Special education teaching vs General classroom teaching

The basic goal of special education is to provide exceptional children with

disabilities which will prevent them from fully benefiting from traditional educational
approaches with specialized instruction and intervention sufficient to enable them to benefit
from their education.
Many people have the misconception that special education is merely a watered-
down version of regular education. This is understandable, but incorrect. In fact, the opposite
is often true. Special education is in many ways more intensive than conventional education.
Special education uses intensive, individualized instructional methods. Most special
education students will work on traditional academic content areas such as reading, writing,
math, social studies, and science. In addition to traditional academic content, many
exceptional students also benefit from a functional curriculum. A Functional Curriculum is
designed to help students learn basic daily living skills they have not developed on their own
such as toileting, eating, grooming, using money, filling out forms, communicating basic
needs, and following directions that a teacher or boss gives them. Functional curriculums
teach students the basic skills required for independent living.

General education teachers and special education teachers share many of the
same duties. In fact, they share many of the same students. This is because children with
identified special needs often spend a portion of the day in the general education classroom
and a portion of the day receiving more intensive services in a separate space. There are,
however, significant differences in teaching role. The special education teacher may serve as
case manager for children with special needs. Case management includes everything from
providing direct services to carrying out administrative duties.

Teachers who transition to special education should be prepared for significant

changes in pacing. Students in self-contained special education classrooms learn academic
skills such as reading. However, the increased need for repetition can give a different feel to
teaching. A self-contained intensive needs teacher may spend a significant portion of the day
teaching functional skills. Of course teachers of young children also spend some time
teaching functional skills. One difference is that the special education teacher will need to
teach them in a more systematic manner — and document having taught them.