Module 3 Unit 4
Inclusive education
There are many ways to define students with special needs, and there is no single way to tell if a student has special needs or not because all students learn differently and at different paces. However, there are generally some signs that a student might need extra help in the classroom. These challenges could be physical challenges such a being short-sighted or hard of hearing or missing a limb, or they could be mental challenges such as learning difficulties, concentration issues, or reading challenges. The most important thing to remember is that our role as educators is to try to make learning as enjoyable and effective as possible for all students, even if this means using different methods for certain students.
The video below will provide you with a good overview of learning disabilities.
It is important to remember that:
- A learning difficulty could be in many areas and often leads the student to feel frustrated
- When it is serious enough, there is a difference between what they are capable of doing and how they are performing in class
- As a teacher, it is important to keep in mind that children learn differently, and some students experience difficulties in the way that they understand content.
Here are five software tools that can help you to teach students with special needs. We will be working through each one of these tools in more detail:- A learning difficulty could be in many areas and often leads the student to feel frustrated
- View
Let’s look at two types of hardware that can be used for students with special needs:
- Light signalers: Lights triggered by computer sounds that alert the computer user. This is useful when a computer user cannot hear computer sounds or is not directly in front of the computer screen. As an example, a light can flash alerting the user to the arrival of new email or when something has been saved on the computer.
- Keyboard filters: Some students might have trouble spelling or writing a word out. Typing aids such as word prediction and add-on spelling checkers reduce the required number of keystrokes and predict different words before you have to write them out in full. Keyboard filters enable users to quickly access the letters they need and to avoid inadvertently selecting keys they don't want.