The General Education Teacher and the Student with Special Needs

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The General Education Teacher and Students With Special Needs University for Women The Role of the Classroom Teacher in the Academic Success of Students With Special Needs For the general education teacher, and for others involved in the educational process of a student with exceptionalities, there is a host of valuable information contained in the textbook entitled Teaching Special Students in General Education Classrooms by Rena B. Lewis and Donald H. Doorlag. Although none of the information in this text should be discounted as irrelevant to the general education teacher, the most important things to ingest would be contained in Chapter 1. Here, the responsibilities and contributions of the general education teacher regarding the student with special needs are somewhat summed-up, and three major areas of function are listed (pp. 20-21). First of all, the general education teacher will be, in most cases, the first to identify a student who may have special needs in their classroom. Additionally, this teacher will be a significant “source of valuable information” (p. 20) about the student’s performance and other areas of importance regarding their education. Finally, the general education teacher will be a vital part of the inclusion team put in place for the student with exceptionalities. The identification of a student with special needs can come about in several different ways. The student’s needs may already be identified before ever entering the formal school – by parents, a medical doctor, etc. – and, therefore, the general education teacher will be provided with that type of information initially. Other ways may be the identification of special needs by other professionals, administrators, or family members. However, the general education teacher will probably be the first to notice and identify the special needs of a particular student, and
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