Current Issues Summary and Response Matt 12/12/2010 Intro As a future special education teacher one of my jobs will be to keep up-to-date on current issues in the education field and let my parents know about any helpful development on these current issues. It is important for teachers to keep tabs on new developments that could be useful to better their understanding of education as a whole. There are a plethora of current issues involving special education. These issues range from more controversial to less controversial. Some of the more controversial issues are the use of tests to place students into special education, how should we grade students with special needs and how to discipline a student who is in special education.
It is the policy, currently, to include all children in mainstream education so long as the curriculum can be adapted to suit an individual pupils needs. It is easy for an adult as well as another child to have personal predjudices against a child or another adult. This can be due to lack of knowledge and understanding of other cultures and beliefs, therefore it is beneficial for practitioners and parents to study and gain knowledge of other cultural beliefs and the way in which they do things differently. It is also a good idea to understand important aspects of their religion such as having to wear special clothing as a sign of commitment to their religion or festivals and the need to pray and eat certain foods. Gaining this will help to understand why this is important to them and become accustomed to different
It is the teaching that takes these events, stories, myths and presents them to the followers in a way that allows them to understand and whole heartedly believe in. Because not every religion has writings from the inception of the religion, it is necessary for these teachers to pass down this information and knowledge verbally whether one on one or in a group setting. This makes the experience more intimate and allows the ideals being passed down to go from myth or story to reality. Most if not every religion today uses books, scrolls or writings of some sort to document the present and to teach the past, means that the texts used in the religion are incredibly important. It’s necessary for them to me accurate and
This right and wrong is then carried with them into adulthood and becomes the basis for making choices. Chester Dolan writes, “Religions, if they want to survive, will begin to take seriously their responsibility for teaching moral behavior. They will learn how to rid their own organizations of hypocrisy, and do the same for others.
I have certain beliefs based on my religion and not all students or families will have the same beliefs. I realize as a teacher I need to be aware that everyone I meet and work with is not going to share the same beliefs. There needs to be a balance in the way all different religions are covered. A teacher needs to be very open minded and accepting of all the different beliefs and religions he or she may encounter. It is imperative that the students and their families not feel like they are unaccepted by a teacher.
The Challenge of Secularism After reading Nicole’s story, I think the main difference between those students attending a Catholic school and the students attending a public school is the desire to be educated. The students who attend Catholic schools want to learn more about their religion as well as other religions to get a better understanding of who they are and who they want to be. In addition, they learn about God and Christianity and grow an appreciation for their faith. This point is supported by young people’s spiritual needs. These needs are displayed through their, “continuing interests in morals and ethnic concerns, and questioning concerning the quest for truth and meaning in life,” (21).
Teachers need to help students understand the implicit cultural assumptions and perspectives of the discipline they’re teaching. Multicultural education also involves changing the methods of teaching and using a wide range of strategies and teaching techniques such as cooperative groups, simulations, role-playing, and discovery. Doing so, the learning process will be more effective and address the needs of students
Religious studies enables the development of crucial aptitudes -- critical thinking, communication competence, interpersonal awareness, and intercultural literacy -- necessary for success in a global society. The aim of liberal education -- healthy, holistic education -- is about gaining wisdom, not the accumulation of knowledge as such. Practically speaking, religious studies can enable students to better practice the task of selfhood by both building self-esteem and making possible the acquisition of competencies crucial for one's well-being in increasingly diverse world cultures. Earlier we said the goal of liberal learning, including and especially religious studies, should be wisdom, not knowledge for its own sake. It was not simply knowledge about the world, but wisdom about right relationships within the world, that propelled many agents for change in our own time.
Thus, not only are the Christian religious right in the United States and the global al Qaeda Muslims called fundamentalist, but so too are local parent groups who want restrictions placed on Internet access in local schools. Groups that want their religion practiced purely are called fundamentalist, as are groups pushing for an overhaul of the national or global political system who are at best culturally connected to a religion. So what is fundamentalism? Perhaps more so than many other concepts, fun- damentalism is a contextual phenomenon. As noted in the introduction of this review, many scholars think fundamentalism cannot be understood apart from modernity nor exist outside of modernity.
The Bill of Rights records that certain measures are put in place to promote and protect the respect and equality of the diverse languages, cultures and religions from unfair discrimination (Chapter 2 s 9(2)). This basic value is expressed in article 21, “When we provide our pupils with educationally sound programmes, they will gain a deeper and broader understanding of the life orientations, worldviews, cultural practices, and ethical resources of humanity. As they develop creative and critical abilities for thinking about religion and religions, pupils will also develop the capacities for mutual recognition, respect for diversity, reduced prejudice, and increased civil toleration that are necessary for citizens to live together in a democratic society. Learning about