Teaching Students with Learning and Behavioral Problems

Advice to Teachers and Administrators Who Indicated to Have School-Wide Problem with Behavior

The behavioral issues are common for many students at school (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). To solve such issues, teachers should be advised to involve school counselors who will help them handle their students better. The counselors are helpful partners to the teachers, and their involvement will help teachers provide better mechanisms of addressing the behavioral issues, thus, minimizing such cases in schools.

Moreover, the teachers should be informed that students’ learning problems occur naturally and are not permanent; thus, instead of concentrating on the problems, teachers should be more concerned with developing a curriculum that will help such students change. The care and close interaction with children are important factors for teachers to consider (Vaughn & Bos, 2014).

Working with Families of Students with Behavioral Problems

Family members’ involvement is essential in solving children’s behavioral problems since they are familiar with their child’s domestic routine and know how to interact with their child properly (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). Children should be able to express their inner fear and stress to the parents without being punished for it. However, many children do not feel confident enough to interact and talk in a strange environment, for example, in class (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). Therefore, the parents may encourage their children to talk, thus helping teachers in solving behavioral problems.

Vaughn and Bos (2014) argue that home is the most effective conducive place for the intervention for children with behavioral issues since a child is familiar with its surroundings and associates it with safety. Thus, home is considered to be a conducive platform that helps analyze the complex factors influencing the child. Therefore, children must be allowed to freely express their thoughts and emotions, giving the parents an opportunity to examine their children’s behavior in a natural environment, which will help teachers solve their students’ social and behavioral issues.

The Impact of Socio-Cultural Perspective in Teaching and Learning

Social, physical, cultural, and economic environments affect children’s behavior and shape their personalities (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). The socio-cultural factors and the background setting can help teachers understand a child’s behavior and what influences a child’s growth. Neglect, abuse, and poverty are social problems that can affect a child’s development. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to implement a socio-cultural perspective to address the aforementioned issues properly.

Both educational and nurturing environments shape how a child develops; thus, it can be challenging to separate these two aspects. A socio-cultural perspective ensures a better framework that can help teachers understand the social interactions affecting their students (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). As a result, a teacher will arrange an environment similar to children’s natural setting. For example, a teacher may conduct group discussions and various activities if their students were brought up in an active social environment.

Knowledge That Special Education Teachers Should Have

Teachers handling special students should understand that such students can be successful as much as regular students are, but they need a special approach to help them study. It is essential for instructors to build relationships with special children by communicating and assisting them in learning. This bond helps students to feel positive about the challenges they face and work towards their solution. Moreover, special education teachers should involve positive reinforcement such as praising students after behaving well in class and motivating them to improve.

Knowledge That Regular Education Teachers Should Have

Regular education teachers should know that their students are prone to anger issues, and they should develop a calming strategy to accommodate them. The affected students may engage in fights and power struggles with their classmates, and for this reason, teachers should learn how to provide options to these children rather than instructing commands (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). Giving students options will help them learn positively.

How Does IEP Relate to the Instructional Cycle?

An instructional cycle provides the teachers with a guideline of what the students should have learnt after a particular lesson or syllabus (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). Such guidelines revolve in a cycle that starts with the intended instructions for learning, the planning mode, and the assessment after providing the lesson. An Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is similar to the instruction cycle since it helps children to reach their academic goals.

An IEP is developed for special students who require special attention in class. The program indicates the educational goals that a teacher should help the child achieve according to the child’s abilities (Vaughn & Bos, 2014). Both the instructional cycle and the IEP are the programs developed for teachers and students, providing guidelines on what students need to learn, and how teachers can deliver such education.

References

Vaughn, S.R., & Bos, C. S. (2014). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (9^th edition). Pearson.