Students need to learn skills that will enable them to function effectively in their environment. Teaching those skills should be the primary focus of every student's educational program. Functional skills vary from person to person. It is functional for some students to learn the multiplication tables in order to learn higher mathematical concepts, and, likewise, it is functional for some students to learn household skills so they can contribute to the duties around their house. According to the textbook, "In every case, the choice of skills must be based on the assumption that unless evidence clearly exists to the contrary, an individual...is capable of full participation in community life and [has] a right to such participation.”
At what point should the attempt to teach academic or pre-academic skills to students with disabilities be abandoned? Should the attempt even be made with some students?
4 comments:
I agree with Sarah's post. I think we need to teach students skills that they can use. If a student is able to learn only a few words in Sign language the teacher needs to pick words such as bathroom, eat, and more. Not words that they would only occasionally use. As for abandoning academic skills I do not think that should happen. Teachers no matter what they are teaching the student should relate it somehow to academics. Even in adult programs when people are learning job skills, in a small way this is academic's. I think we should teach the academic's the students will benefit from and be able to use for the rest of their life.
Sarah, you touched on what is a huge, rather controversial subject being dealt with in most schools today. I believe the amount of academics versus "real-life"/"community" based knowledge a student is to require is based upon diagnosis, mental abilities, and levels of natural independence. Every student I have seen is treated a little different. At my school, some kids are in a class to learn academics, and some are there for the social skills they need to pick up. It's interesting we only start talking about what is "necessary" with special education students. I work with my student in math and am often told to question if the material is "necessary" and do I really need to re-teach it to him. Part of the issue lies in that we used to teach everyone home economics, and placed a higher value on these skills and the need to actually "learn" them. From what I have learned so far, the bottom line is independence. If the student needs to be taught the skill to foster independence in the community/society, that is number one. Other academics come next. This is from more of a mod/severe standpoint, but is a basic philosophy throughout special education from what I have seen.
I agree that many students should not be taught the "typical" academic skills. Though I agree that all of the skills are related to academics. We teach vocational skills and procedure on how to follow directions and sometimes more importantly how to ask for help. Many of our students learn math through the use of money and functional counting.
It would be ridiculous to expect these students to learn many of the skills that are taught in the general education classrooms. These students are taught what they are capable of learning and what is going to help them become members of our society. Or as invisible as possible.
I am a firm believer that it is vital never to abandon acadmeic pursuits with students with disabilities. My sister, who has Down syndrome, graduated from high school two years and has begun working in a workshop like job. While her job does have some academia, its nothing compared to what she recieved in her high school SDC. Since graduating there has been a clear decrease in her reading and decoding skills which I beleive is due the decrease in academics being presented. Because of her retardation it is important for her to maintain academic skills by being presented with academics on a regular basis. A month ago, we started to have her tutored to bring her back to where she was two years ago.
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