Introduction
Education is a basic human right that every child should access regardless of their physical challenges. Special education involves learning activities that are uniquely developed for children with physical challenges. Hearing impairment, cognitive challenges, speaking difficulty, and handicap can limit access to education. Therefore, educational stakeholders custom design existing curricula to meet special needs. When developing the curriculum inclusion, diversity, and accessibility should be integrated for equality. Various areas of learning should be emphasized for effective special education needs. Language and communication are vital since some modes of communication may disfavour special needs learners. Making the learners understand the world equips them with global perspectives on education. Moreover, the global perspective may shape learners’ interactions in various fields. Meanwhile, various strategies can be adopted to manage the behaviours of special needs learners. Physical set-up is crucial since it determines accessibility and mental perception among special needs children. Therefore, language and communication, global perspective, behaviour management, and physical areas are significant development areas for special needs children.
This paper will explore four important areas of development in SEN. Moreover, the paper explores the importance of inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in SEN schools. Language and communication are crucial in meeting educational needs since various physical disabilities have different communication patterns to be observed (Drummond, 2011). Understanding the world is significant among SEN learners since it enables them to express themselves. Consequently, it enables them to appreciate their surrounding physical environment and cultural practices. Behavioural changes among SEN learners can be managed to help them express themselves, and avoid activities that may harm them and those around them. The physical area of development allows learners to adapt to the changes in the environment. Moreover, physical development may help the learners master control of their bodies (Godwin and Perkins, 2013). Therefore, this research will focus on communication and language, behaviour management, understanding the world, and physical areas of development among learners with SENs.
SEN Schools Under UK Curriculum
The UK is one of the countries with an effectively developed educational curriculum. Special schools in the UK follow the national curriculum to conduct special education and when admitting children with special needs. Consequently, the SEN Code of practice has been developed to provide practical advice to local education authorities, maintained schools, and early education settings among others when teaching children with SEN (Smith, 2022). The code is in tandem with the UK’s Education Act of 1993 which bestowed the Secretary of State with powers to issue and revise the code from time to time (Department for Education and Skills, n.d.). The SEN code of practice was pragmatically developed following subsequent consultations among local educational authorities, special schools, and stakeholders in health and social services, among other interested parties. Therefore, the SEN code of practice helps schools and educational practitioners obtain the best value from the resources and expertise invested to educate learners with special educational needs.
The UK curriculum has integrated various social factors when delivering special education. Unlike other kinds of education where the resources and students’ capacity are limiting factors, special education requires intricate strategies to make the learners feel comfortable, learn, understand, and express their understanding of the given area of knowledge (Alexander et al., 2011). Consequently, the SEN code of practice pioneers the establishment of effective relationships among educational stakeholders. Teachers, local educational authorities, caregivers, and learners are encouraged to have cordial relationships. For instance, teachers and local educational authorities are statutorily required to communicate with caregivers about the various needs of their children. Moreover, schools are required to have advanced facilities that can accommodate the students. Therefore, the UK curriculum and related code of practice are significant in promoting the various areas of development among learners.
Areas of Development Among Learners
Learning is a significant process that imparts knowledge to students and helps them express their opinions in the evolving world. Therefore, education help students understand their surrounding and effectively associate with people around them. Teachers, among other educational stakeholders, must adopt teaching strategies that help students gain the most out of education. Learning and development help shape experiences and activities that teachers and healthcare providers offer to learners. Therefore, understanding the different areas of development among learners is significant. Like welfare and safeguard, development areas are significant in helping learners and teachers get the value of education. However, when conducting various activities for development, educators must integrate social values like inclusion, diversity, and accessibility.
Social Values in the Areas of Learning in SEN
Inclusion
Various learners have different skills and capabilities making them unique from each other. Moreover, cultural and social backgrounds shape the different understanding and experiences among learners. Inclusive education is a learning system that includes everyone in mainstream schools, colleges, and universities (Buchner et al., 2021). Therefore, non-disabled and disabled children learn together without discrimination or any form of prejudice (Shaw, 2021). For instance, as a social institution, schools bring together learners from different social classes and cultural backgrounds. The UK is one of the most inclusive societies and has people of different races and social classes. Learners from different races interact through educational activities (Buchner et al., 2021). Moreover, life situations may lead to physical challenges among children. The physically challenged need an inclusive educational system that would make them feel comfortable and study effectively.
