Introduction Suppose you see Budoy in an elementary school in Silliman, having trouble with his studies; he seems to be abnormal

in how he acts and how he shows his emotions. He was also considered by the teachers as a slow learner, he could not understand the lessons no matter how hard he tried and he cannot cope with the teaching style that the school has to offer. By then, teachers begin to suspect that Budoy is a child with special needs. The problem now arises because regular teachers are not trained to handle children with special needs. Budoy s parents think that it would be futile for Budoy to continue coming to school and stops his education completely. This should not be the case, Budoy should continue schooling despite his situation, as Cartwright noted in his book that a child should be in a regular class as far as his or her disability will allow him or her to be in one; but this is not true in Budoys case, Budoys disabilities are greatly affecting his studies causing him to fall behind. In any case Budoy should not quit school, he should continue to learn; as Cartwright also noted in his book all children, diabled

or not, can learn; and they benefit from learning, working, and playing together. Every child has the right to education (one of the basic rights of a child) and Budoy should not be an exemption. But where should he study when regular schools are not designed to teach children with special needs. Special Education can be considered and Silliman could provide this; but Silliman is hesitant to implement a special school because it also has disadvantages but in any case Silliman should implement a special school because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages it brings.

I.

The need for a Special School in Silliman A. For special children present in Dumaguete B. For Special Education students in the COE department

II.

Requirement for a Special School A. Curricular content The first requirement would be Curricular Content which would refer for the schools

curriculum, subjects to be taught and teaching styles. The IEP program or the Individualize Education Program would be the main teaching style for Special Education. The IEP program is designed to teach special children with special needs individually and at their own pace; this would ensure the children s individual needs will be met by the teacher (encyclopedia.com, N.D.). A change in Instructional Strategies would be mandatory; these changes would include the change of the teacher s methodologies in applying or providing information; the changed methodologies should be beneficial for the student. Some strategies would include demonstrations and role play, teacher presentation cues (verbal, gestural, visual cues) necessary to emphasize key points, arranging key concepts to be learned, and teacher pupil responses such as response cards, thumbs up/thumbs down. Groupings and would also be a good strategy as long the group would not be too large as to not make students dependent on group mates; applying individual seatwork after a group work would be good (Bashinski, 2002). B. Facilities/Classrooms The second requirement would be the facilities; of course any institution that is considered as a school should have a classroom for it to hold its classes. A classroom is a room

in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, home schools, corporations, religious and humanitarian organizations and of course Special Educational schools. Classrooms may include special building features like ramps and other building features that would help the children and would make their lives easier. Special education facilities most specifically classrooms at elementary level would normally be consisting of an average of ten students who would receive instruction at an interval time. This would allow special education teachers to apply instruction at areas of behavior and learning. Through individual or small group learning children would be learning different concepts at different instructional levels (Cartwright, 1995). C. Teachers Third would be special educators or SPED teachers; obviously a teacher would be required but not just any teacher, but a Special Education teacher or SPED teachers as they are known in Silliman. SPED teachers are trained to teach children with special needs such as children who are mentally retarded or even advance learners (Career: Special Education, 2012). The IEP or Individualize Education Plan would be the main concern for SPED teachers and would serve as their main teaching style. The IEP would allow them to teach children individually thus allowing children to learn at their own pace (encyclopedia.com, N.D ). Usually, SPED teachers work in partners or in teams, consisting of mainly professional social workers, and speech pathologist (Career: Special Education, 2012). In a regular classroom, regular teachers sometimes work with SPED consultants who are trained for a specific specialization and can

give 25-50 percent of his or her time to the child; the consultant would assist the regular teacher in any way he/she can through diagnostic demonstration sessions, tutoring, and counsel work with pupils and parents (Dunn, 1993). But in any case, children with special needs should be in a prestigious and reliable special school. As Smith (1972) noted that most SPED teachers believe that the best way to teach children with special needs was through special classes (Dunn, 1993). D. Equipments/Technologies A final requirement to implement a Special School would be the equipments and or technologies that will be used in the school. One of the most advance and reliable technologies available for children with special needs would be the AT or the Assistive technology. Assistive technology (AT) would refer to any tool or equipment that would help children with special needs learn, particularly children with learning deficiencies (Raskind, 2010). The AT would provide children with LD to practice both in enhancing their abilities (strengths) while helping them with their disabilities(weaknesses); thus AT provides the best of both worlds (Raskind, 2010). As Raskind listed in his article, the following would be the list of available tools covered by AT. Abbreviation expanders Alternative keyboards Audio books and publications Electronic math work sheets Freeform database software Graphic organizers and outlining Information/data managers Optical character recognition Personal FM listening systems Portable word processors

y y y y y

y y y y y

y y y y

Proofreading programs Speech-recognition programs Speech synthesizers/screen readers Talking calculators

