The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN, or world conservation union) was establish at the conference which was hold in Fontainebleau of France and co-hold by the United Nations EducationalScientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the French government on October 5th in 1948, and named as International Union for the Protection of Nature at that time while has been changed name as International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in Edinburgh. The head office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources locates in Gland, Switzerland.
The purpose and task of this organization is that: through various ways to prevent the plant and animal resources of land and sea from damage, keep ecological balance so as to meet human needs of the present and the future; study the problems existing in the works of nature and natural resources protection, take protective measures to nature and natural resources based on the information materials from the monitors; encourage government agencies and civil organizations to pay attention to the work of nature and natural resources; help to work with the planning project of nature conservation and the work programs organized by the World Wildlife Fund; set up the Nature Conservation Development Centers, the Environmental Law Centers and the Nature Conservation Control Centers in Switzerland, Germany and Britain respectively; pay attention to contact and cooperate with the relative International Organizations.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources holds a Conference every three years. Up to November, 1998, this organization was consisted of 74 of government members, 110 government agencies and 706 non-governmental organizations (NGO). On October 20, 1996, China was to be a government member of this organization. The main publications are the World Conservation Strategy, the IUCN Bulletin and the UN List of NatureParks and Protected Areas.
There are six committees under the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), which are consisted of 10 thousands voluntary specialists who come from each domain responsible for the nature reserves around the world. The six committees include as following:
1. Species Survival Commission, SSC
There are 700 members in this commission.
2. World Commission on Protected Areas, WCPA
There are 130 members in this commission.
3. Commission on Environmental Law, CEL
There are 800 members in this commission.
4. Commission on Education and Communication, CEC
There are 500 members in this commission.
5. Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, CEESP
There are 500 members in this commission.
6. Commission on Ecosystem Management, CEM
There are 400 members in this commission.
The role of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)!The role of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)!
We have to develop mentality of success, in order to make our life provide reward according to our own intention. Without mentality of success we will not get accomplishment. Remembering, our mentality is the only thing we can control by ourselves. Practice controlling our mentality and use the mentality of success to conduct our behavior. Hold the line, our efforts will move toward success. The methods below are made by Napoleon. He uses total 20 years to achieve that and visit 504 famous and successful people. At last, he lists the experience in life and career. Why not learn and merit from it.
1. Cutting up all the relations relate to our past failure experience. Eliminate all bad factors in our mind run counter to our success mentality.
2. Finding out what we want most in our whole life, and set about getting it at once.In virtue of others methods that can get the same benefits to pursue our goal.
3. Cultivating ourselves everyday to tell words and story comforting others. We can use telephone, postcard and some simple and kind action to practice mentality of success. For example, giving other people encouragement books that are to be given them things that can make their life full of miracle. Does the kind everyday can maintain a care free emotion forever?
4. We should know what defeat us is not frustration but we mentality towards frustration. Training ourselves find something equal to frustration whenever unpleasing.
5. Making sure to let ourselves foster the habit of seeking precision, and use our love and ardor to bring it into full play. If we can make it a hobby, that’s the best. If you can’t, at least to remember: lazy mentality will become passive.
6. Connecting with one you offended once, and gives him/her our honest regret. The moredifficult it is the more we can get rid of the passive mentality when we finish the apology.
7. Getting rid of our bad habit, reducing a vice everyday in one month and reflect your achievement in one week. If we need advisory and help, doing not let our pride hang your step.
8. Giving up the idea to control others. Destroying it before it destroys us, and using our energy to control ourselves.
9. Exercising a lot to keep a healthy state. Physiological disease can cause maladjustment in the mind. If our body and our mind can keep vigor in the same way, then we can maintain successful action.
10. Increasing our patience, and tolerate all things in a open mind. At the same time, contacting with people of different race and belief. Learning to accept others nature but not demand others do things according to our opinion.
11. We should admit: love is the best medicine to our physiological and psychological diseases. Love can change and adapt the chemotherapy in your body, help you present success mentality; love also can expand our tolerance. The best way to accept love is to pay out our love.
