Two Approaches to SMARTAR Goals
Planning is an important part of the educational process. For a student with delays or disabilities, developing an individual learning plan is vital to develop a roadmap so the student can achieve their aspirations for their future. A learning plan is student-centred, identifies appropriate learning goals and describes adaptations to
Incorporating Self-Advocacy in the Individual Learning Plan
A number of years ago I taught a teenager who had big dreams for her future which included having a job, a boyfriend and becoming a mother. This girl also had a mild intellectual disability. The school that I taught at did not believe that students should attend individual planning
Evidence-Based Teaching Practice for Students with Disability
A common catch-cry is for teachers to use evidence-based teaching practice that result in better outcomes for students. But what does the term ‘evidence-based’ mean? Many people believe evidence-based practice refers only to quantitative research. Quantitative research is based on numbers and is also referred to as positivist, scientific and
Picture of three boys looking through a barbed wire fence with the words 'Special education acts more as a form of respite for regular education'
Does Special Education Intervention Result in Improved Outcomes for Students?
The term ‘special education’ has highly political and multiple meanings (Cumming 2012) and is generally considered to refer to a segregated education due to ‘limitations’ within the student. However, with greater awareness of the role of oppression, society and the environment in creating restrictions (Goodley 2011), there is acknowledgement that
Teaching Students to Celebrate Diversity
One of the challenges faced by classroom teachers is how to teach our students to celebrate diversity and to respond appropriately to others who are different. Integrating diversity and empathy into the curriculum is essential for all classes at every year level to reduce ableism, which is the stigmatisation, stereotyping
The Paradox of Teaching Social Skills to Children with Disability
There are a large number of teacher resources that support the notion that students with disability require specialist teaching interventions to maximise learning outcomes, particularly regarding social skills. These interventions address barriers to education, including social/ emotional, behavioural, relational and sensory barriers that students with disability experience. Therefore, a tiered