- Finland's Formula for Education Success: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdFi8zMrYI
- New Yorks School of One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTrI6nj5xU
- A Day in the Life of a Special Education Teacher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcWtAmVB9-o
Description: This
week, I watched three videos about special education. The first was a video
about how Finland deals with special education in their schools. Being in
special education is actually the norm in Finland. Their goal is to intervene
early and teach students that it is okay to ask for help. In every school,
there is a team that includes the principal, school nurse and psychologist, and
teachers that meets to discuss individual students and the problems that they
are having, whether it is an academic problem or a personal issue. Early
intervention is key to Finland’s approach. In the second video, I learned about
a school in New York called School of One. Their mission is to teach to every
single student in the way that each student learns best. They have eight
different options for students, five of which are in person and the others are
online. Students take five question assessments and, if they pass, they move on
to something new. If they don’t, an algorithm is run to figure out a new way to
teach the student the information. The use of technology in School of One
allows teachers to focus on teaching and creating lesson plans, which is
exactly what teachers should be doing. This approach allows both students and
teachers to grow. The third video shows what the day as a special education
teacher is like. It explained that special education teachers need to be able
to quickly identify students’ needs and be patient with the students. It also
stressed how diverse special education students are. Special education teachers
have a lot of different responsibilities, including working with technology in
the classroom and working with parents to best help students.
Feelings: I was very impressed with Finland’s system. My initial feeling about their approach was fascinated. I do wonder how they find the time to work individually with so many students. From my own experience as an exchange student in Finland, I know that teachers are better paid for their time than they are in the United States, so that may contribute to their ability to put that much time into each student. I found the School of One really interesting. I feel like it would be hard to implement a program like this, but once it is in place, it looks like it works well. The final video really stressed how difficult it can be to be a special education teacher.
Evaluation: I learned a lot from these videos. It seems to me that the current special education system in the United States does not measure up to Finland’s system. One think I liked about the School of One’s approach is that they did not actually call it special education. Every student was part of the program, so they were all inherently in special education. It was very interesting to see approaches that are not even considered in most public schools in the United States.
Analysis: The approach to special education that, in my opinion, has the most strengths is the one that Finland uses. Students in special education are not at all looked down on. It is not seen as a weakness to need extra help. I like the individualized attention that the students receive as well. The School of One also has some great strengths. They really use technology to their advantage, which I think is something that all schools could use more of. They really have perfected using technology in a way that enhances learning rather than hindering it.
Conclusions (general): Special education in the United States, at least in most schools I’ve been too, seems awfully stigmatized compared to the first two videos this week. Like much of our education system, things need to be updated to fit with the times. Incorporating technology into the special education classroom would be especially good to see. Of course, some schools have already done this, but more schools should look at the approach of both Finland and School of One. I think the best way to update our special education system would be to do a combination of these two approaches, individualizing plans to students while putting a team in place to make sure that each student succeeds.
Conclusions (specific): Because of my experience with Finland, I can say from experience that their system works. Most students end up getting some sort of intervention. All of my Finnish friends were in special education at one point or another in their school careers, and most of them are some of the smartest people I know. Being in special education is not seen as a bad thing at all, and I think that is something that the United States could really learn from. I wish we viewed special education in a more positive way. I actually was in speech therapy for a while in middle school, and I was very embarrassed to need any sort of special intervention. I think I would have really benefited from the Finnish approach.
Personal action plans: In my own teaching, I want to focus on early intervention with my students. I know this is easier said that done, but my goal is to teach to my students as individuals. I also want to do more research on individualized education in the classroom. Treating my students as individual learners who all learn in different ways will really help inform my approach to teaching. Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I am ready to take to the classroom, but this gives me a great goal and a good place to start.
Feelings: I was very impressed with Finland’s system. My initial feeling about their approach was fascinated. I do wonder how they find the time to work individually with so many students. From my own experience as an exchange student in Finland, I know that teachers are better paid for their time than they are in the United States, so that may contribute to their ability to put that much time into each student. I found the School of One really interesting. I feel like it would be hard to implement a program like this, but once it is in place, it looks like it works well. The final video really stressed how difficult it can be to be a special education teacher.
Evaluation: I learned a lot from these videos. It seems to me that the current special education system in the United States does not measure up to Finland’s system. One think I liked about the School of One’s approach is that they did not actually call it special education. Every student was part of the program, so they were all inherently in special education. It was very interesting to see approaches that are not even considered in most public schools in the United States.
Analysis: The approach to special education that, in my opinion, has the most strengths is the one that Finland uses. Students in special education are not at all looked down on. It is not seen as a weakness to need extra help. I like the individualized attention that the students receive as well. The School of One also has some great strengths. They really use technology to their advantage, which I think is something that all schools could use more of. They really have perfected using technology in a way that enhances learning rather than hindering it.
Conclusions (general): Special education in the United States, at least in most schools I’ve been too, seems awfully stigmatized compared to the first two videos this week. Like much of our education system, things need to be updated to fit with the times. Incorporating technology into the special education classroom would be especially good to see. Of course, some schools have already done this, but more schools should look at the approach of both Finland and School of One. I think the best way to update our special education system would be to do a combination of these two approaches, individualizing plans to students while putting a team in place to make sure that each student succeeds.
Conclusions (specific): Because of my experience with Finland, I can say from experience that their system works. Most students end up getting some sort of intervention. All of my Finnish friends were in special education at one point or another in their school careers, and most of them are some of the smartest people I know. Being in special education is not seen as a bad thing at all, and I think that is something that the United States could really learn from. I wish we viewed special education in a more positive way. I actually was in speech therapy for a while in middle school, and I was very embarrassed to need any sort of special intervention. I think I would have really benefited from the Finnish approach.
Personal action plans: In my own teaching, I want to focus on early intervention with my students. I know this is easier said that done, but my goal is to teach to my students as individuals. I also want to do more research on individualized education in the classroom. Treating my students as individual learners who all learn in different ways will really help inform my approach to teaching. Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I am ready to take to the classroom, but this gives me a great goal and a good place to start.
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