Yesterday in my TE 401 class we had a group of students that are majoring and have experienced working with special education students present to the rest of the class what type of students we could potentially be seeing in our classrooms in the future. I have personally worked with a few students with ADHD and autism, so some of the information was a review for me, but there was other information that was very informative and helpful to me. I am majoring in general education, so I was not required to take any special education courses. After the group was done presenting it made me think more about how important it is now in the school system to try to include students of special needs into the general education classes, but it is not required for us general education majors to take any classes concerning special education. This really bothers me because even having a basic understanding of the types of special ed students that could be in our classroom is extremely important to know and if it wasn't for the few experiences I have had with special ed students I would not know how to cater to their needs and to help them get the most they can out of being in a general ed classroom. I wish that we were required to take even one, but preferably, multiple classes helping us understand special ed students and how we can enhance their learning.
Why is it not a requirement for general education majors to take special education classes or classes that teach us more about special education students?
I have very little understanding of the needs of special education students, but I didn't realize it until I read your post! I totally agree we should be required to take at least a few classes on special education, no matter what kind of education we are going in to.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way about second language learners. I took a class about second language learners in the classroom for my Language Arts major and kept asking myself why doesn't everyone have to take it? We are all going to have a second language learner sometime in our classroom! Great point. :)