12. Referring to other example to remind ourselves: any disadvantage the greatest inventor. Although Helen lost vision, hearing and ability to speak, but she encouraged millions of thousands. The power to definitive the goal must exceed any limits.
13. To the kind critic, we should accept but not take negative attitude. Accepting hard things can be overcome. Although Edison just received 3-month’s normal education, but he is a great inventor. No matter how others see us, using this chance to make self-reflection and finding the place should improve. Doing not be afraid of criticizing, face it bravely.
14. Avoiding any speech with negative meaning, especially eliminate carping and backbit others repute. This behavior will make our mind develop toward passivisation.
15. Showing real ourselves at any time and any place. No one will believe swindler.
16. Trusting whom work together with us, and admitting us choose the wrong person when he/she does not worth our trust.
17. Using the same or more value to pay for someone helping us. The rate of added reward will bring us doubling benefits at last, even may bring us the ability that we should own to get what we should get.
18. Using our entire mind to do things we want to do, do not leaving any space to have a bee in our head.
19. Checking our belongings thoroughly. We will find what we own most valuable is a healthy mind. With it, we can decide our fate by ourselves.
20. Believing the existence of wisdom without end, it can make us own all power we need to strive for success.
21. Getting rid of our bad habit, reduce a vice everyday in one month and reflect our achievement in one week. If we need advisory and help, doing not letting our pride hang our step.
22. Giving up the idea to control others. Destroying it before it destroys us, and using your energy to control ourselves.
Developing mentality of success!Developing mentality of success!Developing mentality of success!
Are we living our life as a self employed? Running our own business or in partnership? Facing financial gap in the mid of the month? Want to solve the hurdle of urgent cash problems on time? Getting tensed with our empty pockets? Be relaxed! With the advent of most convenient option of payday loans for self employed our financial crisis problem can be resolved on time. These are short- term loans, which mainly framed to provide instant cash help to the self employed at times of urgency.
The small financial support attained through Payday Loans Self Employed can be used to satisfy a number of short term purposes. These can be as follows:- O Child’s education fees O Urgent household expenses O Outstanding bank overdraft O Car repair charges and so forth.
In order to get these payday loans self employed, we need to fulfill some basic per-conditions for the loan approval. This may include our age of eighteen years or above, a stable income and an active valid bank account.
With the assist of these loans we can borrow funds in between $100 to $1500 for the short and suitable time period of 2 to 4 weeks. Here we will get loan amount on the basis of our repayment capability and needs. These loans are short term by nature, thus carry slightly high interest rate. Therefore, we are recommended to apply through most feasible online mode. Here we will find numerous lenders with different loan quotes and by comparing them well we will get suitable loan deal at an inexpensive rate.
Payday Loans Self Employed comes with many good benefits which make these loans highly popular among self employed people. This may comprise no credit check, no faxing and paperwork hassles, effortless loan processing, convenient repayment schedule, easy terms, speedy loan approval and immediate transfer of funds directly in our account.
Hence, these loans can be of great help to solve urgent cash problems well on time.
“Money makes the world go round,” a famous quote tossed around in society almost on a daily basis. Money issues are dominant and given preeminence in everyday conversations, church sermons, media airings, we can’t go a day without hearing of money talk. If the hours society spends obsessing about money equated to its worth, then there would be nothing that we could not do or have without money. Money would be the only thing that mattered. But is money really as valuable as our obsession level leads us to believe? Does money really make the world go round?
The purpose of this article is not to demean the value of money for it cannot be demeaned. We all know that money answers a lot of society’s problems, but it is wished to bring to light the fact that it does not answer all of them. In Africa especially, where poverty or lack of money is rampant, is where there needs to be an education that will bring about the awareness to many that even if one lacks, it’s not the end of the world. This topic in addition will be able to burst the bubble of those in society obsessed with money, for they will be aware of some of the things that it cannot buy or achieve. Let’s read on to find out some of the things that money cannot buy.
