COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

ASSIGNMENT COMPLETED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS IN THE ADVANCE PLACEMENT PROGRAM

PREPARED BY:

MARY ANN ADRIANO

SUBMITTED TO:

MRS. MICHELLE ALLEN

Lecturer

November 17, 2009

REQUIRED:

READ AT LEAST TWO ARTICLES IN ONE AREA OF SPECIAL NEEDS. BRIEFLY

SUMMARIZE THE ARTICLES AND EXPLAIN HOW YOU WOULD PROVIDE FOR

STUDENTS WITH THAT PARTICULAR SPECIAL NEED IN A SPECIFIC BUSINESS

EDUCATION COURSE.

ARTICLE 1:
Help for exceptional children - These children are not slow, dunce or rude, says
educator
published: Saturday | March 1, 2003

DEAN NEVER told his mother Marcia about the day his grade six teacher and classmates laughed at him
because he couldn't read.
There were some teachers who had tried to help him to read before his traumatic laughing experience,
but to no avail. Dean says he was passed up (promoted to the next grade) after a year of being put "one
side to follow in the book while the rest of the class read." That suited him just fine. Dean has got pride
and would rather go unnoticed than be laughed at in front of the whole class, anyway.
Many students like Dean who are struggling in the mainstream school system end up lost or just being
overlooked, says Stephanie McFarlane, assistant chief education officer responsible for special education
in the Ministry of Education.
"The teacher might not know what to do and so passes the child on. Sometimes teachers might not be
aware that the child is having a problem either," explains Mrs. McFarlane.
There are also times when children try to mask a learning disability by misbehaving or acting out, says the
education officer. Therefore, the teacher who is not trained to pick up on these signs might very well write
the child off as "slow, dunce or plain rude," she adds.
These children are none of the above says Mrs. McFarlane. "The students are not just rude or lazy, they
may have a learning disability. It's really a complex situation," she says.
Growing awareness worldwide and in Jamaica has lead to students with learning challenges being
categorised as 'exceptional'. Exceptionality may be a physical, mental, or emotional condition, including
gifted/talented abilities that require individual instruction and/or other educational support such as those
being offered to Dean at the Oxford Remedial School.
Measures to deal with exceptional children have increased dramatically through public education and a
concentrated effort on the part of the government. As a result, since 1998, all teachers in training have
had to do a module in exceptionality (special education), regardless of their specialisation. This means
that students in mainstream schools with exceptionalities can be more easily identified and treated
accordingly, says Mrs. McFarlane.
CALLS FOR HELP
There are about 35 remedial arrangements in schools islandwide where either a teacher trained in
dealing with exceptionalities act as a resource teacher or supervises an entire class of exceptional
students.
Schools -- primary and secondary -- without these privileges, explains Mrs. McFarlane, have also been
calling the Ministry to conduct assessments. "The schools are becoming more sensitive. They are making
more demands for assessment."
This sensitised approach towards exceptionalities has also gone beyond the schools, says Angelita
Arnold a representative of the MICO College Child Assessment and Research in Education (CARE)
centre.
There has been a significant increase in the number of persons seeking professional help due to public
awareness. "Forty per cent of cases referred to the MICO CARE centre are identified by parents," she
says.
"Parents are making very intelligent decisions based on awareness," she adds. A decade ago 100 per
cent of the referrals for assessment of children came from professionals like teachers and doctors.
There is now a high demand for the services of the MICO CARE Centre and other such agencies like the
Jamaica Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (JACLD) where the cost of assessment is
minimal due to heavy government subsidy.
"Parents who are unemployed pay nothing," says Mrs. Arnold. "No person pays more than $1,500 for a
battery of assessments. There are some who would be asked to pay the $1,500 but the majority of
persons benefiting from the services of the MICO CARE centre pay between $300 and $500."
Private assessments, however, can be costly. The psychological assessment that comes as a part of the
battery of tests offered by the CARE centre can cost between $5,000 and up.
"The demand on our services is very great but it is not difficult to get in."
The programme operates on a first come first serve basis, however, Mrs. Arnold notes that persons like
Marcia have complained about the waiting period. She adds that although the assessment is time
consuming due to the intricacies involved, no person, if the application procedure is followed, should wait
more than six months to be dealt with.
She notes that people often submit incomplete applications which further delays the process. "Sometimes
people are on the list and they drop off the waiting list because they have not completed the necessary
paperwork. If you don't bring them in we can't start your file.
In the last 30 years of Jamaica's history, says Mrs. Arnold, special education has undergone a revolution.
"There are special schools now and there is more support from the Ministry of Education. There is also
more co-operation between the Health and Education sectors and the courts," she says.
"Our children are not learning as we expect them to be. There is a lot of developmental problems.
"Sometimes it's an emotional problem stemming from emotional and economic problems. The child is not
seeing or hearing. You have to really spend time. And that is what we are here for."
Names changed
- L.B.
TAKEN FROM THE GLEANER WEBSITE: http://www.jamaica-

