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Serenity Martinie

EDU 203

Rieger

12/5/17

Philosophy of Special Education Part Two

Introduction

Through this paper, I aim to articulate my philosophy on special education. I will also

thoroughly delve into one specific aspect of student exceptionalities, and how I plan to adapt my

education accordingly. Lastly, I will strive to elaborate on the knowledge I have aquired from

this class, and how I will apply it to the education that I produce.

Theoretical Framework

Every student with a disability is entitled to the support necessary to maximize his or her

potential. I believe that they should be placed in the least restrictive environment, in order to gain

necessary life skills, and learn how to relate and communicate with people. The ability to interact

with people from different walks of life is imperative to the academic growth and success of any

student. ​My educational philosophy consists of a constructivist's view and starts with

construction of knowledge, building my lesson upon students interests, prior experiences, and

current understandings. In my teaching I would heavily focus on using axiology especially

aesthetics, and reasoning because quality always comes before quantity. My goal would be to

give my students knowledge that they will be able to utilize consistently, but also do it creatively

and artistically. I tend to lean towards existentialism as my philosophical orientation of teaching,

because I want to focus on letting my students have an individual way of thinking and giving
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them freedom in education. This philosophy pertains to both special and general education

students because I want both parties to be fully lettered in the information and skills that they

will need to be prosperous in life.

I think the biggest thing I learned was that people greatly underestimate these children.

Due to their limited communication, they tend to go unnoticed. The educators really have to

create a new teaching style and language for each individual student. I also realized just how

many different behaviors and disabilities could be encompassed in one diagnosis, and the amount

of work that goes into every IEP and curriculum. I have a much deeper understanding of special

education, and the processes that make the big picture come together.

Practice

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 mandated that p​ublic schools

provide children with special needs the same opportunities for education as other children. Then

in 1990, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, was created as a modification

of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. It furthers the mandate that special needs

students must receive appropriate, free public education in the least restrictive environment

possible. In 2001, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind Act)

made schools accountable for the academic performance of all students, regardless of their

disabilities. IEP’s also ensure that special education students receives a specific education that is

catered to their individual needs.

If I was going into special education I think that I would want to work with individuals

with hearing impairments. I really enjoyed learning sign language, and I like that the culture is

based off of very expressive emotion. I believe that the most important characteristic to know is
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that intellectual development for people with a hearing impairment is more a function of

language development than cognitive ability. ​Another​ important characteristic to know about

students with hearing impairments is that the severity varies drastically between each student. In

addition, there are several types such as conductive, sensorineural, mixed, and central hearing

loss. This is important because it may dictate the level of hearing that a child has. Their social

development relies heavily on their ability to communicate, while cognitively they go through

the same developmental processes as their hearing peers. The overall lack of communication can

act as a huge detriment to their progression. Some classroom suggestions to know, would be to

stand still when teaching, avoid talking with your face turned away, and to keep the light on your

face.

An important figure in this field would be Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, he actually

established the very first school for the hearing impaired in 1817. The institution was called the

Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons. Later the

name was changed to the American School for the Deaf. I believe he was one of the most

important figures in the disability field, because he started the ball rolling and provided a basis

for the hearing impaired to get an education.

Evidence-based Practices and Strategies

I would like to focus my studies on art education with an emphasis on communication.

Communication is one of the biggest challenges for students with hearing impairments. Art

could be a really good outlet for someone to express the large scale ideas that they may not be

able to express through sign language. There will also be potential for a heighten in touch and

sight senses. Furthermore, I feel as though I would be able to make the biggest impact on these
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students as an art educator. I would use a lot of one-on-one instruction time with very elaborate

art pieces that included mixed mediums, and textures. Most of these assignments based around

identity and hone in on the shared ideas that are presented within the art. I would use this as an

opportunity to both learn and teach. This would allow me to look at their artwork, and see more

of who they are, and hopefully they could draw the same from any artwork that I created. Once a

relationship and form of communication was built between the student and myself, I would

introduce more peer relations, between both hearing and hearing impaired students. Another art

form that I hope I could utilize would be theater. There are tons of improv games, and situations

that could literally be played through to help students practice life skills and communication.

Progress would be monitored by seeing how in touch they are with their peers emotions,

and how fluently we begin to communicate. There would also be standard tests on the mediums

we used, types of artwork, and the strategy of which we applied these mediums. Benchmarks

would be made based off of an initial assessment to gauge where their art, and communication

skills are. Then, I would gradually increase from identifying emotions on faces and through art,

to being able to sense subtle body language and small details within the art. Lastly, I will also

utilize the state standards for art education.

Human Diversity

It is important to recognize the diversity of humans because we all require a different

standard of education, communication, life, etc. to perform to the best of our ability. We need to

recognize diversity so that we indulge in the exceptionalities that make us who we are, and learn

how to utilize them to make a difference. Humans cannot thrive in such an entwined world if we

do not know anything about each other, and if we assume that every individual functions alike.
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Recognizing diversity is the first part of accepting diversity and that is how we as humans can

excel.

I have learned that I was very ignorant of the individual cultures that each branch of

disability encompasses. I had really underestimated the intelligence of these students and the

progress that they are capable of. I am now amazed and enlightened about the many factions

within each disability, and the different accommodations that can be made to help each

individual succeed. The most important thing I learned about myself was that I do have the

capability to help these students. Before this class, I thought that I would thoroughly mess up

these students if I interfered with their structure, however, I was definitely wrong.

I can apply what I have learned by being more open-minded, and having greater

expectations for my students. I will also be far more considerate about how I implement my

lesson plans and the accommodations that I need to make in order to give students their best

chance. As a general education teacher I will be able to apply this new found knowledge when

identifying students that may need special education and how to provide them with the least

restrictive education possible. Overall, I have become a far better educator due to this course, I

am more equipped to understand these students, and I am now able to provide the education that

they require.