The goal of educating special needs students is to provide them with the skills they will need to cope with society. Educating special needs students is a painstaking process. It requires patience, love, and compassion for the student.
EDUCATING SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
Special needs students need extra attention from their teachers. They may not get the same amount of time to talk with the teacher. Their teachers should make an effort to spend more time with them. You can also find a special needs assistant or aide in the special needs classroom who can help you with their education.
Engage in One-on-One Interactions
Special needs students need more individual attention from their teachers. If your special needs student has social anxiety or speech or language difficulties, make sure you find out what his or her favorite subject is. Then, you can choose that subject as one of the subjects that your special needs student will learn in class.
WHY EDUCATE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS?
People with special needs have different needs than normal people. This is evident in the way the brain works. The task of educating special needs students is to meet their needs in a logical, organized and systematic way. However, teachers are not trained in this field. There are only some basic needs that are taught in school, such as language skills and basic arithmetic skills.
Many teachers may think that they cannot help their special needs students with basic skills such as writing. But this is not true. There are a number of online resources that will guide the teacher and the student to write as well as score a simple test. This would include a website that allows them to record their handwriting, vocabulary development, writing speed, and writing strategies.
HOW TO EDUCATE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS?
1. Engage in One-on-One Interactions
- Engaging in one-on-one interactions with your special needs students is the best way to provide them with the proper attention that they require.
- The most important thing you can do is to monitor their moods.
- If your special needs student is being rude, you should be aware of it and take actions immediately to stop them from doing it.
- If they seem distracted, you should try to figure out why they are so distracted.
- If your special needs student seems to be suffering from anxiety, try to calm them down by engaging them in a calming activity.
- These one-on-one interactions can help your special needs students develop a rapport with you and gradually change the way they perceive you.
2. Engaging with the Student
“Even a child with severe special needs is capable of creating content and meaningful conversation,” says Barbara Wehmeier, who teaches 4th grade at Bus.org School. This high school, with an enrollment of over 650 students, has a special needs program that prepares them to transition into college. “There is always a reason for our students to be at school,” Barbara told me. “We must create an environment where our students feel welcome to thrive.”
One of the things that makes Barbara’s teaching special is that she takes advantage of her students’ unusual points of view. “They feel comfortable engaging me,” she said. “For example, when a student wants to communicate a novel with a fictional character in an unconventional way, I give him the benefit of the doubt.
3. One-on-One Interactions with the Student
A common misconception is that students with special needs are intellectually disabled, incapable of learning. However, that is not true. Many of them are very bright and intelligent. Often, we get the chance to watch their lives at home and see the obstacles that they have overcome. If you are able to observe them in person, you will definitely get a glimpse of their passion and drive for life. Often, these students feel alienated from other people, but when they are given the chance to be around special needs students, they see that they are no different.
The learning goal of these students is to interact with those around them and to be accepted by them. They would rather speak to you in your own language and be understood than to speak loudly, but be unable to be understood.
4. Small Group Discussions
First off, it is imperative that educators engage in meaningful discussions with the students and help them resolve any conflicts that arise between themselves. Not only will these discussions help the students, but they will also help the teacher develop a better understanding of their potential and how they can achieve it.
Small group discussions allow educators to discover why the students are doing the things they are doing. Teachers also can ask the students questions to get a better understanding of their thinking patterns.
Teachers can gather information from the students by having discussions about their successes and failures. Tutoring Sessions for a Subject the Student is Struggling With An ideal teacher-student interaction is when the student has someone who can help him with his studies, and this can be an individual tutor or an instructional assistant.
For example, if the student is having difficulty with spelling, then a tutor or an instructional assistant will help him to learn how to spell all the words that he has to spell. This will not only help him to improve his spelling skills but will also boost his confidence level and give him the self-confidence to complete the rest of his assignments.
Another example would be if the student is having trouble in math, then an instructional assistant will help him with his math assignments and help him improve on the math skills. This gives the student a sense of confidence as well as teaches him how to work with others. Taking special needs students on as students can benefit them tremendously. These students need special attention because of their disability and their uncertain future.
Despite their disabilities, these students can teach us much about life.
