Karen,
When I first read the title I was under the assumption that this research paper was going to discuss more of the general and special education problems on a personal level. What I mean is that how do special educators find new ways to keep children involved in classroom participation, instructional techniques for learning, and how can teachers improve the self-awareness and self-confidence of special education students as well as themselves. I was surprised the paper was dealt with the government acts implemented in special education, mainly "A Blueprint for Reform", which I was not familiar with that much. Your paper was very detailed regarding all the different government acts and laws passed that help improve the special education practice. Also, the discussion of the district wide practices and school awareness of special education and providing the proper services and aids to special education students was helpful in understanding the overall picture. The conclusion to me discussed more of how the teachers carry out their action plans and what methods of instruction are used. Overall I enjoyed the paper and it helped me realize more of the government restrictions and guidelines that need to be followed. The discussion questions are thought out and address not only personal problems of educators, but discussing financial concerns for school distracts (ie. question 3). Special Education has their concerns with funding and without any kind of financial stability, how are they able to meet the curriculum requirements and provide students with the necessary resources. The PowerPoint provides a clear and descriptive outline of all the key facts and instructionl techniques used in the school districts (UDL, RTI, Inclusion). The slide that I enjoyed the most was sixteen, which displayed the banner listing what a teacher does and their responsibilities. Parents and society may not understand what else teachers have to deal with when it comes to monitoring and teaching students. Teachers are responsible for the well-being of the child, their education, and providing that safe enviornment for students to learn and grow socially. That slide tells it all and it does have a lot of truth to it.
Johnathan thank you for your comments and insight. I wrote this paper to help me understand the bigger picture of special education. I am entering my 5th year of teaching kindergarten teacher. I have very little special education training and have been disappointed with the lack of support I have received in my school district in helping to best serve and educate the exceptional student. Every year I have had a multitude of students that have special needs. It has been a constant struggle trying to get support service. I have had to do most research on my own and have changed the way I do a lot of things in my classroom. All of which (RTI, UDL and PBS) have been extremely effective and actually make my job easier. The biggest disappointment is the negative school climate because of the frustrations of everyone involved (general educators, special educators and administrators). My researching what the law actually is and what everyones responisibilities are was helpful in understanding the bigger picture But having accountability and actual implementation of the law is a critical issue that has to be addressed. I feel everyone truly wants to make these things happen but it will take time, money and collaboration for it to begin to work at a higher level. Thank you again for your comments.
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