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Describe two ways general education teachers can take ownership of meeting the learning needs of students with exceptionalities in their classrooms. Reflect on how insights from special education teachers during meetings and check-ins can be applied and how general education teachers can apply strategies to support these students independently.
Special education teachers (SEs) often provide key insights into a student's processing deficits (e.g., working memory issues, slow processing speed) or behavioral triggers.
Application: If the SE highlights a student's difficulty with working memory, the general education teacher can proactively chunk information into smaller segments, provide graphic organizers, and offer checklists to reduce the memory load required for complex tasks.
Independent Strategy: The teacher can independently implement flexible seating or strategic grouping based on the student's need for minimal distraction or peer support, rather than waiting for an accommodation to be mandated.
Taking ownership means viewing the student's progress as a direct result of the instruction provided and using evidence to drive changes.
The general education teacher must establish a systematic, ongoing process for monitoring the student’s academic and behavioral progress against their specific goals, whether those are formal IEP goals or classroom-based objectives.
Progress Monitoring: Regularly collect short-cycle data (e.g., error analysis on quick checks, frequency counts of positive behaviors, fluency readings) that is relevant to the student's area of need. This allows for immediate, day-to-day instructional adjustments.
Feedback Loops: Use this data to reflect on the effectiveness of specific teaching methods. For example, if a visual strategy for math vocabulary isn't working, the teacher owns the need to switch to a hands-on, manipulative-based approach.
SEs excel at translating student deficits into measurable goals and interventions.
Application: If the SE advises using positive reinforcement schedules for behavior, the general education teacher should track the frequency of target behaviors and the fidelity of the implementation. The data collected can then be used in check-ins with the SE to collaboratively adjust the reinforcement ratio or the specific behavior being targeted.
Independent Strategy: The teacher can independently use a self-monitoring checklist for a student with ADHD to track their own work completion. This shifts accountability to the student, fostering self-regulation, and provides the teacher with valuable data o
General education teachers can take ownership of meeting the learning needs of students with exceptionalities primarily through proactive curriculum adaptation and consistent data collection and reflection.
Ownership starts with the belief that the curriculum must be accessible to all students, including those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
The general education teacher should move beyond simply implementing accommodations listed in an IEP and instead differentiate instruction before a student even signals a need for help. This involves:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Planning lessons using UDL principles to offer multiple means of representation (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic), expression (e.g., written, oral, project-based), and engagement (e.g., choice, relevance). This preemptively addresses many learning barriers.
Tiered Assignments: Creating assignments with varying levels of complexity, support, and depth based on student readiness, allowing students with exceptionalities to engage with the core learning goal successfully.