gleaner.com/gleaner/20030301/life/life2.html

ARTICLE 2:

Some teachers need extra training'

published: Sunday | April 15, 2007

Adrian Frater, News

Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
While some stakeholders in education are seemingly satisfied with the curriculum being used in
teachers' colleges and universities, there are others who contend there are basic deficiencies that
need to be addressed.
Montego Bay businessman Mark Kerr-Jarrett, who has served as board chairman of several
schools in the western city, believes that if students are to perform at their optimum level, then
their teachers, especially at the high-school level, should have the minimum qualification of a
bachelor's degree.
"If we are to get the best out of the children, we need to raise the standard of our teachers," said
Mr. Kerr-Jarrett, the current chairman of the board of Governors at St. James High School. "I
don't believe training at the certificate level is good enough. I believe the minimum qualification
should be at least a bachelor's degree."
Right direction
While agreeing that more needs to be done, educator Howard Issacs, principal of the Moneague
Teachers' College in St. Ann, believes that the present teacher-training curriculum, which entails
studies in psychology, sociology, classroom management and the methodology of teaching,
among other subject areas, is pointed in the right direction.
"Over the past five or six years, the curriculum of the colleges has been steadily moving closer to
better addressing the changing needs of the society. So I think we are headed in the right
direction," Mr. Isaacs explained. "With the new vision and thinking of the Ministry of Education,
I think things will continue to get better."
More specialised training
However, while not critical of the curriculum in the teachers' colleges and universities, St. James
High School vice-principal Jeannette Solomon, a veteran teacher of over 30 years, believes that
more specialised training is needed for teachers in the newly upgraded high schools.
"Because of the GSAT selection process, the less-gifted students end up in upgraded schools,
where the teaching/learning process is much more challenging," said Ms. Solomon. "I, therefore,
believe the teachers in these schools should be exposed to more training to meet the special
needs of these children."
In looking at the cases of children who have been tainted by lack of proper parenting and other
vices such as problem-plagued communities and the absence of suitable role models, Ms.
Solomon believes teachers who interface with these students should also be trained along the
lines of social workers.
"Generally, the colleges prepare teachers for the ideal situation, so when they go out and
encounter over-crowded classrooms, children with deviant behaviour and other problems, it
becomes quite a challenge for them," said Ms. Solomon. "I believe that like social workers,
teachers should be trained to identify and work with students with special needs."
'Not teachers' responsibilty'
While supporting the view that provisions need to be made to assist students with special needs,
Mr. Kerr-Jarrett does not believe that such a responsibility should fall on teachers.
According to him, more guidance counsellors need to be employed in the schools to free up the
teachers to concentrate on the academic development of students.
"I believe the teachers should be trained to identify children with special needs, and that the
guidance counsellors should work with the students to address those needs," said Mr. Kerr
Jarrett. "We have got to train more guidance counsellors and get them into the schools.
"However, an officer at the Montego Bay Family Court, who regularly deals with delinquent
children, said she believes that it is badly in need of a possible complete overhaul, based on her
experience with some teenagers.
"I have encountered some children who are neither able to read, write nor reason so it would
appear that the school system is failing them," said the officer, who asked not to be identified.
"From a curriculum perspective, I am really worried about what is happening in our schools."
TAKEN FROM THE GLEANER WEBSITE: http://www.jamaica-

gleaner.com/gleaner/20070415/news/news4.html
 SUMMARY OF ARTICLES

Article 1:

This article talked about children with special needs that are being overlooked by

teachers and the mainstream school system at large. Most of the times, the children are enrolled

in ordinary classes without being identified and are promoted to upper level not because they are

through at that level but because they had been there for a long time. Teachers passed them to the

next grade in the hopes that eventually the child will have the interest after being advanced. Also,

these students camouflage their leaning disability by being mischievous and disobedient in the

classroom. As a result, teachers believed that these children are “slow, dunce and/or rude.”

