Multicultural

Education Issues and Perspectives Seventh Edition James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks
Chapter 13 Review: Educational Equality for Students with Disabilities 1) Why are both children who are learning disabled and those who are gifted considered exceptional? According to this author, these students are both considered exceptional because they require individualized programs in order to meet their diverse needs (pg 330). 2) In what ways are students with disabilities similar to and different from other students? Students with disabilities are similar to other students; because for the most part once the educational aspect is removed they have the same desires. All kids want to have fun, they like interacting with others, and generally speaking they want to feel valued by others. What makes them different is the educational arena. Students with disabilities need something extra, whether is be extra time or guided notes or extra one-on-one time with the teacher. Sometimes its a physical disability, but I dont believe this is the avenue the text is taking. 3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of labeling and classifying students with disabilities? Advantages Disadvantages
- Recognizes important differences in learning, which is the first step to meeting those differences

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Helps professionals communicate with one another and classifications can be used for research Funding is often associated with specific requirements Allows disability-specific groups to promote their cause and plead for legislation Labeling the children make their needs visible to policy makers and the public in general

Most people think of what the person with a disability cant do, as opposed to what they can Peers may redicule or reject the child Negative impact on childs self esteem May cause other people to have low expectations for the child (self-fulfilling prophecy) labels that describe a childs performance deficit often mistakenly acquire the role of explanatory constructs that label may keep student out of the regular classroom For exceptional students, its costly and requires professionals to dedicate time to these students instead of lesson planning, delivering, and receiving instruction.

4) How did the civil rights movement influence the movement for educational equality for students with disabilities? Educationally, students who were different either by race or mental capabilities were denied access to an equal education. But with the civil rights movement, this began to change. Society beliefs about equality, freedom, and justice changed and have expanded. Educations response slowly changed Elizabeth Wood February 2013

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along as well. It may not have been without resistance, but ever since Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka education has become more equal for students as time goes on. What is an IEP and how can it benefit students with disabling conditions? An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan that list certain accommodations students with disabilities receive. An IEP is beneficial to students because it identifies the level theyre currently at, identifies where the child should be at, and lists various accommodations for meeting the goal. Without an IEP, these students receive special accommodations. How does the concept of least restrictive environment influence alternative placement for students with disabilities? The concept of LRE requires that each child with a disability be educated in a setting that resembles as closely to a regular class in which his/her needs can be met. Just because two students have the same disability does not mean that they will be placed in the same setting, because they might not flourish the same. The three aspects that are considered in the integration process are academic curriculum, extracurricular activities, and other school activities (like recess and lunch). The more severe a disability, a student could be homebound or hospital bound. The second would be residential school, separate school, a resource room, regular classroom with supplementary instruction, regular classroom with consultation, and then the regular classroom. Do you think all students with disabilities should be educated in the regular classroom? Why or why not? I do not believe that ALL students with disabilities should be educated in the regular classroom. I believe that a majority of students with disabilities can thrive in a regular class, but I do not think its suitable for all students. When I was in high school, there were several students who were kept in the resource room for a majority of their classes. I was tracked with the same kids in the higher-level classes. Social studies was the only class that was not separated and we often mixed for this class. I remember in great detail the agony my senior year was. When the regular teacher taught, she taught to level but when the other students acted up we were all punished and forced to outline chapters. When the resource teacher taught, the questioning was so basic and the content moved so slowly that my friends and I were often bored. Things progressed like this until one day we were complaining to the main teacher and the resource teacher overheard. She was devastated (and now as a teacher myself I understand why) and never interacted with my friends or I again. Now as a teacher, I have the same belief because it is extremely difficult to mix two such groups. I would rather be able to focus on making more effective lesson plans and looking for new ideas than planning how to change one lesson 3-5 different ways. Its exhausting. The paperwork is also draining, and if I ignore the paperwork it is without a doubt that thats the week or the assignment that I will get nailed on. I am not saying that every student with a disability should be kept out from the regular room, because I have seen successes. Its just the key word in the question was all. Why are collaboration and teaming between special and general educators so critical to the quality of education experienced by children with disabilities? Elizabeth Wood February 2013

 The collaboration between special and general educators is important for many reasons. First, the general educator is able to ask about accommodations and get advice on how to help the student. Second, the special educator is able to check in on whats going on in the class to make sure the regulations are being met. Third, the meeting is important to make sure the child is still improving. If the child is not, a reassessment might be needed. 9) In your view, what is the most critical challenge currently facing the education of exceptional students? What suggestions would you make for meeting that challenge? From a teachers point of view, the biggest challenge with TAG students is that they finish their work so much sooner than their counterparts. I have found that most students are labeled TAG because theyre quiet and well behaved, so I thought this was what a TAG student was until this year. I now have a true TAG student. We will call him Jay. Jay is very bright and remembers everything he ever hears. Jay is social and well liked, and really active in the school. The problem I have with Jay is that he is so focused on do it, get it done that he finishes every assignment in a third of the time it takes my average student. Very rarely does Jay get something wrong, so I cant really penalize him. I have had a couple of conversations about what I can do. I have given him my Ayudante de la Maestra title. If someone is absent, Jay fills out my absent sheet and attaches worksheets for absent students. When papers need to be handed back Jay does so at the beginning of the hour. As far as curriculum is related, I have created lessons that allow Jay to thrive (teaching US vocabulary), but he didnt thrive like I expected (I think due to the group he was with). Ive recently been browsing blogs written by other Foreign Language teachers. I have found some good ideas that I would like to prepare ahead of time for next year. Some ideas include a verb Sudoku, a jigsaw puzzle that emphasizes correct verb formation, and some authentic reading texts using infographics. I have just discovered the first two activities so Im hoping by next year I will be able to have extras available and on-hand for students like Jay.

Elizabeth Wood February 2013