Importance of Inclusive Education
Inclusive education is important to learners and a nation’s educational system. Inclusion in education serves two significances: improving the quality of education and changing discriminatory attitudes among learners (Ainscow, 2020). Quality education help students gain the most in class and from various educational activities. Inclusion help students understand various learning outcomes from a different human perspective (Osler, 2000). For instance, students discussing the effects of racial discrimination can understand better when Black student narrates a racist ordeal from their personal experiences. Consequently, the learners can use the knowledge shared in transforming their societies. Meanwhile, a discriminative attitude among students is detrimental to socialization and the various educational activities (Hughes and Watford, 2021). However, an inclusive educational system brings learners together, and they can learn from each other. Moreover, learn that everyone is equally able to perform well in class regardless of their differences. Therefore, inclusive education is critical for quality education and in eliminating discriminatory attitudes among learners.
Diversity
Diversity and inclusion are often used together, and to mean the same thing. However, the two terms differ but are significant in any educational setting. It is worth noting that an academic institution can be inclusive but not diverse. Diversity involves characteristics, experiences, and various distinctions that make a learner different from others (Osbourne et al., 2021). Consequently, diversity does not involve racial, sexual, gender, and identity differences. A diverse education involves learners with a broad range of experiences like social-economic backgrounds, upbringing, and life experiences (Osbourne et al., 2021). Therefore, unlike inclusion diversity focuses on individuality rather than a group of learners. Inclusion can be termed as a ‘secret sauce’ that makes a diverse school. Teachers can create a diverse environment by clearly thinking about their learners’ identities and experiences. Like, inclusive education, diverse education is crucial in realizing the value of education among special needs learners.
Importance of Diverse Education
Diverse education is important for enhancing quality education and promoting values among learners. Special needs schools have students from unique backgrounds, and with different life experiences. Promoting diversity among SEN schools is significant in advancing empathy, creativity, confidence, and open-minding. Diversity help teachers promote awareness and connect personal connection with diverse cultures. Consequently, learners become more empathetic since they can commiserate with learners who are different from themselves. Learning from others enable a better understanding among learners, allowing them to learn how to use their strengths and points of view when contributing to a diverse learning environment (Hughes and Watford, 2021). Giving students a chance to express their life experiences without prejudice help them become more open-minded and feel safe and confident. For instance, allowing students to share their discriminative experiences makes them more confident and learn how to react to such experiences in future. Therefore, diversity should be promoted in the developing areas of learning among SEN schools.
Accessibility
Inclusive and diverse education involves the accessibility of information. Accessibility is a multifaceted term and may mean both physical and non-physical access to resources. However, the exhaustive definition of accessible is affording disabled persons opportunities to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy educational services as persons without disability (Zhang et al., 2020). Therefore, SEN learners must obtain educational information fully, equally, and independently as learners without disabilities. Physical accessibility involves the development of structures and facilities that can be manoeuvred and utilized by SEN learners. Moreover, the integration of accessible technologies can help SEN learners independently access information without prejudice. Meanwhile, non-physical accessibility involves imparting knowledge to SEN learners in a manner that does not dissociate them from others. Therefore, accessible education involves the ability of SEN learners to access information as learners without disabilities.
Importance of Accessible Education
Accessible education is significant among SEN learners since it makes them feel recognized. Accessibility is about designing course materials that can be available to all students regardless of their limiting physical conditions. Educational information that is readily available to all learners encourages SEN learners to read and understand (Zhang et al., 2020). Consequently, there is enhanced competency among the learners regardless of their physical abilities. Moreover, accessible education encourages a physical attitude among learners who feel included and cared for by the system. A positive attitude among learners promotes a cordial learning environment that allows the learners to interact freely without fear of favour (Zhang et al., 2020). Furthermore, accessibility is significant in promoting courage among SEN learners. Therefore, accessible education help learners develop a positive attitude and become competent and courageous leading to quality education.
