Hi all! I am an upcoming graduate from the University of New Hampshire. I will be graduating with a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education: Special Needs and a dual certification in Early Childhood Education. Inclusion of children with special needs is something that I am very passionate about. Through my experiences in the field so far, I have always felt that all teachers would benefit from having a background in special education, as every teacher is likely to have children with special needs in the classroom at one time or another. I believe in the importance of preparing pre-service teachers to enter the field well equipped to support the needs of all students in the classroom. So, I set out to see what teachers currently working in the field thought about including special education training in teacher preparation programs, as well as, their feelings on their own ability to support children with special needs in the classroom.
I started my advocacy journey by researching the increased prevalence of inclusion, as well as the current policies surrounding the document. I also researched stakeholder perspectives before going out into the field and asking current teachers about their opinions.
Here is a policy brief I put together to highlight the research I collected.
As teachers, we want the best for all of our students and to ensure that we are providing each one of them with a meaningful, individualized and appropriate education. But, with a lack of training and resources, this can be a challenge.
My hope is that that this blog will serve as a place where teachers can contribute their thoughts on special education training, share resources, and hopefully come together to get the attention of universities for the need to train preservice teachers to support the needs of all students in the classroom!
I have conducted multiple interviews with teachers currently in the field. Here are their thoughts!
Training Pre-Service Teachers to Support Children with Special Needs in the Classroom 
After talking with Kate, a Kindergarten Teacher in Portsmouth, NH, here are her thoughts on how well she felt her teacher preparation program prepared her to support the needs of all students in her classroom:
1. Describe the training and education you received in regard to special education during your teacher preparation program. How beneficial do you feel this was?
I received my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of New Hampshire. During my time there, I was required to take a few Special Education courses. I found that, although these courses were beneficial in providing me with some essential background knowledge (theory, laws, diverse learning styles, etc.), I learned the most by being in the classroom. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
2. How would you describe your feelings towards inclusion and having children with special needs being fully integrated into your classroom? Does it ever feel like a burden to have children with special needs in your classroom? Do you think that if you were better prepared during your teacher preparation program that you might feel differently?
I am a huge advocate for inclusion. It’s important to remember that no two learners are alike, and inclusive schools should place great emphasis on creating opportunities for students to learn and be assessed in a variety of ways. The benefits of inclusion for children with (or without) special needs are numerous. I believe it:
• Allows children to learn from each other
• Allows students to see the person first and the disability second
• Students learn empathy and how to value diversity
• Provides opportunities for friendships
However, there are times that being in a general education classroom all day long does not benefit the student with special needs or his/her peers. It is critical to have a strong Special Education Team who can put supports in place that benefit the identified student as well as his/her peers. If supports or a plan is not in place, it creates a stressful, overwhelming and confusing classroom environment for teachers and students.
Again, I go back to my learning by doing statement from above. I think more hands-on experience working with children with special needs and a Special Education Team during my teacher preparation program would have been a great experience. I am not sure if it would make me feel differently about inclusion, as my teaching philosophy is always changing based on my teaching experiences.
3. How well do you feel that your teacher preparation program prepared you to support the children with special needs in your classroom? Do you feel that it enabled you to support the needs of all students in your classroom?
My teacher program prepared me to support my students in many ways. It strengthened my understanding of a variety of skills (see below):
• Curriculum and Standards
• Subject Matter
• Classroom Management Skills
• Communication with Colleagues, Families and Students
• Teamwork (i.e. grade level, special education)
4. How often do you think of differentiating instruction in the classroom? How effective do you feel your differentiated instruction is in meeting the needs of all students?
I am constantly thinking about how I can differentiate my instruction throughout the day. I try to teach with a child in mind rather than adopting a standardized approach to teaching and learning that seems to presume that all students of a given age are at the exact same place academically.
I feel like this is an area that I constantly question as a teacher. Personally, I have the hardest time challenging my ‘gifted’ students. In addition, there are some challenges we face as teachers to differentiate our instruction.
1. Teachers are under a lot of pressure to cover particular content
2. Class size and teacher support can impact the implementation and effectiveness of differentiated instruction
5. Classroom teachers are often the first to refer a child for special education services. How well do you feel you have the ability to recognize whether a student could benefit from special education services?
