CRISTINE Q. LOPEZ
ASSIGNMENT 1
Anuradha
(2021)
explained
that
implementation
of
special
education
encompasses a range of services in various contexts and utilizing various
methodologies in order to cater to the needs of kids with special needs that
cannot be served in regular classrooms. Alternative terminology for this strategy is
"Special Needs Education," according to education experts. This practice is
predicated on the idea that children with disabilities have some specific needs
and should study in a separate environment with other kids who share their
needs.
This does not imply that the children with special needs are always kept apart in
a separate classroom. One possibility is that some students spend the majority of
their time in general education classes. They might merely require considerable
accommodations to learn right alongside their peers in regular settings.
Law No. 11650, which predates the Republic Act, protects and promotes the
right of all citizens to quality education at all level and will take appropriate
measures to make such education accessible to all. The goal of inclusive
education is to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education
by successfully addressing their various needs in a way that is flexible, accepting,
respectful, and encouraging. But the matter is, are the general teachers well
prepared for the inclusive education?
Thomas, E. K., & Uthaman, S. P. (2019) explained that teachers lack adequate
knowledge about educational arrangements of children with specific learning
disabilities, leading to misunderstandings and cannot access these benefits for
students with specific learning disabilities. Furthermore, Nishan (2018), the main
challenges that hinder the success full implementation of inclusive education
have been identified. Schools need trained teachers, teaching assistants and
extra support for teachers whereas Ginner, Selenius, & Åkesson (2022) found that
Swedish preschools are committed to meeting the needs of all children, but
often lack a systematic approach to documenting, analyzing, monitoring and
evaluating each child's needs.
IDEA (2004) stated that disability is a aspect of being human and in no way
affects an individual's ability to participate in or make contributions to society.
Our global goal to ensure equality of opportunity, full engagement, independent
living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities must include
improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities.
Every child with disability has a right to a free appropriate public education
under the IDEA (FAPE). The IDEA places a strong emphasis on special education
and related services, which must be created to fit each child's "unique
requirements and prepare them for independent living, higher education, and
employment."
A variety of solutions should be accessible to students with special needs to suit
their needs. This could include anything from a regular classroom, resource room,
isolated area, or outside of the district placement. Parents of LSENs are a crucial
component of the team that chooses candidates for placement. The location
must not be determined by a person's disabilities. For instance, a learner with
disability should not be considered placed in a class with other learners with
disabilities. Additionally, placement selections must not be dependent on
programs. This implies that a child with learning disabilities. Regular teachers
don’t have any reasons to reject learners with disability. They need to
accommodate these learners in a best and possible way. The providing of
accommodations is crucial in addressing the demands of students with special
needs. Teachers
are in charge of offering pupils are provided with
accommodations for those with disabilities, and responsibility for making their
best effort and using the accommodations in activities for education and
evaluation. (Beech, 2010)
As a special education teacher in public school, my support for learners with
special educational needs is to ensure that all school stakeholders understand
the importance of inclusion and how inclusion can be most effectively
implemented in our school. Last month we conducted a seminar training
workshop for all receiving teachers in all public schools in Mabalacat City,
Pampanga. As one of the resource speakers, I appreciate the efforts of all
regular teachers attended the seminars. I witnessed their eagerness on how to
learn basic sign language, reading Braille and of course how to handle different
learners with special needs, like learners with ASD, ID, LD etc. I also observed that
some of them have limited knowledge about special education or inclusive
education.
Moreover, I also encountered on the first week of this school year in our school,
Mauaque Resettlement Elementary School there are some regular teachers who
are not fully aware about inclusive education. Three regular teachers from
different level approached the SPED teachers in regarding their present situation
in their class. There were students with special educational needs enrolled in their
regular class and they do not know how to handle these learners. All of them
informed the SPED teachers, that they cannot accommodate the learner with
special educational needs because they already have many students on their
class, in addition, they do not have any knowledge in handling learners with
special needs
These recent experiences made me eager to study about knowledge and
attitudes of regular teachers in Mauaque Resettlement Elementary School
towards Inclusive Education. It is intended to find out whether teachers are
positive to inclusive education, to explore the readiness of general or regular
teachers in our school for inclusive education and to examine their knowledge
and attitude towards inclusion of students who have special educational needs
into mainstream classrooms. The future study will be using descriptive survey the
knowledge and attitudes of regular teachers in Mauaque Resettlement
Elementary School towards Inclusive Education.
References:
Anuradha (2021) What is the Difference Between Special Education Integrated
Education and Inclusive Education, Pediaa,
https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-special-education-integr
ated-education-and-inclusive-education/
Beech, M. (2010). Accommodations: Assisting students with disabilities. Bureau of
Exceptional Education and Student Services, Florida Department of Education.
Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED565777.pdf
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 34 C.F.R. 300.1 et
seq. (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 2017).
Hanna Ginner Hau, Heidi Selenius& Eva BjörckÅkesson (2022) A preschool for all
children? –
Swedish preschool teachers’ perspective on
inclusion, International Journal of Inclusive
Education, 26:10, 973-991, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2020.1758805
Nishan, Fathmath& Darussalam, Universiti. (2018). Challenges of Regular Teachers
in Implementing Inclusive Education in Schools of Maldives. 88-102.
POLITIKO (2022) Duterte signs law on inclusive education for learners with
disabilities - News Philippine Politics,
https://politics.com.ph/2022/03/15/duterte-signs-law-on-inclusive-educationfor-learners-with-disabilities/
Thomas, E. K., & Uthaman, S. P. (2019, April). Knowledge and Attitude of Primary
School Teachers Towards Inclusive Education of Children with Specific
Learning Disabilities. (A. Paul, Ed.) Journal of Social Work Education and
Practice, IV (2), 23