The Secret To Being A Good Special Education Teacher
Posted by in Special Education on October 8, 2011
Education is one of the most rewarding professions. Special education is particularly rewarding. The joy you feel when a person who is having problems makes some progress is unmatched in any other field. But to be a special education teacher takes a special type of person. It not only requires special training, one must also be very patient and love people no matter what their special needs. If you are the type of person who combines all these elements then a career in special education could be for you.
To teach special education you must be licensed. Getting a license requires you to have at least a bachelor’s degree and complete an approved training course in teaching special education. Some states require a master’s degree. Acquiring the training is not very difficult. Many colleges offer undergraduate, graduate and doctorate level courses in the field. Teachers who want to focus on special education often have to complete longer periods of training than teachers in other areas. You can choose to specialize within the special education field or you may pursue general special education training. The last year of training usually entails working in a classroom under the supervision of a certified teacher.
Teachers wishing to work in special education often receive general training and must then receive further training in a particular area that prepares them to work with people with physical, mental or emotional difficulties. Depending on the state in which you live or hope to work you may be required to be licensed to teach people with a wide range of disabilities or one of the many different subsets within special education. You should contact the board of education in your state to find out their specific requirement for certification. Read the rest of this entry »
Balancing General and Special Education Services
Posted by in Special Education on October 8, 2011
Historically, special education services delivery was on a pull-out model. This means that the child was removed from the general education classroom for separate instruction. It may be the child was in a self-contained classroom (all day placement) or in a resource classroom (maximum of half-day placement).
As a result of lawsuits, most districts have shifted from pull-out to inclusion models for everything except speech and language, occupational and/or physical therapy, and specialized assistance for the hearing or visually impaired students. These remain pull-out because the instruction is individualized and intense for short lengths of time, usually 1-3 times per week for 15-30 minutes a session.
In the inclusion model, students receive the same instruction as their general education peers. Sometimes the special education teacher or assistant is in the classroom with the child to assist instruction and/or task completion. Most of the time, the student remains in the general education classroom and is expected to behavior and work as all other students. Read the rest of this entry »