It also talked about teachers that are now being trained in exceptionality (Special

Education) as part of the curriculum. This will allow the teachers to gain knowledge and ability

to recognize and deal with these children. Furthermore, the article included

The article also acknowledged the growing awareness of the people with regards to

exceptionalities. This awareness had lead persons to seek professional help. It did not only

involve school and doctors but also the majority of parents as well. In addition, it also talked

about the approaches that MICO Care Centre and other agencies are doing considering children

with exceptionalities.
 As a teacher in general, it is my responsibility to know my students and identify their

individual needs which include any needs for support and accommodation. I believe that no

matter what subject we are teaching as a teacher we should set ourselves as example and should

always practice tolerance. We should also establish high expectations for all students no matter

their level and the rate of their learning.

After identifying

For instructional business subject such as Office Procedure requires more manipulating

therefore spatial accommodations for those who uses equipments, especially with mobility

impairment, (for example, wheelchair) to participate in the classroom is necessary. The

classroom must have adequate space and must be barrier-free.

In addition, the subject Office Procedure requires students to use computers. There are a

lot of ways to accommodate persons with mobility impairment, for example, providing keyboard

guards and overlays, slow keys and onscreen keyboards (helps by predicting words), replacement

mice, switches and scanning software. These tools are examples of Adaptive/assistive

technology which is any implement that modifies existing hardware/software for use by a

disabled person.

Choice of materials use is also another concern, especially use of material that reflects in

non-stereotypical ways people who are differently abled. For example, the uses of user-friendly

software that will guide the “special need” learner to take part in the classes like computers that

have built in magnifier and screen readers (a programs that reads aloud onscreen text, menus,

icons, and the like) especially for those with visual impairment and such.
 The obligation to provide accommodations and ensure equal access for students with

disabilities does not end at the threshold of the classroom. This obligation applies equally to

student activities within and outside the classroom, both academic and non-academically

focused.

At times, the course or subject might require students to go on field trip; some students

who did not need accommodations in the classroom may need accommodations to participate in

a field trip. For example, a student who uses a wheel chair may not have needed any

accommodations in the classroom environment, but may need accessible transportation, access to

accessible rest rooms, and basic access to the main activities or sites on the trip. Accessibility is

not universal. Therefore, planning ahead is important.

We can also accommodate these persons by providing materials in alternative formats.

As teachers we have the responsibility of making sure that printed materials are available in

alternative formats such as large print, audio tapes, computer disk or even Braille for program

participants that need them.

ARTICLE 2:

The article is basically talking about teachers’ standard, training and their qualifications

to teach especially at the high school level. Persons who graduate with Certificate can easily

acquire teaching position in schools. For this reason, certain persons believed that students do not

perform at the optimum level because teachers do not have the experience and the capacity at the

minimum level.

Also, it talks about the deficiency of the curriculum, where teachers are trained theoretically or in

ideal setting and not or less in real life situations.

 It also talks about the teachers’ incapability to recognize the needs of special children.

Recognize persons in the article are saying that teachers should not only be trained to teach but

to act as social workers as well.

Teachers should be trained to deal with special needs of individuals. In the subject of

Office Procedure where students are required to use computers and other equipments; teachers

need to be trained especially on how to assess and evaluate these individuals. Teachers need to

be trained in the use of special equipments and different teaching methods so that they can work

with individuals who have physical, hearing and visual impairments or learning difficulties, as

well as gifted and exceptional students.

Teachers should also be trained not just with the skills but also to motivate and encourage

students to develop self-confidence and independence to reach their full potential.