MasterCrownCrab15
Read the case study below. Then, answer the “Exceptionalities” and…
Read the case study below. Then, answer the “Exceptionalities” and “Reflection” questions.
Case Study
A 9th grade social studies teacher, Ms. Castro, has just received the roster for her class of 32 students. She is provided only with the students’ names and ID numbers. The class is made up of 14 males and 18 females. Among the class members are nine students with exceptionalities eligible for special education services.
Three students with specific learning disabilities – one in reading comprehension and two in mathematical reasoning and computation
One student with emotional behavioral disorder (EBD)
One student with other health impairment (ADHD)
One student with vision impairment
One student with an orthopedic impairment (due to cerebral palsy) confined to a wheelchair
One student with hearing impairment, and
One student with autism
Before the first day of school, the vision specialist and the auditory specialist visit Ms. Castro and provide this information. The student with vision impairment can read when text is magnified or enlarged to 18 point or larger font. The student with hearing impairment has an amplification device the teacher is asked to wear while teaching. The student is good at reading lips, and her conversational skills are adequate for most instruction.
Additionally, the parents of the student with autism and the student with an orthopedic impairment visit Ms. Castro to provide information about their children. The student with autism is fascinated with weather. He can provide the weather forecast for the local area and for areas nationwide when asked. He is very musical and plays the cello in the school orchestra.
The student with an orthopedic impairment has her own one-on-one aide who will come to class and assist her. The student cannot hold a pen or pencil and has to dictate all materials to the aide who transcribes for her. Additionally, the student cannot turn pages of a book, so the aide assists. She also must have assistance when needing a restroom break and must travel either to the nurse’s office or the classroom for self-contained students. She cannot feed herself, so the aide assists with this as well.
Exceptionalities
What general information would be beneficial for Ms. Castro to discover about the students with exceptionalities in her class?
What sources can Ms. Castro use to locate answers to her questions regarding her students with exceptionalities?
How can Ms. Castro help the students with specific learning disabilities? Provide one strategy for mathematics and one for reading comprehension.
What types of accommodations and modifications should Ms. Castro consider for the students with exceptionalities in her class? Be specific according to each type of exceptionality identified in the case study.
How could differentiation be of benefit to this classroom of students? Provide one example.
How could Ms. Castro address students’ individual learning styles? Provide one example.
Reflection
Why should Ms. Castro develop one-on-one relationships with each of her students?
How can Ms. Castro use the knowledge she acquires about exceptionalities to improve learning for all students?
What about Ms. Castro’s classroom situation is similar to your situation?
How can you apply what you have learned in this course to better serve the needs of diverse learners?