I feel like I have the ability to recognize whether a student could benefit from special education services. It’s difficult as a Kindergarten teacher because my students are five and six years old. Every child comes in and leaves kindergarten at a different place. They learn and grow at different rates and with different styles. Sometimes, if a child is struggling in a specific area, it might mean they need time to grow. However, there a certain developmental red-flags that could indicate a learning disability. I am fortunate to work with a strong Special Education Team. They are knowledgeable and always willing to observe a child if I have a concern. I am constantly collaborating with the Special Education Team if I have questions or concerns. This is extremely valuable.
6. Do you feel that you would have benefitted from a hands-on learning experience or internship placement during your educational studies, in which you had the opportunity to work with and design curriculum to support children with special needs?
Yes. I believe this would have been extremely beneficial.
7. What would be your suggestion(s) in improving teacher preparation programs to properly equip teachers to support the needs of all students in their classrooms?
1. Fewer papers based on theory and more hands-on learning experiences
2. Observe a variety of school settings and grade levels
3. Interview teachers (general education, special education)
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I also had the opportunity to chat with Jen, another Kindergarten Teacher in Portsmouth, NH. She was an inclusive preschool teacher for ten years prior to teaching kindergarten this year. Here are her thoughts on how well she felt her teacher preparation program prepared her to support the needs of all students in her classroom:
1. Describe the training and education you received in regard to special education during your teacher preparation program. How beneficial do you feel this was?
I received a dual certification in Special Education and Elementary Education from River College (now University). Thankfully, I was given a decent amount of training (classes, pre-practicum, student teaching, etc.) in special education and I feel it has really made a difference in how I support students in my classes. Even with the classes I took, I still wish I had had more classes – each child with special needs has presented a different challenge and the classes I had were too broad. I also feel it would’ve been helpful to have more real life experience.
2. How would you describe your feelings towards inclusion and having children with special needs being fully integrated into your classroom? Does it ever feel like a burden to have children with special needs in your classroom? Do you think that if you were better prepared during your teacher preparation program that you might feel differently?
I am a firm believer in having students with special needs fully integrated into the classroom. I feel it is a great learning opportunity for everyone (teachers, students, parents, etc.) and that it normalizes having differences. Every person is different, learns differently, and needs different things. Some are just more apparent than others. With the proper supports and resources, it doesn’t feel like a burden!
3. How well do you feel that your teacher preparation program prepared you to support the children with special needs in your classroom? Do you feel that it enabled you to support the needs of all students in your classroom?
Initially, there were things such as Special Ed. Law and how each school district has slightly different paperwork and procedures that I wasn’t prepared for by attending special ed. classes at my college. I also have found over the years that it might be impossible to be prepared for each child’s needs because they vary so greatly. For instance, I was taught about common disabilities such as Autism, Down Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy, but I had students with Cortical Visual Impairment, Fragile X Syndrome, and other chromosomal disorders that I had no idea what else to do for them. I had to do a great deal of research to find out how to best support their needs.
4. How often do you think of differentiating instruction in the classroom? How effective do you feel your differentiated instruction is in meeting the needs of all students?
I think of how to differentiate instruction in my classroom constantly! Every child, with or without special needs, learns differently and as their teacher I try very hard to meet each individual need. At times, I feel my instruction is differentiated well and at other times, I feel I could definitely do more or could do things differently.
5. Classroom teachers are often the first to refer a child for special education services. How well do you feel you have the ability to recognize whether a student could benefit from special education services?
Having taught special education for the last 10 years, I feel confident in recognizing if a child could benefit from special education services. As I’ve gained more experience in teaching, I’ve been able to spot what is developmentally appropriate and what is delayed.
6. Do you feel that you would have benefitted from a hands-on learning experience or internship placement during your educational studies, in which you had the opportunity to work with and design curriculum to support children with special needs?
I definitely feel that I would have benefitted from such an opportunity! During my pre-practicum and internship experiences, my time with special ed. teachers was limited (they of course were super busy!) Often, the curriculum was already decided upon and when it came time to create/implement it myself, it was certainly a learning process.
7. What would be your suggestion(s) in improving teacher preparation programs to properly equip teachers to support the needs of all students in their classrooms?
