I completed the mini research project for our class and I found the results interesting. Out of seven people interviewed, five individuals felt that the big issue in special education is about a real need to focus on the individual needs of each student. Four out of seven brought up preparing students for their future. Three out of seven people talked about concerns surrounding the set curriculum standards. They said that they felt that the set standards did not address the needs of the students since they do not address functional skills. Two out of seven spoke about concerns with teachers and highly qualified.
The over all view was that everyone was centered on the needs of the students. The fact that these individuals come from all sides of the special education issue (parent, teacher, administrator, SPED director, etc.) makes it even more interesting that everyone is wanting to directly focus on the students. I think they were pointing this out as an issue and a solution for special education.
Special education has come along ways but there is a great deal of room left for improvement.
The special ed teacher that I interviewed also mentioned the functional skills. She pointed out that even though it is important for her to teach English grammar to her students, the benefits of those skills don't even compare to the benefits of the functional skills she WOULD be teaching them if the curriculum allowed her to do so. I think that is a very important point. I think the major finding of your research is wonderful--education is about the student, and for whatever reason, we've gotten away from that. Yet, it doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Great post, Debi! Hope to hear from you soon! And good luck (in case you finally got your comps!) :)
ReplyDeleteYour findings are very interesting and wonderful! The focus needs to be placed on the individual needs of the student because that is what education is all about! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI also had several people talk about that the greatest issue in special education to be the need to focus on the student's IEP. The special education teacher that I interviewed stated that she does not believe there should be one format for special education. She believes that the students should be placed in a setting based off of their IEP. After all that is why IEP were formed so we'd be able to look at the individual.
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