EDS 410 Pecha Kucha

By: Greg Howard and William Lindau

History of Special Education
• Park v Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• IDEA established in 1975
• Willowbrook Institution vs. modern day schools
Federal Laws and Regulations
• U.S. has a history of exclusion
• 1919- 13 year old denied education
• 2015- Every Student Succeeds Act
Inclusiveness in Schools
• What is it?
• LRE
• Why should our schools be inclusive?
Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms
• LRE
• Respect and understanding of exceptional children grows in inclusive
settings
• Promotes diversity
Challenges of Inclusive Classrooms
• Services/technology cannot always be provided in general education
classrooms
• Negative preconceived notions about students with disabilities
• Backlash from parents who are against inclusion
Will’s Views on Inclusive Settings
• Attitude
• LRE is vital for a student to learn at their highest potential

• Concerns/Fears
• Bullying
Greg’s Views on Inclusive Settings
• It is important that students with disabilities are given as normal of
an experience as possible
• If traditional classroom education can accommodate, inclusion is
good.
• Must be wary of placing a student in a setting they may struggle too much
in.
• Can normalize disabilities - good for students without disabilities.
The Many Roles of a Teacher
• Collaborator/Teammate
• With parents
• With other teachers/specialists
• Advocator
• For students with disabilities
• Always put the student’s needs before your own
• Communicator
Critique of Practices for Planning and Design
• The classroom design should help students learn to their highest
potential
• Wide walkways
• Adjustable lighting
Will’s Personal Teaching and Learning Styles
• Vygotksy- zone of proximal development
• More knowledgeable other
• Learning can occur unintentionally
• Conceptual change theory
Greg’s Personal Teaching and Learning Styles
• Constructivism - building upon preexisting knowledge
• Collaborative learning
• students collaborate with students, teachers collaborate with teachers
• Zone of Proximal Development - Vygotsky
• differentiation
Technology
• Technology is useful for fulfilling the needs of the student.
• Hearing aids
• Visual aids
• Ipads/computers vs. traditional pen and paper
• Technology is important for reducing or eliminating limitations
Individualization and Differentiation
• Especially important for students with disabilities.
• IEP - ubiquitous in Special Education as a way to individualize
education.
Influence of Diverse Culture and Language on
Learning
• ESL students are common
• differentiation
• Immigration related hurdles
• Negative educational experiences in the past
• Education is intimidating
Cultural and Linguistic/Social Differences
• Language barrier
• Misrepresentation
• Due to language barrier/differences in ways of thinking
• Under/Overrepresentation
• African American/Hispanic males - overrepresented
• Caucasian Females - underrepresented
Influence of Family and Environment on
Learning
• Parent’s roles
• Parent’s feelings
• What parents want vs. what teacher wants
• Teaching/learning at home
Dignity and Rights

• Advocacy
• be a voice for students who need one
• Make life as normal as possible
• Ways to limit bullying/exclusion by peers
Person First Language
• These students are people above all else
• Everyone has an identity
• Avoid labeling
• Students are more than just “high needs”
Post-Education
• Adults with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than those
without disabilities
• Transition services
• IEP
• IDEA
• Employment
Conclusion
• Everyone should have a right to an education
• Special Education does not necessarily denote inability
• Everyone is good at something
• Advocacy
• Students with needs are people too
References
• Heward, W.L., Alber-Morgan, S., Konrad. M. (2017). Exceptional
children: An introduction to special education (11th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson.