Meeting the Needs of Exceptional Students

            The term, “students with exceptionalities” is used in education to refer to a wide range of students, from those with severe or moderate learning disabilities, to those who are considered “gifted.” It also covers those others who may be English Language Learners (ELL) or have physical difficulties (Gollnick and Chinn 131-2). Essentially, it is a phrase applied to any student who doesn’t fit the common conception of “normal.” Strategies for such students have varied in the past, ranging from institutionalization of those with disabilities (133) to segregated classes or even schools for students with intellectual of physical difficulties (133), as well as for those considered "gifted and talented (G/T)" (133). Lately, the trend has been inclusion, whereby students with exceptionalities are integrated into regular classrooms (152). While there are arguments both for and against full inclusion for every child, we (as future teachers) should be prepared for students with a wide range of abilities to be in the same classroom. This being the case, it is important to consider how to meet the needs of multiple types of exceptional students without neglecting any of the children entrusted to our care.

            The prospect of a classroom with twenty to thirty students can be a daunting one to begin with. It becomes even more daunting when one considers the possibility of that classroom containing students with varying disabilities who may need additional help, ELL students who may not fully understand the language, and gifted/talented students who may become bored if not appropriately challenged. Multiple strategies have been proposed to help teachers cope with this challenge and meet the needs of their students, and most of the ones I’ve discovered revolve around the concept of “Differentiated Instruction [which] is a teaching and learning philosophy that … stresses that one style of teaching will not accommodate every student…. In other words, teachers vary Content, Process, and Product for each learner” (Stanford and Reeves 3). Again, this sounds great in theory, but when you’re teaching twenty to thirty kids at varying levels of skill and ability, some specific strategies are necessary. One article I discovered contrasted two specific strategies called Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Retrofitting (4). Retrofitting involves finding a way to alter instruction for students who “are not experiencing success” (4) and is implemented after curriculum has been planned and when it becomes apparent that the planned procedures and instruction methods are ineffective for that student (5). This can be effective, as in the example given of a fifth-grade student who was permitted to write on her exams instead of using the bubble-in answer sheets which confused her, and to use manipulatives for math, as well as being given a guide to help her take better lecture notes (6). The other method considered, UDL, takes multiple learning styles and levels of ability into account when planning the lessons and the classroom (6). It would include multiple methods of learning subjects, including “time line manipulations, performances, presentations … demonstrations and experiments” (6). Instruction would be formatted into smaller chunks of time with a variety of activities, including learning stations, reading in pairs, and short lectures, the idea being to provide the opportunity for more discussion and feedback throughout the instruction process. Such strategies use alternate assessments “including exhibits, power points, class newspapers, interviews, portfolios, checklists… and other outcomes” (7), reverting to traditional rows of desks only when required for standardized testing.

            While either of these strategies would help students of varying ability, they would also challenge the teachers (not necessarily a bad thing!). For retrofitting, the teacher must pay close attention to the progress, strengths, and weaknesses of each student in order to provide necessary accommodations for each child who needs help. Personally, I love the idea of a UDL classroom, though school district regulations may limit how far the idea could be carried. It would require extra preparation by the teacher when planning the year’s instruction, as one would have to factor in how different learning styles or students with different exceptionalities might best learn a topic. It would also require considerable flexibility on the part of the teacher! This would probably get easier the more it was done, as previous years’ experience could help allow for better future planning.

            Another strategy I found (which particularly appeals to me) is the idea of including dance in the curriculum. An article by educational experts at Oklahoma State University draws on research suggesting that “[d]ance activities can … improve students’ academic and social outcomes” (Munsell and Davis 129). Specifically, examples are given of dance activities helping children with Down syndrome master motor skills (129), “[c]reative movement activities … used to help the children [in an inclusive classroom] understand literature” (130). While I would have to research the methodology of this further, I find the idea particularly appealing from the perspective of a kinesthetic learner! It would also provide some exercise to help the students burn off some energy instead of sitting stil…

            Legally, the school has a responsibility to place students with exceptionalities in the “least restrictive environment” (Gollnick and Chinn 152). While this is not a legal mandate for full inclusion, it is frequently interpreted as leaning in that direction. Morally, the school has a responsibility to remember that a child’s “exceptionality, though influencing their lives, is secondary to their needs as children” (150). Therefore, the importance of treating students with respect, holding them to appropriately high standards, and doing everything feasible to help them grow cannot be underestimated.

Works Cited

Gollnick, Donna M. and Philip C. Chinn. Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. 10^th ed. Pearson, 2017.

Munsell, Sonya E. and Kimberly E. Bryant Davis. "Dance and Special Education." Preventing School Failure, vol. 59, no. 3, 01 Jan. 2015, pp. 129-133. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1061737&site=ehost-live.

Stanford, Barbara and Stacy Reeves. "Making It Happen: Using Differentiated Instruction, Retrofit Framework, and Universal Design for Learning." TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, vol. 5, no. 6, 01 July 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ967757&site=ehost-live.