Developing Areas of Learning
Having an inclusive, accessible, and diverse educational environment is not enough for effective learning among SEN learners. Learning and development is a systematic process to enhance better understanding among learners resulting in their better performance in an academic setting (Madani, 2019). The process involves identification and focuses on specific areas of learning development. Teachers may create various activities in the different areas of learning to enhance better understanding and make the best out of students. When creating the activities social values: inclusion, diversity, and accessibility are crucial. The social values help teachers in ensuring that none of the SEN students feels discriminated against and demotivated by the educational system. Four important areas of learning are language and communication, understanding the world, managing behaviour, and physical area understanding.
Language and Communication
Language and communication skills are important among learners in SEN schools. Language in education involves the use of sounds, symbols, and words to express a meaning, idea or thought. Meanwhile, communication is the imparting and exchanging of information among learners and various educational stakeholders in the school. Therefore, communication is done by expressing an individual’s language. Learners are involved in communication activities in the routine school activities. For instance, asking questions, group discussions, and submitting assignments involve the use of languages like English. The language communicated must promote diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility. For instance, languages that promote racial discrimination should be avoided while those that prompt unity encouraged. SEN learners have special needs and are sensitive to any words used against them. Therefore, inclusive, diversity, and language and communication promoting accessibility must be encouraged in the SEN schools.
Importance of Effective Language and Communication
Learners express themselves through language and communication making it a significant learning area. Effective language and communication promote social values among learners and serve various importance. Unity among learners is determined by their language and communication. Effective communication helps the learners to speak in a common language regardless of the learners’ cultural background. Confidence is also built through effective language and communication. Teaching activities help students avoid words and accents that may discourage them. Consequently, they feel confident about themselves and may be willing to take part in activities like public speaking. Moreover, promoting effective language and communication among learners prepare them for the employment industry where they can express themselves in job interviews and with their fellow employees without fear of discrimination. Therefore, language and communication are significant areas of learning in SEN schools.
Example of an Activity for Language and Communication
Various activities can help special needs learners advance their vocabularies and pronunciation. Words games are important among the students since they expand their vocabulary and improve their creativity. Teachers may develop simple word games and puzzles like “Jerry is mixing butter into batter”. The use of words with similar pronunciation but different spelling sparks curiosity among learners. The teachers may explain the meaning of the words and their background. Moreover, games like scrabble, Charades, and Pictionary can help special needs learners build on their vocabulary and improve communication skills. When developing the word games, the teachers must consider their accessibility and may include the use of accessible educational technology. Word games can help SEN learners build their vocabulary and improve communication.
Understanding the World
The world is evolving politically, socially, and technologically, and making the SEN students adapt to these changes is significant. Understanding the world is about how special needs learners understand other people, places where they live and all other environmental aspects (Rieckmann, 2018). Technological developments are crucial since they determine how people interact, communicate, and perform their daily activities. Moreover, various institutions adapt technology to reconcile with the developing world. Special needs learners are not an exemption from such developments. Meanwhile, dynamic global politics constantly influence human activities and interactions. The changes influence disabled learners in one way or another, and it would be significant if they adapt to such changes like any other ordinary person. Moreover, understanding the world involves making sense of things by observation (Prince, 2018). Therefore, understanding the world among learners in SEN schools involves exploring things from the places they spend time to evolving technology.
Importance of Understanding the World
Understanding the world can be divided into three aspects: people and communities, the world, and technology. Each aspect is significant among learners with special needs. Firstly, understanding people and communities help learners get different cultural perspectives that are significant in social development. For instance, learners can understand why some communities embrace disability and why others do not. By understanding the various perspectives, the learners can foster social changes in communities that are prejudicial to learners with special needs. Secondly, understanding the world helps learners get insights into current developments in global politics and the economy. Some of the issues in global politics include human rights like freedom of education. Consequently, the learners can relate their challenges from a global perspective. Finally, understanding technological changes help learners embrace technology and learn how to utilize the new developments. Technology makes learners with special needs easily access important services. Therefore, teachers should formulate activities that help special needs learners understand the world.
