Philosophy of Education 

           I believe that every child should be given to opportunity to learn in a way that develops independent, lifelong learners. It is my job as educator to do my best to instill a love of learning that enhances each student and encourages their individuality in order for them to meet their fullest potential. This is done by creating an environment where students can grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially.  Each student should feel as though they are an important and valued members of an educational community. Students should feel as though they are treated fairly and as an individual. Developing a trusting and respectful relationship with each student is vital to their success.

Additionally, I must continue to grow and learn. The world of education is ever changing and new teaching techniques are always being developed. It is my responsibility to remain open to these changes and adopt them when they are most beneficial for my students. Professional development should be ongoing, collaborative, and meaningful. It is a time for us to learn from one another as well as keep up-to-date on new research, technology, and curriculum. Attending professional development opportunities provided by the school district or from outside agencies will help me continue to maintain the most current instructional practices that will best benefit my students. I will participate in unbiased evaluations of myself and colleagues to continue my growth along with others. Professional development helps to prepare teacher for the unique changes in education that occur from year to year.

Ethics are a major part of most careers and should not be taken lightly when working with students, families, or the community. Any unethical or harmful behaviors should be documented and reported. Advocating for appropriate supports, resources, and learning conditions it essential. It is my obligation to maintain accurate records and follow procedural safeguards that have been put in place. Confidentiality of these records must be maintained unless otherwise authorized.

Communication

Collaboration with students, colleagues, and families is essential in developing an optimal learning environment for my students. The students themselves need feel connected to what they are learning and recognize its significance in their futures. Communicating with students helps to build relationships, identify where they feel confident or insecure in their learning, and reduces behaviors. When communicating with students it is important to build their confidence and show them that they are capable. When students do make a mistake it should be corrected in a respectful and constructive way that does not embarrass them. Classroom meetings and greeting students as they enter the school helps to build positive interactions and address any issues the students might be having when most appropriate.

Communication with colleagues is crucial to the success of each student. Establishing open lines of communication with teachers, paraprofessionals, administration, and support staff will help generate new ideas and insights into students. This can be done by team planning, daily or weekly scheduled meetings, or email. Working with special education students is a team effort and cannot be done alone.

Finally, collaboration with families helps to strengthen the team. Building supports at home helps to ensure that learning doesn’t end when the student leaves the school. Research has shown that parent involvement increase student motivation, improves behavior, and increases attendance. Furthermore, getting insight into students’ needs and home environment helps to prepare and plan for the best approaches for teaching each student. Weekly or daily communication can be achieved via notes, phone calls, in person, daily report cards, or newsletters. Parent education can also aid in building communication and participation from families. They should be informed of their educational rights and safeguards. Furthermore, helping parents become aware of classroom expectations, curriculum, and supports provided by the school can help strengthen those relationships.

Leadership

            As a special education professional I will be held responsible for the needs of my students. There are many people who are part of a special education team and it my duty to assume a leadership role when it comes to implementing the strategies necessary for each students’ success. Therefore, I am responsible for ensuring that anyone who interacts with my students is trained and prepared to assist them in the best possible way. When working the paraprofessionals, it is my duty to make certain that they receive up to date information about students. They should be appropriately trained for any tasks assigned and receive information in regards to their performance of those tasks. Expectation of paraprofessionals will be clearly stated and if those expectations are not met I will professionally address any issues. Ongoing issues will be documented and reported to the administration.

I must advocate for my students and not tolerate an actions that are deemed harmful or not in their best interest. If I have witnessed behavior from a colleague that is illegal, unethical, or harmful to my students I will intervene. It also my duty to report inadequate resources and ensure that no necessary special education services are denied. Every student is entitled a quality education that sets them up for success in the future.

A good leader displays excellent communication, leads by example, and develops people. A leader should be able reach different people in many ways. Communication should be clear and straight forward. This can be achieved by e-mail, in person, or over the phone. A leader’s actions should be mindful and deliberate. Leading by example is the best way to inspire others and show your dedication. Developing others is what makes for a great leader. Helping other achieve their highest potential is what defines a great leader.

Instruction and Assessment

            As an educator it is my responsibility to be knowledgeable of pedagogy, provide instructional variation, develop self-confident learners, differentiate instruction, hold high expectations, and evaluate instruction and student knowledge through various assessment techniques. Instructional variation and differentiated instruction are what define special education. By differentiating instruction all students are able to access the general education curriculum. This is the means by which I will be able to help my student be successful and develop self-confidence.

