Developing. Using and Organising Resources (Specialist Area Education)

Special Education
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution Location
Date
Special Education
Purpose of Resources
In this era of technology, there are infinite possibilities in teaching careers. The primary role of educators is to impart knowledge to students and ensure they are equipped to face their future responsibilities. Education offers a stepping stone to the character and career development and advances the needs of humanity. Teachers or educators play an important role in this endeavor, and it is critical that they consider their capabilities before launching into the career. Regular education is helpful to the development of students, but there is special education that plays a significant role in the mix. There are numerous branches of special education, and it is critical for an educator to understand them because they aid in the teaching process and add towards the objective of improving the outcomes in students. Each branch has a critical role to play in the career, and while students can be exposed to different types of special education, there is a limited option on the kind of special education that an educator can pursue.
Regardless of the type of special education, educators must use resources that complement the teaching process. Determining the right resources to use is an important factor in the teaching process. They directly influence the outcomes of learning. Resources are meant to cultivate the curiosity of students and propel them to seek more knowledge. Proper resources must make the education process seem attractive and interesting, especially to students at a young age. Lack of interest breeds truancy character and may lead to confusion of character and the learning process. The use of proper resources can prod students to ask questions and give further insights into the learning process (Rachmawati et al. 2016, p. 589). They are supposed to enhance the skills among students and make them view education from an objective and impactful standpoint. Desirable values and attitudes are cultivated when proper learning resources are used.
Effectiveness of Special Resources
As a special education teacher, there are numerous resources that can be used in the teaching process, and all these are used to improve the learning experience of students and ensure they are not disadvantaged in the regular learning process. Activities and games are a central resource in the learning process for children with learning disabilities. It may be physical or intellectual games, but they should play the primary role in making the education process interesting. These games enhance intelligence, behavior, and social skills among students. Gradually these students can be able to express themselves better academically and in social life. Do2learn is an online platform that gives special needs teacher’s guidelines on the kinds of games to play with students depending on their disability levels. The games are interactive, and they raise the curiosity of students. Teacher Vision is a platform that helps in the training of teachers and equips them with the latest learning curriculums depending on the type of students they teach. There are videos that help teachers in the learning and teaching process, thus making education an interesting endeavor. This kind of material supplements the regular books and boards that are used in regular classes. They also provide a checklist of activities to be performed by the teacher and also give specifics on the expected outcomes. The learning process becomes a sure practice that is objective, and the results are measurable. Social media platforms have also become an influential resource for special education teachers. Here professional teaching groups are formed, and the level of interaction is intense. Any member can ask questions and share any related information on the profession. It is also a platform where the latest technologies and information are shared, and clarifications are given on any changes.
Principles of Resource Design
There are numerous resources that can be used in the learning process, but they must affirm the objectives of the learning process. As learning resources are made, they must go past specific criteria to ensure their value is ascertained. Primarily, they must meet the needs of learning; in the special education sector that are various students that have different challenges. The resources should either fulfill the learning needs of a specific special education group or meet the needs of all the groups. The latter is the most preferred because, in most cases, the students learn in a combined environment. They must be fit-for-purpose. This statement means that they must meet a specific outcome. For example, if a resource is meant to improve the social skills of special needs students, it must be assessed to ensure that they meet this need fully. The same goes for resources that enhance behavior and intelligence capabilities (DeMatthews 2020, p. 5). There must be a specified outcome that the resource meets. The resources must be linked to preferred learning practices. Some of them include video resources that teachers can pause and explain the points.
The resources should also cover a specific timeframe; they should not be too long to bore the students or too short of becoming inadequate in raising the curiosity and interest of students. The content must be current to ensure that students can easily apply or implement them in their daily lives. Part of the parameters for this metric includes using appropriate language and making relatable references. Using outdated or unconventional examples or techniques derail the process of providing equal learning opportunities among students. They must be user friendly for them to be attractive to students. An example can be using simple language that enhances the vocabulary of students and their speaking abilities. Tough vocabulary lowers the interest of students and makes the teaching process cumbersome, thus leading to failure of attainment of special education objectives.
Sources That Inform Resource Development
The education sector is managed by various stakeholders, and they collaborate to ensure there are set outcomes and processes for attaining them are clear. They range from governmental to non-governmental institutions. In some jurisdictions, the religious and social institutions are incorporated to ensure that the learning process is comprehensive, and it leads to the development of society. The National Center For Learning Disabilities is a body that oversees other institutions and sets the goals of the learning process among students with learning disabilities. It is involved in the empowering of teachers, young adults, and parents, transforming schools, and advocating for the rights of students with disabilities. Its main objective is to ensure there is an equal distribution of resources and opportunities for all students regardless of their abilities. States are mandated to govern the education sector. Hence they create education laws and policies.
