CEC+3.+Individual+Learning+Differences

**3. EQUITY **
 * CEC Standard: **

__**3. Individual Learning Differences **__

//**a. Special educators understand the effects that an exceptional condition can have on an individual’s learning in school and throughout life. **//

Being labeled as having a disability can have a very serious affect on a child and his or her parents because of the way they handle it and the way others react to it. Often times these individuals may find conditions and situations that disadvantage them from others. They may not feel capable of performing a task because they are lost and uninformed of the resources and needs for survival. As educators we are responsible for providing all our students with the necessary pieces of knowledge and experience they require to live on their own. Some schools may approach these individuals as an economic and time-management issue. This means that the school needs to hire a special educator, perhaps buy several accomodations for the students education, and then schedule meetings and assign these tasks to someone in order to manage the education of this student. Most schools would find this a disservice to other students. However, these other students are receiving the education that will allow them to survive throughout life, and are not being hurt by the inclusion of these ELN students in their classroom communities. In fact, the collaboration between these students is beneficial to both as every child has capabilities that need development. This creates a high social learning environment that enhances the individual's with ELN self-esteem, as well as their self-motivation with the students.

An exceptional condition could also affect an individual's learning in school and throughout life based on the specific skills and capabilities they are developing. For instance, real life issues involve the skill of problem solving, and to be informed democratic citizens one must develop the skill to think critically. In schools that do not promote inclusion, these students with ELN often find lessons that are designed for their level, but do not challenge them or cross into applying those skills. For instance, science involves the modeling of systems, and scientists need to test these models through methods of scientific inquiry. In order to do this students will need to be able to point to an issue, ask a testable question about that issue, design a lab and collect data, analyze the data and evaluate their results, and then publish or present these results (3.a.1). Through all this students would learn how to think about a problem, figure out information about the problem, and then brainstorm ideas about what can be done for the problem. Students will develop capabilities of voice in presenting and asking a question, autonomy in the question and how to procede with data collection, self-motivation in science, and self-advocacy for finding the resources needed for the investigation.

//**b. Special educators understand that the beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures can affect relationships among and between students, their families, and the school community. **//

 All students have their own cultures that they experience through their family, school community, and peers. Relationships are an important component of learning, because they allow us to know about each other and inform us about how we each learn best and what values we hold in our lives. Student differences are common in the classroom, and as such it is important for a teacher to be knowledgeable about their students interests, experiences, and beliefs. This can allow the teacher to plan lessons that will not upset anyone's cultural or religious values, and also to plan lessons that will encourage the contribution of each students cultures and knowledge into the lesson incorporated with the content.

 In some cases students need to experience a culture in order to realize it. A teacher can build a stronger community by planning lessons that involve the entire class in exploring a cultural place. For instance, one of our UTL service days took us to the Mocha Center in Rochester NY, where we learned of a great service for LBGT students and their community (3.b.1). Special educators can do service days like this as well, providing their students with places that they find beneficial for themselves to use one day, and it empowers them to become self-advocates for themselves and find other places that will benefit and enhance their cultural lives.

 Families are important to include in your education as well. Students lives at home may not be the same as they are in school. For instance, an individual with ELN may find themselves more open and involved in school than at home because family members provide more for them and do not try to let their child develop their own capabilities for fear of that child failing or feeling hurt. What is important is open communication between the student, parents, and the school to know exactly what the student needs, how each of them can provide that to them, and what the next step will be.

//**c. Special educators are active and resourceful in seeking to understand how primary language, culture and family backgrounds interact with the individual exceptional condition to impact the individual’s academic and social abilities, attitudes, values, interests, and career options. **//

