http://readerswithautism.com/2009/10/the-demanding-classroom-no-dumbing-down-for-special-education/
We’ve started another blog to promote rigorous instruction and high standards in the special education classroom– www.thedemandingclassroom.com.
Here’s an excerpt from our first post:
There’s a misconception among many in the field of education about special education. To many, “learning disabled” means “unable to learn,” or “limited learning capacity.” The focus is on the “dis” part of “disabled” instead of the ability part. They ask the wrong questions: “how smart is he?” rather than “how is he smart?”
We’re all guilty of this to some extent, and the result is that in more cases than not, the special education classroom is one where the learning is “dumbed down” and expectations are too low to inspire growth.
When this happens, our students become dependent on us for learning and information rather than independent thinkers. When we lower our expectations because of assumptions about learning capacity or processing strengths, the kids learn not to think hard, think deeply, or use their strengths.
Parents and teachers who are interested in more than teaching reading are invited to take a look. We welcome your comments.
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2 Comments
Don’t you think that part of the problem comes from the teaching materials? What I saw over and over was that teachers used boring worksheets or workbooks. Or else the teacher comes in with absolutely nothing in the way of teaching materials. I started my first year of teaching like that. I immediately saw the worksheets were completely unsuitable for my teen-aged students with autism spectrum and other cognitive issues. Fortunately, I am a creative person so I was able to adapt “regular” education materials and made a lot my own teaching stuff from scratch after assessing what skills were appropriate to teach. I believe that many special ed. teachers are completely overwhelmed and it isn’t exactly a case of lowered expectations, it is more a case of not knowing what to do and having no one around to help.
So, it ends up that the kids are not served. Just my two cents.
I couldn’t agree more. In many cases, we are handed materials that are one or more of the following: a) out of date; b) b-o-r-i-n-g; c) irrelevant; d) not engaging to a reader with autism or any student with special needs who has a personality.
Like you, I stopped using canned worksheets and materials in my first year of teaching. I routinely write my own stuff. When we are able to customize things to touch the interests and specific needs of our students, we are able to push them up higher than if we give them mediocre materials that mean little to them.
I think my working materials, be they worksheets or other assignments requiring collaborative or cooperative learning, provide far better practice for my students than the stuff that comes with the textbook. My students work more deeply and learn more deeply about topics in social studies, for example, than the workbooks would allow.
Sara