These bodies set the mandates of special education teachers and specify the legalities or illegalities and the consequences of contravening them. Among other functions of the state governments include the determination of salaries and benefits that teachers get. The states also give power to education bodies that set the qualifications for special education teachers. Setting qualifications ensures that each student receives the same kind of professional treatment, thus meeting the objective of unveiling equal learning opportunities to students. These bodies outline the type of certification needed to become a member of the professional special education body. The primary role of informing resource development lies with these state empowered bodies. After they have given clarification on the type of changes, they inform the education bodies that then take charge of the completion and implementation process. Private researchers in the education sector are also part of the process, and they aid in the development of new curricula that meet the latest trends in the sector. Special education teachers rely on their professional bodies that are linked with state education bodies for conveying such information. These bodies have regular feedback desks and timelines to inform members of updates and also give guidelines on where the information and upgrades of qualifications can be done. Rather than searching for this information, these teachers can subscribe to regular updates in the form of mails and journals that have special sections detailing every change in the sector when it arises. Private companies that produce learning material and are influential with developing creative learning resources are notified of these changes from state education regulatory bodies, and it allows them to modify their learning content to meet the set objective. Resources mentioned earlier, like teachervision.com and Do2learn, are examples of creative learning platforms built by private companies.
Theories, Principles, and Models of Inclusive Curriculum
There are primarily two models of curriculum design, the process model and the product model. Each of them has specific sets of objectives to meet, and the outcomes are measured differently. In the product model, the focus is one of the results of the students. Test systems are set and used as a parameter to determine whether curriculums are detrimental or beneficial to the education system. To increase effectiveness and inclusivity in the model, there are different types of tests for abled and disabled students. Students with different abilities are given separate tests to ensure they easily meet the demands of the tests, and their scores are not negatively affected by their challenges. In particular, each state may have a different test and grade award system for the different types of students. In the process model, the teaching strategies, resources, and parameters are analyzed. It focuses on the reception and development of students over time through their interaction with the learning material. It relates to the earlier topic discussed, 'Effectiveness of special resources.' The main question is how the teachers can use the resources in a friendly manner to ensure it enhances the process of improving behavior, social skills, and intelligence among students.
There are three primary theories of an inclusive education curriculum. They must be subject-centered, problem-centered, and learner-centered. Subject-centered ensures that the topic revolves around a particular subject. For example, a mathematics curriculum should be developed and curated differently from English literature or arts subjects. Each subject must have unique teaching strategies and resources that lead to the attainment of educational goals. Problem-centered curriculum design revolves around the creation of interest in studies by allowing students to be creative in the approach towards their studies. They are asked questions that revolve around challenges they face in their life; solutions should hence be practical and scalable. Here the teacher primarily guides the students in the selection of students, and there are no specific criteria to assess the work done. This design is authentic in approach, and it recognized the different abilities that students have.
However, the demerit is individual learning styles are not acknowledged, and there is no specificity in the learning process. The Learner-centered curriculum design is specific to the needs of the students, and it acknowledges the fact that they have different abilities and skills. The goals, needs, and interests of students are factored in this design; hence the teaching methods and resources are differentiated and customized to the specifications of every student. It aligns with the needs of and models of special education, and the emphasis is not put on the results but on the learning process and long-term development of the students. The diversity of students must be acknowledged in a curriculum because it ensures that the learning process is transformative and developing. When students are discriminated against according to their abilities, they are likely to unequal solutions to the challenges they face in life daily. Moreover, it creates disproportional outcomes that tend to favor some students while disadvantaging others in the long run. An education curriculum should not take an isolative approach; numerous stakeholders should be incorporated in the process to ensure that the named curriculum development models and principles are incorporated.
Adapting Resources in Special Needs Students
The use of specific learning resources is sometimes difficult for special education teachers, especially in environments that have students with different learning disabilities. In this case, the teacher must have knowledge of the different teaching methods and strategies to ensure that each student understands the content. There are students with hearing challenges, speaking challenges, and visual challenges. Some students may have a pair or all the named learning challenging, thus making the learning process an intricate activity. A special education teacher should have different resources to cover the above scenarios and ensure the students have an excellent learning experience. An example would be utilizing audio and visual teaching resources. They may include recorded audios and videos of lessons; here, the hearing and visually impaired students will have the same advantage, and the outcomes can be uniform. Moreover, it is critical for the special needs teachers to ask students questions about the content learned on a regular basis. This activity gives the talking-impaired students a chance to respond, and immediately, the teacher can receive feedback on the learning process. In this case, the teacher should not always pick the student that raises the hand first to answer the question. Chances should be equally distributed in all types of education, and this is ensured through the development of a balanced curriculum.
New and Emerging Technologies
Special needs learning has evolved over the years, and the types of interaction between teachers and students have changed. The material and resources used for learning have become friendlier, and there is a call for a parent to enroll children with disabilities into such schools. The administrations of these schools are tasked with the implementation of the education policies to ensure equal opportunities among students, but they depend on curriculum created by education systems and other types of resources created by private companies. Recent developments have incorporated cartoons that are powered by artificial intelligence. Audio and video games have been developed to make the process more interactive, and students can learn whenever they are. The benefit of these resources is that the teacher is not directly involved, and the results are automatic. Moreover, they can be viewed from any location, and the teacher can guide the guardians or parents of the student even when they are far from the school. The technologies incorporate physical and mental games to ensure students are intellectually stimulated. They can be customized to meet the disability of students and maximize the learning outcomes. Examples ...