1 / 34

Teaching Special Needs

Teaching Special Needs. - Introduction -Education for Children with disabilities - Current Situation - Curriculum - Lesson Plans - Advice from Special Needs Educators - Discussion / Q&A. Introduction. Heidi Soto. Eric Paulson. Visit a Yogo Gakko (Prefectural level) once a month

jael-warner
Download Presentation

Teaching Special Needs

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Teaching Special Needs - Introduction -Education for Children with disabilities - Current Situation - Curriculum - Lesson Plans - Advice from Special Needs Educators - Discussion / Q&A

  2. Introduction Heidi Soto Eric Paulson • Visit a Yogo Gakko (Prefectural level) once a month • Varying degrees of disability • Primary, Junior High, and Senior High levels • Visit every week • Gap in ability • Primarily children with learning disabilities

  3. Education for Children with Disabilities • Schools for the blind (Mogakko), deaf (Rogakko) and other disabled children (Yogo Gakko) • Elementary • Lower Secondary (Middle School) • Upper Secondary (High School) • Wheelchair Class (Chofuku) in Yogo Gakko • Special Classes • “Resource Rooms” • Schools for the Health Impaired (Usually next to a hospital)

  4. Special Classes • Specially designated classes within a local junior high school for students with learning disabilities • Students receive more one-on-one instruction with a ratio of 1:3.

  5. “Resource Rooms” • Separate room where students can get individualized attention while still enrolled and engaged in some homeroom classes. • Ensures children get extra help without sacrificing relationship with peers.

  6. Present Situation-Shift in Number of Schools for the Blind, Deaf, and other disabled children (Unit : School)

  7. Curriculum Special Schools (Prefectural level) Special Classes / Resource Rooms • “educational therapeutic activities” to improve and overcome their disabilities • Little to no use of a textbook • Small class size (8 max.) • High School students are taught the knowledge, skills, and behavior required for family life, work life, social life, etc. with particular emphasis on enhancing vocational education such as agriculture, ceramics work, home economics and woodworking. • No textbook • Small class • Focus on cultural exchange and familiarity, not English mastery. • Many elementary lessons can be adapted for special needs classes.

  8. High School Department AGRICULTURE

  9. Ceramics Work

  10. Home Economics (sewing, cooking, etc.)

  11. Woodworking

  12. Health There is more stress on exercise, hygiene and health in upper secondary education. • Once a month weigh-in • Daily exercise (running, basketball, badminton)

  13. Middle School Education Fun With English

  14. Cultural Exchange

  15. Lesson Plan Ideas & Advice • Theme lessons • Holiday Lessons • Various Games • Advice from teachers • Teacher participation • Active Games

  16. Junior High Games • Karuta • Touch Game • Pictionary • Twister • Gesture Game • Shark Game • Full Body Warm-up

  17. Happy Halloween!

  18. Bobbing for Apples • Bring a collection ofcostumes • A big bowl • Apples (cut them in 4s) • Bring your Energy!

  19. SCORE!!

  20. Scenario #1 The student has some kind of neurological disorder such as Cerebral Palsy which inhibits his ability to formulate spoken output, but his cognitive functioning is intact.

  21. An Idea • Have you heard the term “Locked in?” • Support for these conditions may be further behind than your home country but please don’t get frustrated. • Make your goal to help the child enjoy expressing themselves in English. • Take a look at this example lesson.

  22. Scenario #2 The student has some kind of developmental disability such as Down’s Syndrome and simply does not understand how to formulate correct English sentences. He can’t conjugate verbs, puts the wrong endings on words (such as “runned”), and his sentences are just a jumble of words. He knows some nouns and verbs but that’s about it.

  23. Some Ideas • Communication is key! Talk to the homeroom teacher. • Ask questions about your students • Modify your expectations • Observe the student’s behavior in an outside of class. What age child does he act like? For example, He may be fourteen but his actions are that of a seven-year old. • Please look at the next lesson

  24. Pig Rabbit Cat Tiger

  25. Scenario # 3 I don’t know what to do with my students. I’m not sure what I should teach and I don’t know how to keep their attention. In addition, the ability levels are so varied that it’s difficult to design lessons.

  26. Some Ideas This is a scenario that is likely experienced by all ALTs, not just those in special needs schools. • Keep in mind the cognitive functioning of your students. • At what age does this child function?How old does he act? • Ask the HR teacher. It is completely appropriate to ask the children’s functioning ages. • If your class is so varied, it’s more about good classroom management than lesson designing. • Divide the class into groups according to their functioning ability: low, middle, high. Determine which group is largest and design a lesson based on their average functioning age. If the age is between 5 and 10, design a lesson for a 7-year old.

  27. And More Ideas… • The student with the highest ability, can be made your “assistant.” • What did you like to do when you were seven? • Play “Hopscotch” (Great for counting) • Make paper airplanes (“Fold here. Look here”) • Make bracelets (“Right over left”) • Jump rope (Jumping rhymes – who cares if they don’t understand, they will get a kick saying them) • Do not lecture for more than 3 minutes. If the lesson requires it, make it simpler or break it into parts.

  28. Advice from Special Needs Educators • Don’t explain things, show them. • Talk to the HR teachers and ask questions about your students. • Be independent and take action by playing a role in lessons. • Be open-minded. • If your scheduled date is set, ask the HR teachers to prepare for your visit by teaching the students certain English expressions. For example, make gestures that will have a meaning in English.

  29. Advice from Fellow ALTs If you have a hard time visiting your special needs school, try to do anything to make it a positive day! • Go to the bakery, buy your favorite snack. • Buy yourself a small gift. • Watch your favorite TV show in the morning. • Even if the student is immobile, a simple touch on the shoulder is good communication for them. • Eat a breakfast you love (bacon and eggs, pancakes, etc.) ESPECIALLY when you don’t enjoy eating…

  30. Kyushoku

  31. Resources -'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' by Mark Haddon (About Aspergers) - Rainman (Autism) - www.deaflibrary.org is a virtual library with reference material and links intended to educate and inform people about Deaf cultures in Japan and the US. - DO research and learn about your students and their disabilities. The Internet has a wealth of information.

  32. THANK YOU!!

More Related