and feedback, we learned about the students’ difficulties and adjusted our teaching accordingly. The educational episodes also illustrate the value of personalizing support to each student’s special needs for a successful education. According to Garzotto et al. (2019), the application of visual aids, individualized instruction and graphic organizers are just a few examples of various methods that can be applied to facilitate successful learning for such students.
PART B
Innovative Teaching Strategies to Address the Identified Challenges.
For the learning experience that exceeded my expectations, I used a project-based approach, instructing pupils to create a multimedia presentation regarding the topic of discussion. The goal was for them to demonstrate their creativity, ability, and understanding of the topics discussed in social studies. I offered them a rubric detailing what was expected in the project to help them become independent and self-assess their work. The rubric also included the marking criteria, allowing them to grade their work before submitting it. Because Peter and John have unique educational requirements, I gave them individualized instructions by explaining the rubric and how to prepare the presentation. I also gave them more time to review and submit their work.
The Impact of the Changes on the Learning Outcomes of These Target Students.
The project-based innovation had significant effects on the learning outcomes of both John and Peter. Because of the independence, I offered them during the assignment, both of them and the other students demonstrated pride in their work and a sense of ownership. John, who struggled with repetitive behaviour, finished the assignment once without cancelling or redoing it. Both demonstrated mastery of the concepts covered, as evidenced by their ability to apply what was said in the multimedia presentation. Furthermore, both appeared to be completely focused on the project. They enjoyed participating in class conversations with other students, asking questions and seeking clarification whenever they did not understand something. This pedagogic innovation maximized their learning potential as they demonstrated the abilities such as critical thinking and creativity that were never seen before. The extra time I offered and the explanation I made to them also helped greatly, as they were able to excel in the project with other students.
The Innovative Strategies for the Episode That Did Not Meet Expectations
I discovered that the targeted students in the second episode struggled a lot with complex sentences, small font sizes and lengthy writing. Complex sentences challenged them to read and understand. To address this, I chose to avoid them next time and consider making them short and simple in order for the dysgraphia and dyslexia students able to read and establish their meaning. Leaners also struggled to write lengthy assignments, with some giving up or distorting the larger section of the paper. To address this, I broke down the lengthy assignments into small chunks and added more time for them to complete the assignments. I also prioritized more straightforward vocabulary as unfamiliar vocabulary can present a problematic experience with dysgraphia and dyslexia students.
I also implemented techniques like multisensory instruction, visual aids, flexible seating and Handwriting activities to facilitate better writing and reading results. The multisensory approach involves engaging several senses, like movement, touch, and sound, in learning (Garzotto et al., 2019). This approach has been proven to facilitate better learning outcomes for students with dysgraphia and dyslexia (Thapliyal & Ahuja, 2021). to engage the targeted students’ multiple senses, I employed visual aids such as graphic organizers, which helped the students arrange their ideas and thoughts. I used website graphics to help special needs students prepare and practice writing. I also used flexible seating, having children work on standing desks and wobbling stools, which helped them focus while participating in writing. Handwriting activities included sketching letters in shaving gel and improving hand position and grip with a pencil. All of these factors improved the pupils’ writing performance in subsequent assessments.
As a teacher, I would also be a guide and facilitator by availing materials and skills required to the students and then giving them space to work through their assignments. According to (Bhandari & Singh,2020), students become active participants in their learning, with the instructor acting as a guide and facilitator. This also allows students to exercise their creativity and apply the learned skills, improving their understanding (Cleary& Shields, 2019). I would encourage them to work together and assess each other’s work to enhance their problem-solving and critical-thinking capacities. This has been found to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning and actively engage in the learning process, resulting in a more student-centred educational experience (Xu & Wang, 2023). As a result, the teaching and learning approach in this aspect would shift from a typical teacher-centred method to a more student-centred one (Bhandari & Singh,2020). All these strategies will ensure a more inclusive and welcoming learning environment in which all students are engaged and participate in the learning process.
Conclusion
To summarize, these innovative methods demonstrate the significance of accommodations in inclusive classrooms for students of diverse abilities and requirements. We can establish an inclusive and equitable learning environment where all students are successful by modifying the educational atmosphere to include all individualized student’s needs. This is especially crucial for the learners referred to as “disabled” or “gifted”. These titles can present serious limitations to learning if not handled appropriately through adaptations and accommodations to education. Such accommodations would involve the adoption of a Universal Design for Learning, which will facilitate modifying and adapting lessons to meet the different learning requirements for all students. It will also ensure g targeted accommodations such as multisensory instruction. Visual aids and flexible seating have been discussed above. Ultimately, the aim of inclusive classrooms should be to accommodate each student’s individual learning styles and provide them with a chance to attain their maximum potential.
References
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