07.750 Graduate Summative Seminar
Brandon University
June 2018
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EDUCATION OF EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN II
04.751
SUMMARY
This course will examine special education issues related to prevention early intervention and ongoing support to children with exceptionalities. Special education systems will be examined, and the experience of children with exceptionalities within various educational alternatives will be discussed. Topics will include consultation and collaboration among regular and special educators, inclusion and segregated programs. The requirement for individual plans for children with exceptionalities will also be explored.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The reading and writing demands of this course were heavy. With five textbooks to read and a variety of assignments to complete, this was a tough grind. Luckily, experience working with children with exceptionalities helped make sense of the readings and confirmed what I already knew or suspected about certain exceptionalities.
REFLECTION
I found the assignments in this course to be more hands-on and applicable to my professional situation than assignments in previous courses. Having to create a paraeducator handbook really forced me to consider how I view the role of a paraeducator and how to support their position within the school. The book review was interesting because I had heard a lot about universal design prior to reading the text but knew very little about the specifics of the principles. It was helpful to read the book with a critical eye to determine what would work in my classroom and what I would modify to meet my students’ needs. Of greatest interest to me was learning about PATH and MAPS. After learning about how positive the experience if creating a PATH or MAPS can be, I thought how wonderful it would be for all children to have their family and support system collaborate to make a beautiful vision together. Although it would be far too time consuming to create a formal PATH for each and every student, my wish is that each student has a strong team to support them and see them through their person journey.
SIGNIFICANT READINGS
Hall, T. E., Meyer, A., & Rose, D. H. (2012). Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom: Practical Applications. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Inclusion BC. (2013, September 20). PATH: Planning Alternative Tomorrows With Hope [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ecv_VN9KyI
Manitoba Education. (2009). Educational Assistants in Manitoba Schools. Government of Manitoba. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/ed_assistants
McCarney, S. B., & Wunderlich, K. C., (2014). Spelling. In S. N. House (Ed.), Pre-referral Intervention Manual: The Most Common Learning and Behavior Problems Encountered in the Educational Environment (4th Ed.). Columbia, MO: Hawthorne Educational Services, Inc.
O’Brien, J., Pearpoint, J., & Kahn, L. (2010). The PATH and MAPS Handbook. Toronto, ON: Inclusion Press.
ARTIFACTS
The assignment to create and handbook for paraeducators was very useful. This gave me the opportunity to examine the role of paraeducators and how my role as a teacher fits with the diverse role of a paraeducator . I hope to use it as a reference as I now work more closely with paraeducators in my role of resource teacher.
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The written response to PATH and MAPS is my refection of the value of such a wonderful, creating, collaborative planning instrument and opportunity to celebrate a student. I learned that it truly takes an entire community to raise and support a child with exceptionalities to help the child reach their full potential.
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The book review of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was my way of summarizing the key point of UDL. I continue to refer to the paper to remind myself of the principles and practices of UDL. Other authors have created their own version of universal design, but I find this adaptation the one that best suits my teaching style.
