Phetdaovieng 1

Karen Phetdaovieng
Professor Leytham
Edu 203-1002-1003
5 Feb 2016
Philosophy of Special Education
Introduction (0 points)
State the purpose of this paper. Add any additional material.
The purpose of this paper is to recognize ones personal educational philosophy and to
understand its importance when faced with the challenges of teaching students with disabilities.

The Profession (5 points)

Why are you choosing this profession? Who or what experience has inspired you? What is your
personal knowledge or skill set that will serve you? What is your current understanding of the
local school districts?
I am choosing this profession because I strongly believe that teaching is a highly
rewarding job. Although teachers do not have the highest pay, the process of teaching a student
and seeing the outcome that follows is worth a million. No amount of money could ever compare

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to the joy one feels upon finally seeing the light bulb go off in a childs head. My greatest
inspiration, without a doubt, would have to be my second grade teacher. To this day, he still holds
the most impact, and I can only hope to do the same to my own students in the future. The
personal knowledge and skills that will aid me in this profession are my solid work ethic and
everlasting patience, as well as my observational experiences. My current understanding of the
local school districts is its rules and regulations and how to abide to them.
Teaching Philosophy (5 points)
What educational philosophy dictates your current beliefs about special education? Why do you
subscribe to that educational philosophy? How does your knowledge of historical events set the
stage for how you will think about children and schools?
The educational philosophy that dictates my current beliefs about special education is
Progressivism. I subscribe to this educational philosophy because I believe that education should
be centered on the children, rather than the teacher or content itself. As a student, I really enjoyed
activity based learning and saw it as a way to really connect with my peers. I am a hands-on
person myself, and I truly believe that children learn better through doing. A childs interests are
paramount to their personal growth and should be taken into account. Being a progressive
teacher, I will guide my students onto the correct path and make it known that the material
learned will greatly impact their lives. My knowledge of the historical events that occurred in the
past sets the stage for how I will think about children and schools considering I understand how
to react towards student diversity and will not repeat history. I will take into account students
races and ethnicities and avoid discrimination in the classroom. Knowledge of the events that
influenced schools in the past will help in my evaluation of current events.

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Instructional Techniques (5 points)
What strategies will you implement? What will be your approaches to learning, student diversity,
student variability, and assessment?
The strategies I will implement are learning the various learning styles present in my
students and accommodating them into my everyday instruction accordingly. I understand that
every student is different, and with different students come different approaches to learning. By
these means, I will try to incorporate the multiple learning styles catered to each individual in
order to ensure better understanding of the material at hand. To add to the fact that every student
is different, I realize that there will be diversity in the classroom. Because of this, I will not
single out any one student nor show prejudice towards another race. As for student variability, I
do not think students of like abilities should be grouped together. It would be more effective to
have students of varying abilities grouped together so that they could assist one another when
necessary. Doing this will also create a more harmonious learning environment. Lastly, while I
do not believe in standardized testing to assess ones students, I do believe that some sort of
testing should be implemented into the curriculum. These tests should reflect students
understanding of the material as well as their performance in the subject.
Future (5 points)
What qualities do you need to possess to move forward in this career? What specific steps
(education, employment, volunteer experiences) do you plan to undertake in order to achieve
your goals?

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The qualities one needs to possess to move forward in this career is not only tolerance but
patience. A teacher should have the drive to want to see their students succeed. Teachers should
always have a positive attitude and spread positive vibes in the classroom. The desire to teach
and help others is a huge role in becoming a great teacher. In order to achieve my goals, the
specific steps I plan to undertake are acquiring my bachelors degree, receiving full state
certification, and gaining knowledge of the subject I plan to teach. In addition to these steps
follows completion of the Praxis tests, which assess ones performance and comprehension in the
field. All of these are vital to accomplish my aim in becoming a teacher and can easily be
attained through hard work and dedication.