Example of Activities for Understanding the World
Various activities can be adopted to help learners in SEN school understand the world. Since understanding the world is a three-dimensional concept, the teachers can apply specific activities to specific aspects of understanding the world. The three aspects mentioned are understanding people and communities, technology, and the world. When adopting the activities the leaders must consider social values of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Examples of the activity for each aspect are discussed below.
Understanding people and community. Various communities have different cultural practices that may be accessed through observation or visiting national museums. The teachers can integrate a cultural week within the school’s timetable. During the week students are given opportunities to represent their culture through music, story narrations, and dancing, among other activities. Moreover, the students can be taken to a national museum where they can observe and learn more about different communities. Inviting community members including elders with vast knowledge of a community’s cultural background can also help learners understand people and communities. Integration of a cultural week within the school’s curriculum helps special needs learners understand people and their community.
Understand technology. Technology plays a significant role in education since it simplifies complex physical learning. Teachers can integrate technology into the classroom through various activities. The chosen activities must be accessible and promote diversity and inclusivity. The use of internet homework assignments and online grading systems will help learners appreciate technology. For instance, teachers can encourage the special needs learners to conduct research by use of the internet. Moreover, internet homework assignments can make use of assistive technology. Students with learning disabilities are helped with assistive technologies that utilize applications and computer programs (Atanga et al., 2020). The applications provide text-speech, speech-text, word predictions, and graphic organizers making it easy for special needs learners to use.
Understanding the World. Understanding the world involves getting updated on the global happenings, and how they affect an individual. Various activities can be conducted to help learners understand natural global situations and global politics. Teachers can integrate nature walks among the students. The nature walk includes visiting national parks among other natural sceneries of global significance. Moreover, the school can integrate entertainment that involves watching documentaries on nature and arising global issues like racism and human rights activism (Akerson et al.,2011). The choice of the activities must be inclusive, diverse, and accessible for the special needs learners. Therefore, special needs learners can understand the world by visiting natural sceneries and watching documentaries of political and natural importance.
Managing Behavior
Unlike a mainstream classroom setting, a special needs class requires great commitment from teachers and educational stakeholders. Behaviour management is a plan that teachers adopt to ensure that they are ready for the students to have a productive learning outcome (Ali, 2021). Therefore, improper classroom management encumbers effective learning among students. In some SEN schools classes have individuals with specific special needs (Department for Education, 2016). Therefore, what works for one student may not work for other students. The teachers need to retool their behaviour management strategies to accommodate the needs of all students.
Importance of Behavior Management
Managing behaviour among learners with special needs is crucial for the teachers and learners. An organized classroom allows the teacher to attend to every learner, and make the best out of them. The cordial relationship between learners and teachers is significant for quality learning outcomes. Managing behaviours allow teachers to have a personal touch with specific students with special needs (Department for Education, 2016). Consequently, learners’ problems are solved at the individual level making learning a productive experience among learners. Moreover, behavioural management improves the classroom environment through planned work and cordial relationships among learners and teachers (Department for Education, 2016). The improved learning environment facilitates personal expression among the learners without prejudice. Therefore, managing behaviours among learners in SEN schools helps teaching become more effective.
Management of Behavior Activity Example
Teachers can adopt various strategies to manage behaviour among learners in SEN schools. Although psychologists can help establish behaviours among the learners, adopting a routine activity is more effective. One of the most effective activities is posting classroom rules and referencing them. Learners tend to follow what they are taught and trained to follow routinely. The teachers can have a list of classroom rules, and post them on accessible platforms. Moreover, the rules can be recited continuously by the learners to make them remember. When formulating the rules, inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility must be considered. For instance, formulating classroom rules that are discriminative against a specific race will raise negative attitudes among the learners. Inclusive, diverse, and accessible classroom rules can help manage behaviour among learners in SEN schools.
Physical area
Special needs learners have a delicate body system that requires precise food choices and effective physical activity. The physical area of development involves changes in body maturity including physical capabilities and coordination. Physical development should be distinguished from intellectual and social development. While intellectual development is the learning and use of language, social development is the process of gaining knowledge and skills for successful interaction with others (Waite, 2010). Special needs students have unique needs that may encumber their accessibility to educational facilities. Therefore, teachers and other stakeholders should integrate activities that encourage physical coordination among the learners.