One of the most expensive things that even a billion dollars can’t buy is peace. Even Kenya due to the outcome of the 2007 elections came to realize just how expensive peace was, and once we had lost it, all the wealthy people in the country combined could not buy it back. Peace is an expensive commodity, and without it, life ceases to have meaning. Even at the family level, peace is very important. And more often that not, we tend to find that the wealthy are the ones who tend to live in peace less families. One tends to wonder why, for they seem to have it all. Just goes to show, that money can’t buy peace, and we all know peace is one commodity we can’t live without, a basic need even.
A human being in good health cannot say that it is his/her money that has bought it. Money can pay for medicine, treatment, operations when one is sick, but it cannot guarantee a return to perfect health. God is the one that gives us good health as he so wishes, and grants us the chance to live everyday. We all know that a life spent in bad health also ceases to have meaning, for if one is in the hospital every single day, what life is there? Money cannot get us out of that hospital bed. So even if one does not have money, but is in good health, is able to wake up every morning, and live the bed, they should be thankful for that.
“Money does not buy Happiness,” a cliche tossed around in society. It holds some truth to it. There are many people walking around in society, with all the money in the world, but an unhappy look on their countenance. .Money can buy one things like a vacation, good food, good clothes, a nice car and home, but we all know these are but short lived bursts of happiness. They satisfy for a moment then live you with a void, showing that happiness is not bought by money. We may think that happiness is a choice that one can make each and everyday irregardless of surrounding circumstances. Choosing today to walk with a smile is not from our face.
Yesterday cannot be bought by money. Money cannot buy back time. It is therefore important for one to live his or her everyday to the fullest. We do not postpone chores and errands we have to do for neither tomorrow, nor the sweet words we were to say for tomorrow, for we may not get the chance. Using our time wisely, for you cannot most certainly buy it back!
Love, a topic almost if not equally obsessed about like money. Everywhere your feet go, everything your eyes see, every sound your ears hear has some relation to money. You’d almost think that love also makes the world go round. It is although let me not demean it a feeling that almost does make the world go round. Unfortunately, it cannot be bought with money. In Africa especially, we tend to see parents pushing their kids to marry those of high caliber in society, not knowing that money cannot buy love. Money will buy the nice things, such as the car and the house, but it will not buy the comfort and security that comes with love. Love is found, not bought.
As we have seen from the above examples, there are many things that money cannot buy. We may think that the list is even inexhaustible. So it is important therefore that society be not obsessed with the thought of money. For some of the very expensive things needed in order for life to continue cannot be bought with money.
Established in 1998, the Global Nomads Group (GNG) is an international NGO that creates interactive educational programs for students about global issues. GNG’s educational programs include (1) four types of video conferences — The PULSE, Currents, Innovations and Rapid Response — where students learn about and discuss subjects with their peers from around the world in live, facilitated sessions; and (2) videos and learning content on a variety of international issues relevant to teachers and students.
All GNG programs are directly linked to school curricula, education standards and 21st century learning objectives, and are accompanied by lesson plans and training to teachers. Programs are broadcast during the school day and cover a range of topics in the curriculum, including civics, social and global studies, geography, world history, science, economics and politics. In its 10-year history, Global Nomads Group has conducted programs in more than 40 countries and reached more than one million young people. Each year, as many as 10,000 students participate in GNG’s interactive programs, which have been recognized for their educational value and innovation with awards from the Goldman Sachs Foundation and United States Distance Learning Association. GNG’s work has been featured in media outlets that include CNN, Good Morning America, the Today Show, and the New York Times and Education Week. In addition to knowledge of specific international issues, young people develop: · Global Awareness and citizenship · Communication skills · Knowledge of geography, world events, and global issues · Cross-cultural understanding and literacy · Critical thinking skills · Diplomacy and leadership skills
Mission Statement The Global Nomads Group's purpose is to foster dialogue and understanding among the world's youth. To serve as a vehicle for awareness, bridging the boundaries of cultural misconception and instilling in our audience a heightened appreciation and comprehension of the world in which we live. Why there is need for Global Nomads Group?
Donating to support international education Our donation to GNG will help deepen young people’s understanding of diverse cultures and spark their interest in the world and its people. GNG programs offer students a taste of foreign places that they might never have the opportunity to visit on their own, bringing them that much closer to becoming informed and culturally aware citizens of the world. Let’s donate today!