Talking spell checkers and electronic dictionaries

y y

Variable-speed tape recorders Word-prediction programs

There are other Educational tools that would help children with learning deficiencies; as noted by Raskind, they are similar to the AT in a way that they both enhance the academic capabilities of children with learning deficiencies:

Instructional software is used to teach specific academic skills (like reading and writing) or subject matter content (such as history and science). It differs from AT in that it provides instruction rather than bypassing areas of difficulty.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a philosophy that encompasses learning models, methods and products to enhance the educational experience of diverse learners (whether or not they have learning disabilities). In this approach, AT is often built into educational materials and can be customized to help students with disabilities be successful with the general curriculum. 2008 GreatSchools Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally created by Schwab Learning, formerly a program of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.

III.

Advantages of Special Education Parents would often send their children with special needs or with disabilities to special

institutions and classes rather than sending them to regular classes which would later be futile despite the efforts of some teachers; they would often do this for the well being of their children and to provide their children decent education opportunities. Below are some of the advantages: A. Facility Suitability Unlike regular schools, special schools are equipped with special building features like ramps to make the children s lives easier. Depending on the children s disabilities, special school facilities may be adjusted to further ensure the children s safety and comfort. Special schools often go beyond the handicap standards for educational institutions and would even include additional modifications; this would further benefit the children s and would ensure their spacial[sic] needs (Schreiner, N.D.). The Special school s environment is much preferred by students with special needs rather than the environment that regular classes offer. B. Staff Knowledge Unlike regular teachers, SPED teachers or Staffs are trained to teach children with special needs such as children who are mentally retarded or even advance learners (Career: Special Education, 2012). This means that they are more capable of teaching these particular children with disabilities than their regular teacher counterparts. As Schriener noted, All educators receive basic training in standard disabilities, but few are experts in any one

exceptionality[sic]. In a specialized school, the staff receives extensive training in the disability from which the serviced students suffer . Schriener also believed that because SPED teachers are educated to know the different types of disabilities and needs and from the extra training SPED teachers together with their consultants or assistance are fully equipped to instruct these particular children; this would ensure that the students with special needs are overall in better level of care and in a better learning condition. as those tending to the child's needs know specifically what the child needs. (Schreiner, N.D.). C. Social Interactions When children with special needs are in regular classes D. Quality of Education IV. Disadvantages of Special Education Although the above disadvantages proves to be good and beneficial for the students with special needs, there are disadvantages that professionals would like to argue. As Jaime Golden argued, These students may receive education in special education classrooms, mainstream classroom or special schools. There are advantages and disadvantages to special education classrooms and schools, with many opponents arguing the disadvantages outweigh any positive outcomes. Because of this, parents would reconsider sending their children to specials schools despite the advantages. Some parents are forced to let their children stay in regular classes. Below would be the following disadvantages: A. Labeling

Jaime Golden believed that a student placed in a special education institute would fall victim of the rampant stigmatization from teachers, peers and even their own parents. This means that the students self esteem would go down, because teachers would later treat them differently, friends and/or peers would constantly bully and tease them. These labels are often difficult to be out lifted or erased. In some cases students may feel alienated from the study body, therefore missing some school activities such as field trips, lowering their self esteem even more (Golden, 2011). As Jaime golden noted, The more a disabled student is a separated from society, the more disabled they will feel. B. Social Problems Because the IEP or Individualize Education Program is used in most Special Education Institutions, which the students are thought individually and at their own pace, students with disabilities may find it difficult to observe or model the right behavior from their peers. Jaime Golden argued that because special schools are mostly consisting of students with disabilities then there would be no opportunity for the students to interact with regular children that do not have any disabilities. As such, children with special needs would not know how to act properly in society, this would prove disastrous for the students social interactions and society would later label them as such (Golden, 2011). C. Curricular Problems Golden also argued that students in Special Education Institutions are deprived of Extra Curricular Activities and Elective Courses because the special schools main focus is to each only basic skills and knowledge rather than specialty knowledge. In regular classes, students are

offered courses such as Arts, Music, Dance and other elective courses; but in special classes they do not offer such. Also in regular classes, they offer extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports while special classes do not. Therefore students may be lacking knowledge of teamwork and competition, and would later cause social problems as well (Golden, 2011) Conclusion