Teaching Special Needs

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Teaching Special Needs

• - Introduction
• -Education for Children with disabilities
• - Current Situation
• - Curriculum
• - Lesson Plans
• - Advice from Special Needs Educators
• - Discussion / QA

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Introduction

• Heidi Soto

• Eric Paulson

• Visit a Yogo Gakko (Prefectural level) once a
  month
• Varying degrees of disability
• Primary, Junior High, and Senior High levels

• Visit every week
• Gap in ability
• Primarily children with learning disabilities

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Education for Children with Disabilities

• Schools for the blind (Mogakko), deaf (Rogakko)
  and other disabled children (Yogo Gakko)
• Elementary
• Lower Secondary (Middle School)
• Upper Secondary (High School)
• Wheelchair Class (Chofuku) in Yogo Gakko
• Special Classes
• Resource Rooms
• Schools for the Health Impaired (Usually next to
  a hospital)

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Special Classes

• Specially designated classes within a local
  junior high school for students with learning
  disabilities
• Students receive more one-on-one instruction with
  a ratio of 13.

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Resource Rooms

• Separate room where students can get
  individualized attention while still enrolled and
  engaged in some homeroom classes.
• Ensures children get extra help without
  sacrificing relationship with peers.

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Present Situation-Shift in Number of Schools for
the Blind, Deaf, and other disabled children
(Unit School)
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Curriculum

• Special Schools (Prefectural level)

• Special Classes / Resource Rooms

• educational therapeutic activities to improve
  and overcome their disabilities
• Little to no use of a textbook
• Small class size (8 max.)
• High School students are taught the knowledge,
  skills, and behavior required for family life,
  work life, social life, etc. with particular
  emphasis on enhancing vocational education such
  as agriculture, ceramics work, home economics and
  woodworking.

• No textbook
• Small class
• Focus on cultural exchange and familiarity, not
  English mastery.
• Many elementary lessons can be adapted for
  special needs classes.

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High School Department
AGRICULTURE
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Ceramics Work
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Home Economics (sewing, cooking, etc.)
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Woodworking
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Health

• There is more stress on exercise, hygiene and
  health in upper secondary education.
• Once a month weigh-in
• Daily exercise (running,
• basketball, badminton)

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Middle School Education

• Fun With English

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• Cultural Exchange

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Lesson Plan Ideas Advice

• Theme lessons
• Holiday Lessons
• Various Games
• Advice from teachers
• Teacher participation
• Active Games

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Junior High Games

• Karuta
• Touch Game
• Pictionary
• Twister
• Gesture Game
• Shark Game
• Full Body
• Warm-up

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Happy Halloween!
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Bobbing for Apples

• Bring a collection of costumes
• A big bowl
• Apples (cut them in 4s)
• Bring your Energy!

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SCORE!!
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Scenario 1
The student has some kind of neurological
disorder such as Cerebral Palsy which inhibits
his ability to formulate spoken output, but his
cognitive functioning is intact.
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An Idea

• Have you heard the term Locked in?
• Support for these conditions may be further
  behind than your home country but please dont
  get frustrated.
• Make your goal to help the child enjoy expressing
  themselves in English.
• Take a look at this example lesson.

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Scenario 2

• The student has some kind of developmental
  disability such as Downs Syndrome and simply
  does not understand how to formulate correct
  English sentences. He cant conjugate verbs,
  puts the wrong endings on words (such as
  runned), and his sentences are just a jumble of
  words. He knows some nouns and verbs but thats
  about it.

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Some Ideas

• Communication is key! Talk to the homeroom
  teacher.
• Ask questions about your students
• Modify your expectations
• Observe the students behavior in an outside of
  class. What age child does he act like? For
  example, He may be fourteen but his actions are
  that of a seven-year old.
• Please look at the next lesson

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Pig Rabbit Cat Tiger
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Scenario 3

• I dont know what to do with my students. Im
  not sure what I should teach and I dont know how
  to keep their attention. In addition, the
  ability levels are so varied that its difficult
  to design lessons.

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Some Ideas

• This is a scenario that is likely experienced by
  all ALTs, not just those in special needs
  schools.
• Keep in mind the cognitive functioning of your
  students.
• At what age does this child function? How old
  does he act?
• Ask the HR teacher. It is completely appropriate
  to ask the childrens functioning ages.
• If your class is so varied, its more about good
  classroom management than lesson designing.
• Divide the class into groups according to their
  functioning ability low, middle, high.
  Determine which group is largest and design a
  lesson based on their average functioning age.
  If the age is between 5 and 10, design a lesson
  for a 7-year old.

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And More Ideas

• The student with the highest ability, can be made
  your assistant.
• What did you like to do when you were seven?
• Play Hopscotch (Great for counting)
• Make paper airplanes (Fold here. Look here)
• Make bracelets (Right over left)
• Jump rope (Jumping rhymes who cares if they
  dont understand, they will get a kick saying
  them)
• Do not lecture for more than 3 minutes. If the
  lesson requires it, make it simpler or break it
  into parts.

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Advice from Special Needs Educators

• Dont explain things, show them.
• Talk to the HR teachers and ask questions about
  your students.
• Be independent and take action by playing a role
  in lessons.
• Be open-minded.
• If your scheduled date is set, ask the HR
  teachers to prepare for your visit by teaching
  the students certain English expressions. For
  example, make gestures that will have a meaning
  in English.

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Advice from Fellow ALTs

• If you have a hard time visiting your special
  needs school, try to do anything to make it a
  positive day!
• Go to the bakery, buy your favorite snack.
• Buy yourself a small gift.
• Watch your favorite TV show in the morning.
• Even if the student is immobile, a simple touch
  on the shoulder is good communication for them.
• Eat a breakfast you love (bacon and eggs,
  pancakes, etc.) ESPECIALLY when you dont enjoy
  eating

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Kyushoku
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Resources

• -'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
  Nighttime' by Mark Haddon (About Aspergers)
• - Rainman (Autism)
• - www.deaflibrary.org is a virtual library with
  reference material and links intended to educate
  and inform people about Deaf cultures in Japan
  and the US.
• - DO research and learn about your students and
  their disabilities. The Internet has a wealth of
  information.

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THANK YOU!!