National Research Council's Role "The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and a National Academy of Sciences president's discretionary fund provided by the Volvo North American Corporation, The Ettinger Foundation, Inc., and the Eugene McDermott Foundation." --NAS
Project 2061 "In 1985, as Halley's Comet last neared the earth, Project 2061's creators considered the scientific and technological changes that a child just entering school would witness before the return of the Comet in 2061-hence the name. Since then, Project 2061's two landmark reports-Science for All Americans and Benchmarks for Science Literacy-have greatly influenced the national reform movement by articulating principles to guide their efforts and setting specific goals for student learning. In particular, Project 2061's work has been essential to the development of the national science content standards released in 1996 by the National Research Council.
Project 2061's focus for more than a decade has been on reforming the science, Science, and technology curriculum, and our recommendations reflect that unique perspective. The project's goal of science literacy for all Americans goes far beyond high scores on tests, more hands-on activities for students, or more attractive textbooks, particularly if none of these reflect curriculum and classroom teaching that are designed to promote science literacy." --AAAS
The humanities all play an important role on the overall curriculum for primary schools and in inter-curriculum skills. If well instructed, they can teach children vocabulary skills, creative skills, literacy skills, spiritual, social and even patriotic skills. How these objectives can be achieved will be examined below.
History has a very crucial role in the primary curriculum. This is because it provides solutions to some instrumental questions within our lives. It allows children to understand how the world around them became what it is today. It also allows them to trace the origin of the people surrounding them. Children in lower levels of learning are usually not familiar with events in the past. They do not know that the past exists and history is the platform for introducing children to this crucial aspect of their lives. It also teaches children the ability to piece together different types of information and hence they learn the principle of drawing conclusions from evidence presented. On top of this, history allows children to form links between the present day and the past. In summary, here are some of the questions that history helps to answer
What was our origin?
What helped us reach here?
Which people were responsible?
What makes up the past?
Targets for the subject range from class to class; it is almost impossible to exhaust all the targets related to history. However, it should be noted that one of the most crucial stages occurs when children reach the age of seven. While in this stage, teachers normally set specific targets such as: possessing the ability to place events in sequence from the past and the present. Teachers also expect these children to start understanding the reasons why some events in the past occurred as they did. They should also have the ability to distinguish between the way they are living now and the way people in the past lived. Children are also expected to realize that elements of the past were clearly represented in certain ways. This should also stimulate a sense of curiosity in them so they should ask questions concerning those past events.
Teachers handling relatively young children need to realize that those children learn best in a practical environment. This is why the subject is taught through visits to the museum. Using this teaching technique, children can see how, where and when certain people in the past lived. They can also comprehend certain aspects of their curriculum by relating it to images they see. Similarly, teachers also make use of historical sites depicting elements of the curriculum, for the same reason as the museums. Certain teachers also make objects about a central character in a certain topic say King George 1V’s reign. They also display pictures of the main players within a historical topic and then use it to tell a story. Another example of a specific technique that may be used to deliver topics within the history curriculum includes use of video recordings. Here, a specific topic is selected say ‘The Vikings’ then actors play out the roles of all the important characters within that topic of study. This makes it seem less rigid and more visual for the children. Consequently, it will heighten their chances of remembering.
ICT is incorporated in the teaching of history within schools. This is normally done in a variety of ways. Teachers can use websites made distinctly for history to give a pictorial view on some of the websites present. These websites also provide activities that children can perform in groups or individually in order to understand a certain topic precisely. Examples of websites that children can visit in an attempt to incorporate ICT within their learning experience include ‘The time trail’-here children learn about important topics in the history curriculum through colorful displays. ‘Quiz is’ this website allows to children to measure their understanding of the subject matter through quizzes in a variety of historical topics. Another website display information about ‘The great fire of London’. It has been specifically designed for children in year two and they can easily understand it. There is also a website on ‘historical clothing’; children read about historical clothing and are then given instructions on how to make some of their own. Alternatively, the teacher can get students to create their own website. Here, children can be given the opportunity to select a topic of their choice. Afterwards, they should be allowed to highlight some points within the topic through their own words with the help of word processors. They also draw images using various computer application systems as this helps them out in the process. A good example of website created by children was one made by the students form the NealeWadeCommunity College. This was part of the Multiversum project that aimed at including more ICT in history classes. These children were first oriented into the world of ICT and history through practical lessons and at the end of the syllabus; they were able to put into practice what they learnt from their teacher.