However, differentiation does not mean that my students will not be held to a high level of expectations. By setting high expectation my students will be able to reach their goals and achieve more than they thought possible. This will further build their self-confidence and independence. By establishing goals and making students aware of these goals they will better understand my expectations and learn to set goals for themselves.

Assessments will be used to evaluate my instruction and determine student knowledge. Instruction will be evaluated and adjustments will be made in order to optimize student learning. Pre-assessments will be conducted before instruction begins to determine areas of mastery and areas of need. Ongoing formative assessments will be utilized throughout instruction to identify students’ needs. Summative assessments will be used to determine if mastery of the skills was obtained. All assessments will be administered in ethical and unbiased manners.

Diversity

            I believe student diversity should be celebrated. Students will face diversity in all aspects of their lives and should learn to respect and value their differences. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a student must feel a sense of love and belonging before they reach the levels of esteem and self-actualization. If a student’s differences make them feel as though they don’t belong they will participate less in class and possibly under preform as a result. As a result of no sense of belonging a student may struggle socially as well. Building friendships becomes much more difficult which can lead to further isolation.

Understanding a student’s diversity will help me to better understand how to teach them. Knowing what engages student learning helps keep student focused and excited about learning. Additionally, a student’s cultural diversity may impact their background knowledge about a topic and therefore change the way the topic is introduced. Being aware of my student’s backgrounds and cultural differences will help me to build relationships with my students help me guide my instruction.

             Learning other cultures customs and beliefs encourages understanding and acceptance of a student’s own heritage as well as others. This can be done by using current events, music, art, studying geographical regions, or celebrating various holidays. Promoting diversity is also a great opportunity to include members of the community and promote a working relationship between the school and the community Diversity lessons, games, and role playing can help build the classroom community and lead to a greater degree of acceptance for most students.

            When working with student with disabilities it is important to consider and use the culturally appropriate communication for the family. Knowledge of the parents, family, and home environment should be considered during the evaluation process for special education.

Technology

            Technology is becoming increasingly integrated in every aspect of our society, because of this it is important in integrate the use of technology as much as possible. Technology can be used to enhance any lesson and often increases student engagement. It can make differentiating easier and individualizes learning. Information can be presented in many different formats such as images, sound, and text to best meet the needs of students. Information can be presented in formats in which the student learns best. It is in the best interest of every student to become fluent in the use of technology.

Technology promotes creativity and individuality of each student by increasing the use project based learning. There are many websites that allow students to safely research topics and create projects such as PowerPoints, videos, graphics, or other presentations. This could be used to enhance group projects and individual presentations. Virtual field trips and video interviews are a cost effective way to deepen learning and increase engagement. Assignments and homework can be given online and tailored to meet the needs of individual students. Classroom blogs or websites can encourage and enhance communication between families, the community, and the school.

In special education, technology grows to include assistive technology. It can be used to help students who struggle with vision, listening, reading, writing, or math. Technology such as text-to-speech, magnification, or amplifiers can be essential to a student with disabilities. It can benefit students with learning and intellectual disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, and behavior disorders. These tools can help students work around their challenges while using their strengths. This helps them become more successful while building their confidence and independence.

Research

            Finding and implementing research based practices helps to maximize learning. Researched based practices should include the use of a reliable research design, quality data analysis, and be reviewed by other researchers. However, with the unique needs of students it is important to measure the effectiveness of the practice on the individual. Data-based decision making is an important element of special education when it comes to meeting the needs of diverse learners. It is my duty to have knowledge about effective intervention and instructional strategies so that I can provide families and other service providers with information to enable them to determine if a strategy is effective or unsupported. Ensuring that effective services and teaching methodologies are available to all students is vital to their success.

            Conducting research helps teachers to analyze and make informed decisions about their instruction. By collecting data in education, educational research can establish the best practices that teachers, counselors, administrators, and students should use to improve learning outcomes However, it important that research doesn’t stop there it should be shared, reviewed, and critiqued. Conducting educational research can have many benefits for educational practice. It can provide instruction that maximizes students' learning, helps us understand and support the developmental and environmental needs of pupils, and provides solutions to educational problems.

As an educator it is important to make sure that research does not mislead others or present misinterpreted information. Poorly conducted research can be problematic. Cutting corners and misrepresentation of data can have long lasting effects on education and instruction. To avoid any unethical research practices participated rights should be protected, results should be interpreted and published with accuracy, and any activities that may be harmful to the participants should be discontinued.