Pampanga State Agricultural University

PAC, Magalang, Pampanga

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Bachelor of Elementary Education

EDUC 5
Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

Submitted by:
Loyola, Mary Grace G.
BEEd 2A

Submitted to:
Prof. Elma Gozum
Directions: You are to write a reflective journal regarding your learning on the
Principles, Policies, and Dimensions of special and inclusive education.

A reflective journal requires pre-service teacher to critically analyze their progress and
identify behavioral, attitudinal and/or other changes that could promote their future
development. In order to move beyond purely descriptive reflections, pre-service
teachers could relate the contents of their entries to the course learning outcomes.
Examples of evidence criteria for reflective journals include: breadth and/or depth of
reflection; critical thinking; focus, coherence and flow of ideas; etc. Example artifacts
could include: research notes, personal comments, quotes, insights, mistakes,
incidence, sketches, photos, etc.

As a pre-service teacher or as a future educator, as I am stepping towards this journey

as a finally so-called teacher, there are things that made me realize that teaching is not
just a word, but a word with passion, a word that describes vocation, and a word that
sometimes a calling. On my second step on this pathway, I may say that there are
progresses in me that I don’t have before as I enter this course. To name some, let me
first start to the inclusive education. This subject made me realize and somehow made
me think what I really want to teach specifically in the future. There is inside of me since
when I was young that I want to teach special education. Because, I have the interest to
the children with special needs. I have the interest to know further the different types of
needs of every child with disability.

To go further, this interest that I have in me sometimes fades away. As I grow, that
interest remains an interest, not until now. This subject entitled Foundation of Special
and Inclusive Education, really made me think where I want to go after this four-year
course. There are questions that have developed in my mind: “Do I really want to teach
special education?” “Can I teach special education?” “Maybe my calling is special
education.” “Can I deal with children with special needs?” “Will it not be a hard
profession?” “Will it not be the hindrance of my personal life.” Or “Maybe this will be a
part of my life.” These questions really made me go further to find the answers. I know
this will be hard, but I do believe that hardships will lead to a genuine happiness that
money can’t buy.

Moreover, what does really an inclusive education? Inclusive education is a learning

environment where children with and without disabilities are taught together as equals.
This approach is different to more traditional approaches to the education of children
with disabilities. Inclusive education is recognized by teachers, families, and policy
makers to be a more beneficial way of ensuring the children with or without disabilities
to achieve their full educational potential. In the Philippines the inclusive education
program aims to cater the educational needs of children with disabilities, street children,
abused children, child laborers, children of indigenous peoples, and the Muslim
children. This program is being strengthened in the country because of the following
reasons: from 2011 to 2012 children with disabilities who are in school are about
101,762. Children with disabilities are still combatting educational exclusion. 97.3% of
them are still unreached, about 5,916 are mainstreamed in regular classes and children
of indigenous peoples number about 12-15 million across the country. These are spread
in 7 ethnographic areas 117 ethno-linguistic groups. Those in elementary schools have
a total number of 639,488 in elementary while 158,550 in the secondary schools from
2010-2011. 140,570 Muslim Elementary and Secondary learners are attending ALIVE
or the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education in public schools.

The inclusive education program is supported by some policies such as; the right to
education is a basic human right, all children and youth shall have access to quality
education, inclusive education shall be concerned with all learners, with focus on those
who have traditionally been excluded from educational opportunities and support
system shall be organized and delivered. Public Policies such as the 1987 Philippine
Constitution, P.D. 603 The Child and Youth Welfare Code, R.A. 7610 Special Protection
of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, R.A. 7277 The
Magna Carta for Disabled Persons as amended by R.A. 9442. Policies and Guidelines
in Special Education also support inclusive education. The Philippines has also adopted
international documents on inclusive education such as UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child (1989), the World Declaration on Education for All (1990), and the UNESCO
Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994).

Inclusion is defined as reaching out to all learners, addressing and responding to

diversity of needs of all children, youth and adults, and involves changes and
modification in content, approaches, structures, and strategies. To respond to their
educational needs, the inclusive education program utilizes programs, curriculum,
learning materials, facilities, and equipment that are suitable to the disadvantaged
learners. Sustaining programs for children with disabilities, establishment of 276 Special
Education Centers nationwide, provision of SPED items, conduct of advocacy strategies
like SPED Caravan, conduct of training programs for teachers handling children with
various disabilities, implementation of various intervention programs, like Early
Intervention, Transition Program, and Headstart Program. Lastly, Indigenous Peoples
Education Policy Actions: To provide access to quality basic education, and to ensure
the recognition, promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous ancestral domain,
cultural identity.

In addition, upon learning in this subject, I have realized that there are children who
aren’t really in school because of where they are, where they belong and what
circumstances they are facing which I haven’t encountered when I was in Elementary
(e.g. indigenous peoples, madrasah, aetas, and even with disabilities). In line with this,
upon knowing those things about Inclusive Education, I have realized that there are
many ways that a child can feel that he is not different from others and that thing can
start inside the classroom. As a future educator and a pre-service teacher, I may say
that these things will remain in me for I know now that I enter this course not just for my
own education but also to the future education of the young learners. Before I put a
period on this paper, my questions above may find an answer as I continue to walk on
this path and I will just quote a word saying “No children will left behind”.