However, according to statutory orders, more time should be allocated to mathematics, sciences and English. A subject in humanities like history does not fall into the sort of ‘core’ treatment that the former three subjects receive. Consequently, it becomes very difficult o try and fit all the requirements of the curriculum within the limited time allocated for history. The mode of teaching in history currently needs to be organized in such a way that teachers maximize on limited time despite having a lot of material to teach.
Geography as a subject in the humanities is a crucial subject. First of all, children are able to learn about their location in relation to the rest of the world. They also learn how certain locations are affected by the environment and how they can change with time. Besides this, children will be able to locate certain areas practically even if it is their first time there through development of map skills. They also learn about the link that location or the environment has between economic and social activities of the inhabitants. This is achieved through fieldwork activities.
One of the techniques that teachers can use to instill geographical skills is through enquiries. Here, a teacher can select a certain question and use it as a baseline for teaching map work, field work and thinking skills. For example a teacher selects the topic ‘their local orchard’. The main question that children can work around is ‘can houses be built in this orchard?’ what is the orchard’s future?’ Such an enquiry will help children develop an understanding of the world around them. It will also help them develop skills in geography within a relevant context. Besides these, children will learn to relate how different aspects of a location can change with time. As the teacher deals with this unit, children should start with simple tasks and resources. But as the weeks progress, they can change this to become more complex. For example, at the start, the scales of the maps are simple and even the maps themselves are quite easy to understand. However, as time progresses, teachers should increase the level of geographical vocabulary. They could also expect the children to draw their own maps. By asking the children questions about their surrounding, children develop communication skills by observing what they see and then speaking them out. They also develop intellectual skills by relating patterns, colors and other displays to the question put forward to them. They also learn how to be creative since they are required to represent their findings pictorially through the use of maps.
An example of how teachers can deliver geographical aspects to their students is through field trips. Teachers could take children around a chosen location near the school. Upon arrival, children are asked to select stones of various sizes and some sticks. The stones are supposed to be arranged in such a manner as to create a pictorial representation of what the children can see. This creates a sense of relevance of the maps. However, teachers should first give examples themselves to allow the children to follow them. Later on, children are then allowed to represent the images they saw through drawing maps. They are allowed to choose their own symbols after guidance from the teacher.
ICT is incorporated in geography through a number of avenues. It is used a tool for interaction between students coming form different locations. For example children in Britain can see for themselves how geographical features vary from their own in Northern Ireland. This can be achieved through web cameras and video conferencing facilities. Besides this, children can also learn how to present geographical concepts through power point and word processing programs. Through these forms of software, they can represent locations through maps and other images. This allows them room to express their ideas because there are aids within those software packages that can help them along the wait. On top of this, children also conduct research through ICT. The use of the internet is crucial in teaching geography. It has information about numerous maps and geographical features that have been created for children. Examples of such websites include QCA, SLN, Dorset, Kent and Staffordshire websites. Children get inspired by the images on display and this reinforces their ability to remember them. ICT also helps children manipulate data for class purposes. This is normally done through the use of software application made for data processing. Children can also learn how to make geographical presentations through power point.
Geography has already received attention for government agencies. The Offset annual report of 2006 highlights a variety of problems that exist in the teaching of geography. First of all, teachers are inadequately qualified for the tasks. As if that is not enough, very few of them undergo training while on the job to improve their skills in the area. It should also be noted that most teachers equip children with minimal knowledge in the subject and then expect too much from these very children. Consequently performance is low. Out door activities by the inquiry were also found to be inadequately done. Most of them had very little relation to geographical ideas. Those that did had, focused on scientific and nature related courses instead of focusing on investigation and communication about their outdoor world. Besides this, it was also found that minimal time is allocated to this subject because teachers concentrate on subjects they feel more confident about.
