Every child needs someone who believes in them. As an educator, you are in a unique position to both identify and understand the individual needs of a student. However, advocating for what’s best for a student is not only a teacher’s responsibility, it is shared among parents, caregivers, other professionals, and the student themselves. This assignment is meant for you to determine definitions, descriptions, and best practice tips for advocacy in special education.
Create a 6-panel brochure about effective advocacy that includes the following topics:
The definition and purpose of advocacy in special education
Characteristics of a successful advocate in each stakeholder role
Answer preview
The role of the teachers in special education is indispensable. A teacher is a unique person who mashup the student’s abilities, strengths, school resources, and family support to produce positive learning outcomes. Ruškus & Gerulaitis (2010) highlight that special teachers’ must be guided by the philosophy of inclusion to foster an inclusive learning environment suitable for all students. However, this is all possible with the support of the school administration and parents. Some of the roles of the special education teachers are as follows. First, they help in designing the curriculum. Teachers play a crucial role in developing an inclusive curriculum that ensures that all disabled students are considered. Fonte & Barton-Arwood (2017) highlight that teachers work together to make the necessary modifications to the general teaching plan. They create supplemental learning materials for special needs students, including manipulative, visual, text, and technical resources.
Another role of the teacher is to assess the students’ abilities and design a teaching plan. Indeed, a teacher should determine the special needs child’s abilities and develop appropriate techniques that will match with identified capabilities. Also, a teacher should craft a group of resources that will help special needs learners should use.
