My Philosophy of Special Education Tina Macabitas University of La Verne SPED 407 Summer 2012

Tina Macabitas My Philosophy of Special Education The three Rs: as reading, writing and arithmetic are the basic foundation for education. They are the driving force behind the standards based reform movement in the United States. Education continues to improve especially in special education. By law, schools are required to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment that is appropriate to the individual student's needs. As a parent of a child with autism and as a paraprofessional in a special day class, this has positively influenced my view and philosophy of special education. My philosophy of special education encompasses the three Rs by being respectful, realistic, and resourceful. As a future teacher, my goal is to make a difference in the life of every child that I am privileged to have the opportunity to educate. Educating a child means being respectful and aware of their abilities by reflecting upon their educational development. It is imperative that educators, parents, and students collaborate and have respect for each other as well. Parental involvement is important in working together to communicate all educational, emotional and behavioral needs of the student. As a teacher I will be an advocate and a facilitator for the child's best interest and educational opportunity. Thus, creating goals and objectives that are realistic and appropriate for the student. Lastly, I believe as a teacher, I need to be resourceful to utilize all tools available to create the best possible learning environment for each child. Thus, encompassing all the strategies, techniques, and best practice to assist me to become a highly effective teacher. There are many components to special education. As a parent, paraprofessional and now as a future educator, my philosophy of special education has evolved into three key components. All in all, in my ontology, I believe educators, parents, and students utilizing the three Rs by

Tina Macabitas being respectful, realistic, and resourceful are the foundation of an effective and successful special education program. In my axiology, I believe encompassing the three Rs by being respectful, realistic, and resourceful will instill understanding, teamwork, and pride amongst educators, parents, and students. My hopes are for educators and parents to be able to work together to better facilitate the individual needs of the students. My epistemology comes from a situation involving a student in a special day class with a diagnosis of autism. The father of this boy, like most parents, wanted the best for his son. He became aware of a student who mainstreamed from the special day class to a general education class and wanted that for his son as well. At the next annual IEP, the father demanded that his son mainstream for math in a general education class because his son was struggling in this subject and needed extra support. The educators and other members of the team disagreed. They tried to convince the father otherwise by showing work samples and assessments of the progress that his son was making in his special day class. He currently had the appropriate support in place and was benefiting from accessing the curriculum in his special day class. To make a long story short, the student struggled when he would mainstream in general education for math. The pacing was too fast, the content was complex, and he was overwhelmed. Task avoidance and sensory overload lead to extreme behaviors from this student. In this situation, by using the three Rs the student would have been able to thrive in the best possible learning environment that met his individual needs. By being respectful to the IEP team and of his sons needs, the father would

have realized realistically his son was given the appropriate resources that fit his individual needs. Instead of initiating unwanted behaviors, the student would continue to benefit in his special day class with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Tina Macabitas My analysis of improving educational practice through its knowledge base influences my philosophy of special education. According to Benner (1998), The notion that well-designed education is achievable through the scientific study of conditions that produce educational success is antiquated at best. This is definitely an old school of thought. I believe that being respectful and aware of an individuals abilities, creating goals and objectives that are realistic and appropriate, being resourceful by creating the best possible learning environment for an individual student to thrive are the basis for an effective special education program. In my analysis of special education in post modern world, I related with how structure and social order are needed elements of educational communities (Benner, 1998). In my philosophy of special education, by using the three Rs of being respectful, realistic, and resourceful will build a foundation of structure and social order. Thus, instilling understanding, teamwork, and pride amongst educators, parents, and students. According to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II, I am an Idealist Healer. My reaction was of pleasant surprise because I had viewed myself as an Artisan. I thought with my art background, I would be more artistic or open-minded as Kiersey described (Kiersey, 1998). Then, I realized with the early diagnosis of my youngest daughters autism, my work experience with special needs children, and the current diagnosis of my eldest daughters juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, my life has truly evolved. I may have been an Artisan in the past; however, now I am an Idealist Healer. According to Kiersey (1998), Isabel Myers was also an INFP or Idealist Healer. She described her fellow NFs to be similar to each other. They were humane and sympathetic as enthusiastic and religious as creative and intuitive and as insightful and subjective (Kiersey, 1998). I have a very soft heart that helps me empathize with students and families. It drives me to share my experiences, use my resources and knowledge to advocate for those in need.

