Chapter One
Something new that I
learned from this chapter was really quite basic: I did not realize that the
definition of an exceptional student included gifted children as well as
children who are struggling academically or physically. This new information
gave me a much broader definition of what this course will contain as well as
what my job expectation will require of me when I step into my own classroom.
Similarly to the Introduction I became increasingly
thankful for the country that I live in while reading this chapter. I am
thankful that inclusion is a law. I am thankful that it is considered ‘Canadian-like’
to do everything that we can to help exceptional individuals live their life to
the fullest. That is a great goal to strive for. This chapter opened up my eyes
to the needs that schools have for exceptional students. There are more simple
issues to take care of involving complete accessibility to more complex issues
to think about involving academic and emotional care. It is our job as
educators to keep our eyes open to any way that we can break down any barriers
that our exceptional students may have in the schools that we teach in.
I found the UDL and DI models very informative. Thinking about
modeling lesson plans in comparison to designing a building I found helpful to
think about. I want my lesson plans to be accessible to all, just as an architect
designs a building to be accessible to all. The use of various teaching
methods, group work being heterogeneous, regular feedback and encouraging students
to connect what they know to what they are learning are all things that I gleaned
from the UDL as well as from the DI. I also believe that it is important to
know the students that you are teaching, their interests, their lives and their
academic levels. This way you can approach your classroom with a more educated
idea of how to teach in an inclusive way. I found this chapter very informative and full of very helpful statistics and ideas to think about.
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