All cultures have different perspectives on different topics, and different values for many things. Varying cultures, for example, have different values and outlooks on education, what appropriate education means and looks like, what the student’s role in society should be if they have a disability, and their options for a career one day. The most important thing about working with diverse families are getting to know them as individuals, and respecting their culture. Asking questions, learning about their language, their backgrounds, and what they want for their child and what services they will agree with and accept. Becoming knowledgeable about what they believe in, what they envision, what they value and hope for, is something that is important when working with their children. In order to provide a student with what he or she needs and be able to give them the independence that is culturally relevant and expected of them, teachers have to become part of the team and support system you respects those decisions and hopes, in order to help facilitate growth in that direction (3.c.1). Having come a long way from people with a disability not being considered human, or being institutionalized or not believing they are able to contribute to the community, there are still stigmas and beliefs that they are incapable of many things. In order to make these students believe in themselves and KNOW that they can do anything that other children can do, to a reasonable extent if they are severely disabled, then it is important that they are told this! Parents and children should be told of the numerous options that are available to their child to help them succeed. In order for the individual with ELN to have positive attitudes, interests, goals, high expectations for their own career, they must know the options available and be asked what they want to do. One lady who visited our class in ED 452 spit out the fact that for children without disabilities, they are asked by the age of three or four what they want to be when they grow up. The average for students with disabilities is age 16. At that point they do not know their options, and they have not had the chance to build up that goal their whole lives, with the expectation that “I can.” Teachers have to give students this hope and this understanding that they can, and that they should set goals for themselves and start exploring what they are interested in. Teachers should find out the cultural norms of the families so that they do not teach things that do not come across as cultural insensitive. Students with disabilities should be able to also express their cultures and believes without conflict with class material, by teachers asking open-ended questions and having group discussions that allows all perspectives to be welcomed and accepted. Another thing I have heard of teachers doing is requiring parents to talk in English at home to help the child even if it is not their first language. I think this completely takes away from their culture and is telling them one should be spoken over the other, and teachers cannot and should not do that. Also, sometimes it is difficult for them to communicate. If a parent has broken English or does not understand English well, it can create misconceptions for the child and teach them the wrong thing. It is also a good thing to note that even just a gesture or saying might mean different things or have varying connotations for someone outside of the culture. In a way that is accepting of all differences, teachers must get to know the families, and provide them with the information and support to help the child get to the place he or she wants to be, socially, academically, and career wise in the future.

//**d. The understanding of these learning differences and their possible interactions provides the foundation upon which special educators individualize instruction to provide meaningful and challenging learning for individuals with ELN. **//

 All students have different learning styles and are at different developmental levels.In order to best reach every student and deliver content based instruction a teacher needs to be able to differentiate instruction to include all the different learning styles. Specifically for students with ELN, teachers need to have and look at these students' Individualized Education Plans (IEP) so that they can assure the accomodations are provided for these students and individualize instruction towards those students to fulfill the goals on the IEP. The most important thing for planning these individualized instructions is to give students opportunities that are achievable and not to challenge them to a point where they will struggle and frustrate themselves. Provide them with contexts that challenge them and allow them to struggle in ways that help them develop their strengths and build off of these strengths.

 Students need to learn how to self-advocate for themselves. Providing them with contexts that require them to ask for materials they will need and/or be responsible for getting those materials from a cabinet and returning them when finished will establish useful lifelong skills that will benefit these individuals with ELN and provide a classroom that is more open and collaborative in the needs of each other. Some students with ELN may need accomodations that are above and beyond what you have implemented in your classroom with the regular students. This means that "fair is not always equal" and what you must modify and supply to some students is done in order to reach the same goals with the different developmental levels and learning styles (3.d.1).

[|20100805-ED446ProfCollabPlan-MSaunders.doc] [|20100706-ED451Response1-MSaunders.doc] || ED 405- Critical commentary on assessments not catering to cultural differences ED 446- My Professional Collaboration Plan on how to work with diverse families and students EDU 451- importance of celebrating differences ||
 * **EVIDENCE #** || **EMBEDDED OR LINKED OBJECT** || **DESCRIPTION** ||
 * 3.a.1 || .Personal Statement. || Personal statement ||
 * 3.b.1 || <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[] || Mocha Center - UTL Service Day ||
 * 3.c.1 || [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://comprehensiveportfolio-msaunders.wikispaces.com/file/view/20100520-ED405CC1-MSaunders.doc"]] [|20100520-ED405CC1-MSaunders.doc]
 * 3.d.1 || [|20100804-ED451WhatWeLearned-MSaunders.doc] || ED 451 - "fair is not always equal" ||

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