Religious education plays one of the major roles in inter-curricula activity. It helps children in the development of their spiritual aspect. It also helps them understand why other groups behave the way they do since they learn about their religious practices. In addition, children are equipped with a sense of right or wrong since most religions mould their character.
According to statutory orders of the curriculum, most schools were found to comply with requirements in religious education curriculum. However, there were still some problems highlighted like the low expectations of teachers. There was also relative weakness in assessment within the subject. New technology is also poorly incorporated into the training practices for the subject. On the other hand, teachers followed the QCA guidelines and most of them are in line with requirements. About two fifth of the schools in the UK take their children for religious education field trips which provides a positive influence in their lives.
A specific example of how religious education is taught is through relation of holidays to events within their religions. For example teachers teach year one children the significance of Christmas through giving the meaning of the birth of Jesus. They also organize some outdoor activities such as visits to mosques, churches or Buddhist temples. They read some narrations from religious books like the bible. In this case teachers should make use of versions of the religious books that are made for children. For example, the children’s bible has pictorial representations of some of the characters and this enforces their remembrance.
Teachers have set targets on this subject. Some of the expectations that teachers have for this subject include proficiency in reading assignments from religious books, here children are supposed to have related what they read to some of the things they had talked about in class.
ICT can be used in this subject through websites that allow children to learn in a colorful yet effective way. These include; a site by Staffordshire called ‘religious stories’, a site by StartholydeUniversity called ‘Images and artifacts’ and a site by top marks called ‘the ten commandments’. Teachers can also make children do assignments through the computer and have them sent to them through e-mail. This however applies to children who are almost completing their primary school education.
All the three humanities subjects give room for the development of literacy skills. This is because as children become proficient in these subject areas, there is a need for them to communicate to each other. When properly channeled by teachers, it improves their vocabulary and enhances their communication skills. Children also grow socially. In religious education, they learn about other religions and why some of their classmates adhere to different types of faith. In geography, they are able to identify different locations throughout the world and this goes a long way in creating a sense of appreciation for the differences they see in certain individuals. Besides this, children also learn how to get along with others from a seemingly different background since they have to work in groups while completing tasks in any of the three subjects.
The three humanities subjects can also be integrated by highlighting some important topics in all of them. For example, teachers can instill in children a sense of patriotism regardless of the subject being taught. Besides this as children develop a sense of spiritual growth through the integration of the three subjects.
The humanities do not take as much precedence as mathematics and sciences within certain schools. It is therefore essential that schools leave more time for these activities. Teachers should also equip themselves with more knowledge in the subjects especially geography. This should also be topped up by adding relevance to outdoor activities. These will go a long way in enhancing children’s capabilities within these areas of study.
Often listen to some parent scolding their kid:" You are really stupid, so simple a problem how could you can't work out!" Also often heard parents praise their own kid:” You are so clever, in a short while you have finished the homework." These all are false education method, the former give no hope to the kid, very easily frustrate the kid's emotion and wrote off the kid's intelligent wisdom and ability. The latter take originally diligent result as the achievement of intelligence. As time passes, the kid will become fickle.
We say kid is intelligent, what to we mean is that he has talent. In fact the kid's achievement is mainly obtained by diligent labor; all can not be attributed to intelligence. There is an ancient words "the stupid bird flies first", actually it is a sentence to encourage yourself, which make the posterity comprehend it’s opposite.
The bird flown first, it is not afraid of risk, embody him spirit to challenge. That exactly is what our kids should have. The person's intelligence quotient is originally mutually equal, "stupid", mostly is what parent force to add to the kid. According to the introduction, Columbia University the psychologists in New York choose 412 11-year-old children and carried on six experiments, they discovered that: Those praised as an intelligent kid exactly put too much value on examination result and take a good score as the most important. When meet frustration, they will be disappointed and frustrated, do not want to try choosing new and the study task full of challenge; but those are praised study hard and assiduously full of ambition and interest in the study, they think that the intelligence and ability is can be elevated by study, thus they more would like to undertake risk and the study task filled with challenge.