Importance of Physical Area of Learning
Learning involves imparting knowledge that helps students survive in the outside world. While abled students find it easy to adapt to changes in the physical environment, special needs students may face health and coordination challenges. Therefore, focusing on the physical area of development helps the special needs learners effectively adapt to environmental changes. The physical activities involved helping them gain physical stability which is crucial for body coordination. Moreover, physical activities help the learners to adopt healthy practices and avoid unhealthy ones. Emphasizing the physical area of development helps special needs students adapt to environmental changes and become healthy.
Activity Example for Physical Area of Learning
Special needs learners have unique needs that require a broad range of activities for their physical development. However, educators can choose activities that are non-discriminatory and inclusive for all learners in the class. For instance, educators can include a healthy eating learning activity within the curriculum. The activity may involve teaching the student about the importance of healthy foods. The schools can invite nutritionists among other professionals. Moreover, simple physical activities like jumping and hula hooping can be integrated into the school’s physical education classes. Therefore, healthy eating classes and physical education can help learners in SEN schools physically develop.
Teaching and Learning Approaches and Educational Pedagogy
Integrating the various activities mentioned involves different teaching and learning approaches. Unlike adults who are self-centred and need no guidance, special needs learners need special guidance to learn. There are various approaches to teaching and learning that can make education valuable to learners and educators. Behavioural, Piagetian, and information-process are the main approaches to teaching and learning (Bates, 2019). Behavioural and information processing approaches deal with physical, language and communication, understanding the world, and physical development among learners (Bates, 2019). The Piagetian approach can be adopted for cognitive development among the learners. Moreover, the teachers can apply various educational pedagogies to ensure that the learners understand concepts through the suggested activities. The most suitable pedagogies are rewarding for the effort and spaced repetition of the activities. Therefore, the teaching and learning approaches and educational pedagogies help improve learning among SEN schools.
Conclusion
Evaluation of SEN Schools
SEN schools are significant in the social-cultural context since they promote education among special needs learners. The schools give equal learning opportunities to learners and allow disabled learners to express their skills and learn new things. Although the schools are beneficial to special needs learners, they help promote professionalism among educators. Teacher assistants benefit from the knowledge and experience gained in SEN schools. Consequently, the benefits of SEN are spread to other professions. However, the schools are subject to challenges like limited resources and complex conditions among the students. Therefore, SEN schools serve an important role in the UK curriculum.
Teacher Assistant Benefits
Auxiliary supports, and teacher assistants, benefit from SEN schools’ learning environment in various ways. The assistants help SEN educators in their day-to-day learning activities. Through the activities, they can be learning more about special needs learners. The knowledge gained is essential for further professional development (Bates, 2019). Moreover, interacting with special need students help teacher assistants to learn social values and skills. For instance, they can learn about the impact of discrimination (Black et al.,2003). Consequently, their ethical and moral standards are improved allowing them to effectively interact with other members of the society. Teaching assistance in SEN schools helps in career development and social interactions.
Teacher Assistants Challenges
Like any other profession, teaching assistant in SEN schools is subject to challenges. The schools bring together learners with unique special needs. Some of the learners may be experiencing complex health conditions that are beyond the understanding of the teacher assistants. Therefore, involving such students in routine class activities becomes difficult. Moreover, the teacher assistants may face challenges of inadequate resources for effective learning facilitation. For instance, they may develop an effective learning activity but the school may lack sufficient resources for the activity. Complicated health conditions and limited resources limit effective working among the teacher assistants.
Implications of SEN on Other Professionals
Working as an assistant SEN teacher impact development in other educational related professions. SEN schools are crucial environments to learn and practice social values like diversity, inclusivity, and effective behavioural management. Moreover, the SEN schools act as a precursor to understanding the challenges faced by teachers and other educational stakeholders. The social values learned in the SEN schools help the assistant teachers to interact with others freely. Moreover, the social values make it easy for them to adopt ethical codes of conduct in different working settings. Furthermore, by understanding the challenges faced in the educational sector, teacher assistants can develop creative solutions in various education-related fields. Therefore, there is improved competency among them leading to promotional possibilities. Therefore, experience and knowledge gained in SEN schools positively impact other education-related professions.
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