Problem Statements
The following problem statements were developed from a knowledge gap identified from the coursework, works of colleagues, and research.
- Developments in special education: How does inclusive education relieve the disabled students in the current society?
- The role of principals and special-education teachers in ensuring that the society and families of physically challenged students befit scientific education.
- What is the current perception of the society towards the services of special-education teachers, special-education schools, and that of the principals about the disabled students?
Closure reflection of the whole course
This course was more than exposure to the actual practice in the field of special education. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect on how the course and its objectives can be benefitting in my career advancements. This comprehensive reflection is based on the following ideas.
Ways through which the course impacted my thinking
At the beginning of the course, the fundamental guidelines about special education and its implementation were imagination to me. In order to turn off the biased perception that I had regarding the roles of principals in the implementation of the special-education requirements, I became interested in the course objectives. Florian (2007) pointed out that challenges that special education faces are its inclusive approach and addressing the needs of disabled children.
The understanding of what the inclusion tries to achieve in special education allowed me to think about the ways of promoting the outlined strategies rather than leaving the implementation because of the roles of the school principals. The course also enabled me to think about better ways of providing social justice to the disabled children rather than relying on the guidelines availed in the implementation of special education.
In respect to the work of educators, I thought that teaching was the only role expected from them initially. This course enlightened me on the full understanding of the participatory roles in special education. When I finish this course, I will think about the better ways of addressing the challenges that special education faces, such as inclusion strategies (Florian, 2007).
Motivation, monitor and management of time and course workload
Assessment of self-motivation, self-management, and self-monitoring during the course work is usually based on the student’s attitude towards the course work (Pintrich, 2004). As a teacher who is interested in advancing personal career, I developed a time plan to ensure that all the objectives of the course are addressed. The challenges evident in the implementation of the course goals helped me to become self-motivated in learning the approaches, and therefore ensure my readiness to teach the disabled children effectively.
The workload provided at the beginning of the coursework motivated me to attend all course assignments to learn all the course contents. I learned that having a smart and workable plan is the key to effective management of time and completion of any course. The sharing of experiences on the course contents with my colleagues was also a motivating factor behind self-monitoring while studying the course requirements. In addition, doing assignments enabled me to learn how effective I should work within the expected time. Therefore, the course was a key motivator on how I should manage, monitor, and manage myself to ensure that I complete my course work in time.
Expansion of my repertoire of skills and practice of the new findings
The field of special education requires a resourceful person with wide knowledge of the practical guidelines (De, 2003). For sure, this course broadened my knowledge on the challenges that the implementation of some basic necessities of special education faces. As I complete the course, I will be very knowledgeable on inclusion aspects of special education, school leadership, how social justice should be administered, promotion of effective instructions in the practical teachings, and the roles of families and the society in ensuring smooth learning by the disabled students. In addition, understanding the challenges facing special education and researches that try to address the orthodoxy in special education equipped me with enough knowledge on how to undertake my teachings.
I have also developed leadership skills to attain my goals and perform the expected roles effectively. I will employ the knowledge learnt about inclusion to offer satisfactory service to the students. I will also use the skills to enlighten the parents and ensure that the disabled children acquire essential education. The role of school leadership in the inclusion will guide me on realizing successful approach to the inclusion aspects.
Revisit of disposition self-assessment
The goals that I formulated in the Column C and subsequent updates are:
- To understand my course work fully in order to have the expected enthusiasm for the discipline. To appreciate the special-education discipline, a person is expected to understand the entire course works so that he or she develops interest to it (Paul, 1997).
- To provide a platform for understanding inclusive education in order to deliver unbiased teaching goals. Farrell and Ainscow (2002) pointed out that practicing inclusive education required understanding as the gateway of offering unbiased teaching strategies.
- To be considerate of the community and cultural norms of the teacher.
- To appreciate the current research and the practical guidelines.
These changes were made to suit the expectations of the career developers. Conclusively, a full understanding of my course work, consideration of everyone’s norms, and appreciation of the current research were the key guidelines to developing my career and obtaining the best from the course.
References
De, G. (2003). Special education: Yearbook of the European association for education law and policy. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Farrell, P & Ainscow M. (2002). Making Special Education Inclusive: From Research to Practice. New York: David Fulton Publishers.
Florian, L. (2007). The SAGE handbook of special education. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Paul, J. (1997). Special education practice: Applying the knowledge, affirming the values, and creating the future. Pacific Grove, Calif: Brooks/Cole.
Pintrich, R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational psychology Review. 16(4), 385-407.