Claudio Terán Valdés

Pedagogical Management
Richard Allan Bair
Week 4 - Exploring Special Aspects of Classroom Management
 Personal Philosophy about inclusive classrooms

1. Do I agree that teachers should be required to provide educational experiences in the "least
restrictive environment" to special needs students?

It depends. In my view, a least restrictive environment suggests less teaching experience and
work with students with special needs. In the university where I graduated from, we did not learn
much about these special cases, so in my first year of work my experience was poor and deficient,
therefore providing educational experiences in the least restrictive environment would be a good idea
for those teachers that are starting and gaining experience in their careers.

2. Do I perceive disabilities and special needs as a situation where the learner is responsible for their
condition?

We can not make students with special needs responsible for their conditions and actions.
There are some (psychological) conditions like autism, Asperguer’s, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), etc. In which students simply do not know they endure these conditions that make
them different from the rest.

I believe that they are not responsible for their conditions, we as teachers and school
communities, along with parents and family support are the main columns for these students to thrive
and grow just like everybody else.

3. Do I view myself as capable and motivated to work with learners with special needs?

In my personal opinion, it depends. I have known serious cases of students prone to suffer
anxiety and panic attacks. In these special cases, you must know exactly what to do and say to them if
it is the case. In some other situations, the students will need some special treatment taking pills
before class.

I absolutely support the idea of being a teacher capable and motivated to work with students with
special needs, however all the schools have their own system to integrate students to the regular plan,
strategies and differentiation for contents and assessments.
4. Do my classroom management philosophy and practices reflect any negative bias toward learners
with special needs?

In the school where I work, the manner they decided to implement to assess students with
special needs is by sending them material and tests. If they have any questions they can write us back,
however I wonder if this is an accurate solution to adapt and implement a good plan for them. My
only negative thought here is on effectiveness and feedback. We are not aware if this truly is what
students with special needs need.

5. Do I feel capable of co-teaching where I plan and implement instruction with another teacher,
without a sense of ego that limits the team's effectiveness?

There is no problem at all. We often check our peers’ work in order to collaboratively provide
feedback to each other that can be useful for our work. I have experience working with the team that
in Chile is called PIE (programa de integración escolar). They are a group of psychologists who
decide what strategy applies in each case. They can work side by side in the classroom and help with
the contents.

6. Do I believe that exclusionary practices do not have any place in the inclusive classroom?

I believe that, in some cases, exclusionary practices can be efficient in an inclusive classroom.
How so? There are some special cases in which some students need to be isolated from the rest for
some time, and that is ok, especially students that due to their condition they are disrupted and badly
behaved. Sometimes, they do not realize how rude they can be and how they can harm the
environment in the classroom. For instance, in these cases it is a recommendation to “treat” them in an
alternative way, out of the classroom.

7. Do I believe a complex relationship exists among learners' special needs and other distinguishing
characteristics such as gender, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic conditions that can result in a
sense of double or triple jeopardy?

I do believe that teachers need to facilitate good relationships among students. I don’t believe
that such things like gender, cultural background or socioeconomic will make relations complex or
satisfactory. I think it is all about making students with special needs people who can relate to their
peers in the best possible way. Some of the important aspects about working with students with
special needs is not making them feel different, even if they are (according to us), they just don’t feel
the obligation to fit in, they just need to be treated as their peers.
8. Do I believe in a collaborative approach of educators and parents, families, and caregivers for
learners with special needs?

I strongly believe that the only way to accurately help students with special needs in their
process of learning, or socialization, is to work collaboratively. This implies parents, relatives, friends
and school communities. But, in order to succeed in this task, we must be aware of what are
specifically the needs and how we address them in order to understand, as a community, that we are
taking part in their process.

9. Do I believe I have the motivation and ability to teach learners with special needs or do I feel like
the teachers in Dr. Emerson's consulting group?

In the school where I work, there is a group of psychologists (PEI) who at the beginning of
the year decide who must have an “alternative plan”. This essentially means that teachers have to
adapt contents and assessments to these students with special needs. Furthermore, they (PEI) decide
who will need extra help while taking their tests.

I believe that everybody feels the motivation to help students with special needs, it will only depend
on the cases, the decision taken by the PEI team, and our adaptation plan that we must design for
them.