Successfully Teaching Students with Special Needs

During term 4 2012, I worked casually as a Support Teacher, of the IO (Intellectually Moderate) class at a local high school. 
My goodness it was a big challenge but such a fantastic experience! Here are my 10 top tips for successfully teaching students with special needs:

1. Have clear expectations; As in any mainstream classroom, it is vital to have expectations for the students and for them to be aware of these. Students with special needs still need to learn what behaviour is appropriate and what behaviour is unacceptable. 

2. Don't treat them differently; If you go in there and treat them as though they are porcelain, they will believe they can't do anything.

3. Technology; technology is a great interactive tool, and should be used daily. I personally use technology to display the daily timetable and utilise the SMART board to create interactive learning activities. It can also be used for classroom management and independent studies. With the continual development of technology it is vital to teach children how to use it effectively and appropriately. 

4. Life Skills; This is a big one. These children won't need to learn trigonometry or how to analyse a novel. The focus needs to be on skills that they will need to integrate successfully into society. English is a must; reading, writing and talking and listening are all skills that are used daily. Maths should be taught by what they will need in life; money matters, number operations, measurement, map reading skills etc. As depicted in the image below, life skills cover many aspects of daily life, including social skills and health.

Image obtained from rosariohome.net


5. Welfare; Sadly the majority of students with special needs are not supported enough at home or have endured some hard times. Get to know the family situation and who you can contact for support, it is a lot easier to teach behaviours if they are modeled at home. Make sure the children have eaten and have had enough sleep before trying to bombard them with new information. As described in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, each level must be obtained before reaching the next one. 

Image obtained from en.wikipedia.org

6. Praise and Rewards; sometimes students need a bit more motivation to participate appropriately in classroom experiences. This can be in the form of verbal praise, sticker charts, and free time. Positive feedback is far more effective than negative feedback. Children like to be praised, during their schooling years is when they develop their self-esteem/confidence. Negative feedback still has its place but should not be used as frequently as positive feedback.

7. Relevant; make the work relevant to them, identify their interests outside of school and incorporate these into the lessons. For example, I had a year 9 boy who loved Warcraft, so I created resources for English and Maths that were about his favourite game. He really enjoyed it and was more motivated to participate in the learning activities. Win-win.

8. Research; research the disorder or illness that the child has. This will give you a better understanding of what to expect and can help you identify behaviour triggers.

9. Creative Arts; integrate the creative arts into the other KLA's. MY students and I wrote a rap about telling the time. It makes it fun and exciting and most of all memorable. Drama and role play is a very effective way to teach life skills such as decision making, cooperation and social interactions.

10. Relax; this is a physically and mentally exhausting job. If you get through the day without a temper tantrum pat yourself on the back. It's not going to be easy, and sometimes its going to wear you down, but the satisfaction of improving these children's lives for the better is enough to keep you coming back. Get excited about the little things- after weeks of teaching time, my year 7 boy finally understood that if the big hand pointed to the 12, it was something o'clock, I smiled for the rest of the week. 

Teaching really is the most rewarding job, you are preparing children for their lives as doctors, lawyers, and artists, even the Prime Minister was once a student! 
To teach really is to touch lives forever.


Good Luck,


Miss Paff