So, while evaluating a kid, we should never use the inborn intelligence to determine their future results. We have to understand, the most valuable mental character is to be willing to make great effort. And with it, the motive produced would be endless.
Let the kid learn to make firm resolve, teaching them to arduously delve into it, and that is the main task of home education.
Teachers in the field of special education need to incorporate certain unique elements when teaching their students. Some children may have physical disabilities like hearing disorders, lack of sight and movement disabilities. These may impair them in one way or another when trying to absorb what their teachers are saying. Teachers need to make sure that they do not overlook certain aids that can help those students in the learning process. Special education also encompasses children with mental disorders or disabilities. More often than not, these children will have serious difficulties in reception and subsequent comprehension of information. It is therefore necessary for such teachers to equip themselves with skills and qualities necessary in educating such children.
In order to conform to the needs of special children in the classroom, teachers should have specific goals at a time. Sometimes trying to achieve too much all at the same time can deter the learning process of the child with special needs because they may assume that things are too hard for them to comprehend. For example, a teacher dealing with children with mental disabilities must understand that all the children in the classroom differ in their learning capabilities. It is therefore the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that they identify the needs of each child and change instructions to suit them. For example, one teacher was dealing with a child who happened to have cerebral palsy. This child had difficulties in understanding basic instructions. So the teacher decided to work on one small step at a time. She first taught the child how to respond. This took her a period of four months but she was able to reinforce those ideas. She trained this child how to gesture when they mean no or yes. The teacher continuously reminded the child that when he needs to say no, then he should nod his head laterally. She also taught him how to respond in the affirmative by raising his hands. Although other children in her class were able to understand those simple instructions, this child could not. It took extra effort and attention to achieve that goal.
Another way in which teachers can adapt to the diverse needs of their classroom is through technology. There are numerous learning aids that are getting dispensed day by day. Some help students in mobility, for example, automated wheel chairs. Others can help students perform tasks, for example amputated children can acquire artificial hands that will help them in the writing process. There are also computer packages in Braille to enable children with visual impairments to access this useful learning tool. It is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that they can keep up with the times and make the lives of those children better through those devices. In one of the interviews, a teacher admitted that were it not for her attendance of workshops on special education needs she would not have been able to help a child with a hearing disorder through the technology that she acquired from that workshop.
In case teachers are dealing with a diverse pool of disabilities, they should learn ways in which to communicate with their students. One teacher said that she had a student who was dumb and blind. It was the duty of the teacher to identify certain learning techniques that were suitable for the child. One of them was through touching and speaking. This teacher had to be very practical in class. When teaching the class about simple words. She would have to make tangible objects to represent those words and then she would make the child feel the texture and shape of the object. Afterwards, this teacher would repeat the name of the object over and over until the child was able to relate to it. In a scenario where a teacher has to deal with children with multiple disabilities, it is their duty to get creative. They must work out a teaching procedure that will suit their students and go out of their way to reinforce those ides.
Teachers need to have a high degree of patience when presented with a diverse class. Sometimes, a child may be suffering from emotional disturbances and lacks the ability to concentrate. One of the teachers admitted that the first time she dealt with a child having this problem, she felt like simply walking out of class. This child kept shouting other students’ names and running from one corner of the classroom to the other. It was almost impossible to control him. But this teacher realized the child could concentrate only for an hour, afterwards he wanted to do something else. It took the teacher a high level of patience and tolerance before she could identify learning patterns of the child. Another regular tutor might have dismissed the child claiming that they are unreachable. But this was not the case with this particular teacher because she practiced patience. On top of that, teachers must also enjoy teaching children with special needs. They need to be able to appreciate the small steps they make every day; for example when they can teach a disabled child something that they could not do before. They need to encourage those children to pursue more skills after they have learnt a simpler skill. For example, during one of the interviews, a teacher was able to train a child with speech impairments how to pronounce the word ‘boy’ because previously it would come out as ‘thoy’. She congratulated the child for making that milestone and continuously reminded the child of what great progress she had made.