I would suggest that more time be spent on the paperwork portion of special education – it’s not as much fun, but is essential and can be overwhelming when starting. I also feel more time/hands on experience is great. More information on what resources are available as well as how to connect families with those resources would be good too.
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Riley is currently a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire working towards her Master of Education in Early Childhood Education. Here are her thoughts on how well prepared she feels to support children with special needs in her classroom:
1. Describe the training and education you received in regard to special education during your teacher preparation program. How beneficial do you feel this was?
I took two classes about special education and learned through working with special education students in my classes. I feel like I have a lot of special education experience through substitute teaching in special education, but that was done outside of my program.
2. How would you describe your feelings towards inclusion and having children with special needs being fully integrated into your classroom? Does it ever feel like a burden to have children with special needs in your classroom? Do you think that if you were better prepared during your teacher preparation program that you might feel differently?
I’m totally in agreement with inclusion and to the point where I don’t even really see the validity in the opposing side! I don’t see students with special needs being a burden in the classroom, but rather an added challenge! I think its important for teachers to find means to allow a student to be successful in a classroom setting through accommodations and additional support.
3. How well do you feel that your teacher preparation program prepared you to support the children with special needs in your classroom? Do you feel that it enabled you to support the needs of all students in your classroom?
I have learned the majority of my skills associated with supporting students with special needs through my experience substitute teaching and through my experiences in my internship classroom. I don’t feel as though I had enough academic classes from my teacher preparation program that would help me support children with special needs in my classroom.
4. How often do you think of differentiating instruction in the classroom? How effective do you feel your differentiated instruction is in meeting the needs of all students?
I think differentiating instruction is so important for all students in the classroom. Differentiated instruction is something that we do throughout each day because it is beneficial to all students and allows each child to be challenged. I feel as though my differentiated instruction helps all students to be challenged in the class, but I’m always learning!
5. Classroom teachers are often the first to refer a child for special education services. How well do you feel you have the ability to recognize whether a student could benefit from special education services?
As someone who has never referred a child for special education services before, I feel as though I would be able to identify problems that a child is having and then would call in specialists and support staff to evaluate. I think I have the ability to recognize a child struggling in my class, but am not 100% familiar with the referral process to identify students as qualifying for special education services.
6. Do you feel that you would have benefitted from a hands-on learning experience or internship placement during your educational studies, in which you had the opportunity to work with and design curriculum to support children with special needs?
Yes, definitely!
7. What would be your suggestion(s) in improving teacher preparation programs to properly equip teachers to support the needs of all students in their classrooms?
I think, especially in ECE, there should be an emphasis on students with disabilities. After getting our degree, it states that we are qualified to teach “young children with or without disabilities”, so I feel as though we should be better prepared to support all students in a classroom setting.
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After reading what teachers had to say in regard to their special education training in teacher preparation programs, and having an opportunity to briefly chat with them, there seemed to be a general consensus that teachers felt that their teacher preparation programs did not prepare them to support children with special needs in the classroom.
Teachers expressed that their special education experience came from working in the field and additional experiences outside of their teacher preparation programs.
Additionally, teachers unanimously agreed that an internship/ field placement during their educational studies, in which they had the opportunity to work with and design curriculum to support children with special needs, would have been very beneficial to them.
Thank you to the teachers who took the time to chat with me and share their thoughts. I hope that this blog serves as a means to show teachers that they are not alone in struggling to determine the best way to support children with special needs in the classroom. I have attached below a few links to websites with helpful strategies and information regarding inclusion and differentiating instruction for children with special needs in the classroom. I encourage you all to share your thoughts on this topic, as well as, helpful strategies.
After all, “it takes a village to raise a child.” ~African Proverb
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Helpful Resources:
Special Education Guide: Support and Resources for Parents and Teachers (https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/tools-and-research/support-and-resources-for-parents-and-teachers/)
Teacher Vision: Special Needs- Teacher Resources
(https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-strategies/special-needs)
Learning Disabilities Association of America: Support and Resources for Educators and Parents
(https://ldaamerica.org/educators/)
Saint Joseph’s University Online: Top 10 Resources for Special Education Teachers
(https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-special-education/resources/articles/top-10-resources-for-special-education-teachers)
Please feel free to share more resources!
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