Beth SkudzienskiCore Values ReflectionDr. Zack 6/16/2009The state of Connecticut has developed a document that summarizes the state’sexpectations of what teaching should look like and how it should take place in the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Common Core of Teaching gives teaching expectations for instructors in the state of Connecticut. This document discusses the skills, knowledge andvarious competencies expected of teachers in various stages of instructional ability,including the pre-service, induction and continuous professional growth phases. TheCommon Core of Teaching discusses skills important for all teachers to possess and alsogives practices teachers should possess based on their content area. Content areas in theCommon Core of Teaching include, elementary education, english language arts,mathematics, music, physical education, science, social studies, special education, visualarts and world languages. It includes a list of content specific skills and competencies thatinstructors in those content areas should be proficient in. In the following paragraphs,this author will discuss three specific statements or skills found in the special educationsection of the Connecticut Common Core of Teaching and will express why thosestatements or beliefs are important for the instructor of students in special education.The Common Core of Teaching states it is important for teachers of students withspecial needs to be aware of the various disabilities and the impact those disabilities havewithin the classroom and learning for students. This is foundational for all specialeducation teachers to understand. If a teacher does not have an understanding of astudents’ individual disability, they will not understand why the student may be strugglingwith learning or with a specific section of a curriculum. This will greatly hinder thespecial education teacher’s assistance of a student. The special education instructor mustalso consider the individual student when determining the impact of an individual’sdisability within the classroom. While general statements about disabilities and the levelof ability or achievement students with that disability generally have, the special educator
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