Tina Macabitas In hosting K-12 students, I would use strategies that complemented the students temperaments. For example, an Artisan student is artistic, adaptable, easygoing and athletic and would benefit from bodily kinesthetic activities like four corners, stand up sit down, and simultaneous round table. Idealist students are nurturing and enthusiastic. They would benefit from cooperative learning strategies such as peer modeling and way of council to share their feelings. Guardian students are described as routinized, factual, and thorough. In order to appeal to their visual intelligences, visual schedules and graphic organizers would be useful tools for these students. Rationalist students are analytical, curious, systematic, and scientific. These students prefer to be left alone and would benefit from intrapersonal activities. For example, puzzles, computer learning games, and scientific investigations. In collaborating with peers, I would use strategies that complemented the temperaments of my colleagues. For instance, an Artisan peer would be more artistically and athletically inclined to participate in bodily kinesthetic activities. Such as collaborating both our class together on a group art project or participating in P.E. together. Idealist peers are enthusiastic and nurturing. They would be more responsive to collaborating and asking for help such as RtI and peer evaluations. Guardians appreciate schedules and are very thorough. Taking advantage of minimum days and scheduling time for goal setting would be beneficial. Following up on an email and confirming appointments will strengthen collaboration amongst peers. Rationalist temperaments prefer to be independent and are technical. Communicating via email would be effective. Providing student assessments and scores and discussing current research in education would assist in building relationships with Rationalist peers. All in all, times are changing and education is evolving. As I continue on this journey, my passion and temperament will continue to drive me to advocate for students and families with

Tina Macabitas special needs. I believe encompassing the three Rs by being respectful, realistic, and resourceful are the basis for an effective special education program.

Tina Macabitas References Benner, S. (1998). Special Education Issues Within the Context of American Society. Beverly, MA: Wadsworth Publishing. Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen (2011). Exceptional learners (Twelfth Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Kiersey, D. (1998). Please understand me II. Del Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Book Company.

Tina Macabitas Introduction

My goal is to become an effective education specialist by planning for the management of major academic issues in curriculum and positive behavior support for learners with mild/moderate disabilities. This document is a final culmination of my professional experiences in developing my skills in caseload management. It addresses the caseload management needs of K-12 learners on the Autism Spectrum, learners with Learning Disabilities (LD), Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Emotional and Behavior Disorders (EBD), Other Health Impairments (OHI) such as Tourette Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Through collaborating with my peers and colleagues, we explored options and services to address the needs of these diverse learners. For example, we addressed Melvin Levines Management by Profile (MbP), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, Response to Intervention (RtI) structures, executive processing functions, positive behavior support structures and technology to guide planning management activities. This document will also provide an overview of social justice and community service for mild/moderate learners.

Cover Letter of Professional Philosophy The first step in approaching caseload management is teacher planning. There are many factors that influence this step. The teacher is the most significant factor. Discovering the teacher and what he/she is all about is important. It is imperative to feel a sense of mission and believe all students can and will learn. I am driven by my passion to help diverse learners. My personal philosophy of special education assists me in becoming more active in my role as an education specialist. Beginning my professional document is my approach of the three Rs by being

Tina Macabitas respectful, realistic, and resourceful. I hope to collaborate with educators, parents, and students to promote success for diverse learners by encompassing my philosophy of the three Rs.

Disposition When I think back to my philosophy, I relate it to the leadership disposition of intellectual commitment. At my current level of performance, I have increased my knowledge and skills in effectively managing a caseload. Collaborating with my peers on creating a mock caseload manual provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate my formal thinking capacity. Through critical thinking, collecting and analyzing data, anticipating multiple consequences, making sound decisions, and being open minded to alternative viewpoints I was able to apply the three Rs. I learned to be respectful and appreciate the different temperaments of my peers. In designing effective systems for our caseload, being realistic and resourceful assisted us in using the appropriate strategies and techniques to promote success for our diverse learners.

Caseload Management In todays classrooms, learning styles are more diverse than ever. Diversity in culture, language, socioeconomic status, and learning abilities are reminders of how students learn differently. Effective caseload management consists of planning before, during, and after the school year. Included in this section is an overview of successful samples used in managing a caseload effectively. Such as: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, Response to Intervention (RtI) structures, Melvin Levines Management by Profile (MbP), executive processing functions, positive behavior support structures and technology to guide planning management activities.

Tina Macabitas Universal Design for Learning Providing students more time to complete assignments, direct instruction, peer tutoring, differentiated instruction, and cooperative learning techniques are ways teachers adapt their instruction for students of different abilities. Through the use of Universal Design for Learning, teachers are able to create flexible equitable, and accessible instructional techniques that accommodate individual learning differences in a classroom setting. According to the book Universal Design for Learning (2005), Universal design provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information. It allows the student to control the method of accessing

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information while the teacher monitors the learning process and initiates any beneficial methods.