Module 2 Unit 3 Activity 2
I have been
teaching close to ten years in Korea and I have never had a single disabled
student, in my classroom, nor worked with anyone with learning difficulties. I
only started my path as a teacher when I arrived to this country. During the
first two years I was here, I was a private tutor for students of all ages. I
was teaching children from six years of age up to adults attending university.
On my third year here, I got my first job teaching at a university and that is where
I have worked for the remainder of the years.
I’d like to think that the reason I haven’t had much involvement with
disabled students in my classes is purely by chance. I sometimes wonder if that’s the case, or if
it’s society I live in.
Korea is the
land of my parents and ancestors and for that I will always have a deep rooted
love for it. Living here I have learned so many things about its culture and
people. Like any other country, it has its qualities and its defects.
This is a place where image is of
utter importance. You notice it as soon as you arrive to this airport. It is
futuristic and grandiose. It makes a great first impression. In my last 10
years here, I have noticed that the facilities for the disabled have increased
tremendously. Today, almost all major sidewalks have tactile pavings, all
subway entrances have elevator access, every bathroom has a disability stall,
and many places including schools are required by law to have wheelchair
access, to name a few. There is still a long way to go in the infrastructures
especially in older areas, but the change has been remarkable to say the least.
With all of this, one would suspect encountering more people with disabilities
attending educational establishments and regularly using these facilities, but
that is not the case.
Many limitations are still
apparent in the Korean education, especially when it comes to diversity in
schools. In this educational system, needs are not met for individual students.
Instead it commands to conform to the majority and their “standards”. Because
of this, it is very difficult for children with disabilities to attend
mainstream schools. Korea is the most homogenous country in the world and the
bigger problem lies within how the Korean society as a whole, views people with
special needs. Being different is shameful and people with physical
disabilities are often stigmatized. This causes many of them to attend separate
schools to obscure themselves from the rest of the population.
I am hopeful that the situation can
shift to a path of notable improvement. Although the societal views have not
shifted much about people with disabilities, infrastructure wise, Korea has
taken a huge leap to better conditions for these people and at least, that
creates more awareness.
On that note I believe that
personalized learning in special education is truly important. When it comes to
children with disabilities, no two students will be the same and teaching them
in one approach for a certain subject will not be beneficial for some. Because of this, modifying the pace of
instruction so that the teaching is more individualized is very important for
the students. Adjusting the learning approach so that the instruction is
differentiated also something that teachers need to consider with each of their
children. Factoring student interests and favoring their experiences (with what
they can/can’t do) can help learning become more personalized. The traditional
teaching method handles all learners in the same manor regardless of their
unique strengths and needs. The only way in which we should treat these
students in the same manor is by having them in a classroom with other children
their age, as much as possible.
In tomorrow’s world, I believe
that technology is going to play a major part in personalized learning with
special needs students as it will assist them in multiple ways. Different
technology and devices should be available for various needs. Personalized
learning is not so much about the technology, but about how that technology
will help these learners improve in the future.
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