Those teachers must also have the ability to tackle paperwork work and incorporate other members of the community. One of the teachers in the interview admitted that in the field of special education, there are many more stakeholders than in the normal teaching environment. That teacher found that she constantly had to make room for writing community liaison notes, committee notes, progress reports and modifications in the curriculum. These were all ways of including members of the community and ways of assessing children’s progress. This teacher also admitted that she had to develop a relationship with the rest of the community. There were plenty of community service agents who kept attending her sessions. There were local politicians who also took an interest in her work. Other professions are also involved in sponsorship and provision assistance. This teacher realized that those parties were the ones responsible for ensuring that materials and resources to adapt to the diversity in her classroom were provided, they were invaluable partners. Teachers in the interviews admitted that it is crucial to make the learning environment as open as possible. This means that children should be allowed to explore and discover new things for themselves. They realize that children developed physically when given the opportunity to be themselves. Those teachers also admitted that special needs children developed social skills only when the environment within the classroom was accommodating.
Teachers may sometimes be presented with the challenge of teaching children with language disabilities. The environment in the US is changing rapidly. There are plenty of cases of foreigners entering the country every now and then. This depicts that their children will also come from different countries that may not necessarily speak English. Children from such backgrounds have very low proficiency in English and may have great difficulty in understanding what their teachers are saying. Teachers must therefore identify such children and adapt their teaching practices to accommodate them. The problem is worsened by the fact that children with special needs will already have problems understanding the goings on in the class. One teacher in the interview admitted that when teaching a child with special needs, who at the same time has problems with English, may prove to be tricky. She revealed that she uses knowledge acquired from three crucial areas in the field of education; early childhood education special education bilingual education
One of the teachers in the interviews admitted that current inclusive education programs do not accommodate all the needs of the special child. She admitted that in order to maintain the interests of the child in learning she gave that child presents and gifts every time the child made progress. For example, there was a four year old child who had been brought intro the class and had absolutely no toilet training. This teacher took it upon herself to make sure that the child learnt the skill. After a couple of months, the child was able to ask for assistance whenever she felt the urge to relieve herself. Every time she came to the teacher for permission, she was given a sticker or a small toy. These ideas were quite useful to the teacher because the child was motivated by the rewards that followed thereafter.
Teachers must go out of their way to incorporate play into the learning experience. Children with special needs may not have much interest in the normal issues in education. But when their teachers make learning fun, then these children will be encouraged to acquire more knowledge. This can be achieved by teaching them songs about a chosen topic of study.
Teachers in the interviews seemed to agree on one issue. They believed that children with special needs need to feel appreciated and encouraged. They need to be showered with praise whenever they have achieved something. One teacher confessed that she came up with a song for one of her students. This child got very elated every time he would hear it. It was always sung after he had something good or he had followed instructions. The teacher reinforced that idea in the child’s mind and realized that the child was encouraged to do more.
The learning experience of a child can be greatly deterred when all they keep seeing are F-grades or failures all the time. One of the teachers in the interview claimed that she did not approve of the assessment method currently in use in the inclusive education system. She highlighted two cases of students within her inclusive education class that had problems with basic arithmetic and grammar. One of them was mentally retarded and the other was a slow learner. She said that the inclusive system in place today, required that all children should sit the same exam regardless of their abilities. This teacher was very saddened by that issue because she knew that these two students were going to fail their exam again. She made the suggestion that special exams should be designed for such children so that they would not have to be subjected to failure all the time. This would have enriched their learning experience greatly.
Teaching children in the field of special education requires numerous dedication and compromise. One should attend class while putting in mind that children with special needs do not have the capabilities of some of the counterparts. Teachers should expect anything from such children; some of them lack basic communication skills and cannot even make complete sentences. Others do not know basic self help initiatives like taking themselves to the toilet. It is the responsibility of such teachers to take up those roles and equip them with necessary skills. Teachers should give rewards to children with special need to encourage them. They should also work closely with their parents to ensure that all their needs are met in the all aspects of their lives.
