Scenario Three: Discrimination of students with a Disability
During my practicum last year, the Supervising Teacher told me that there was a student with mild autism in the class I was expected to be teaching. I was told that the student is difficult to manage in the class and if I need to send them out of the classroom to continue teaching, then I can. I was told this student becomes quite clingy, disruptive and unfocused. I was also told that this student had been sent out of class and to wait outside until the lesson was over so that the teacher could continue teaching without disruption. The Australian Teaching Standard 1.6 comments on the strategies to support full participation of students with disability. That is, teachers are to understand legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of students with a disability. In support of this, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 outlines the law surrounding people with a disability being treated lesser then a person without a disability. This act enables students with a disability to receive their right to learn, just the same as every other student. You can read more information about this act, here:
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/dse-fact-sheet-1-dda_0.pdf
Throughout my observational weeks, I was able to build rapport with the students by introducing myself, providing assistance where needed and observing the way they work, listen, learn, retain information and interact with their teacher and fellow students. I noticed that this student was covered with the blanket that he/she is a lost cause, a distraction and not in a position to learn, but in fact, the lesson structure did not accommodate to his/her learning style. I observed this student and noticed that he/she understands content when it is in visual form. I structured my lesson as best as I could around visual elements. For example, I created a list on the board of everything that would be covered that lesson. Having done this, the students were able to see a structure and a routine for the lesson. As best as I could, I stuck to what was on the board, in that order to help this student with autism flourish as best as they could due to the routine of the lesson. As expected, as this was a new routine, the student struggled with remaining focus, however, after the nine lessons I taught, this student was able to complete his/her work including a double period where he/she remain focused. The supervising teacher commented on my ability to gain the respect of the students in a few lessons when it took her the duration of one term. I do not say this to boast, but to employ the idea of Standard 1.6 that put strategies in place that supports the participation of students with a disability.
According to Erik Erikson, adolescent years are experiencing different stages of Psychosocial development. One of the stages faced is Identity vs Role Confusion. This stage is where the student develops his or her identity through occupation, gender roles, politics and religion. This stage is directly after stage 4 (industry vs inferiority) where the student learns new skills but risks inferiority or failure (Margetts & Woolfolk, 2013). This student appeared to be failing in these areas of development, as he/she was not nurtured in the classroom. I would be attentive to my students in the classroom, addressing their needs and concerns, and treating students with equity.
References
Margetts, K., & Woolfolk, A. (2013). Educational Psychology (3rd ed., p. 115). Australia: Pearson.
Teacher Standards. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards?gclid=Cj0KCQjwof3cBRD9ARIsAP8x70OT43LHn6Dvk9AgcueeDUWq489SUSaSKTL73G5r4xac2ib-KhRZnDgaAkReEALw_wcB
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