Timothy gooley
Professional Practice
AITSL Standards Adressed:
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals
3.3 Use teaching strategies
4.4 Maintain student safety
PoLT Addressed:
1.3 uses strategies that promote students' self-confidence and willingness to take risks with their learning
3.1 uses strategies that are flexible and responsive to the values, needs and interests of individual students
Commencing my 4th year placement I had a student arrive to the gymnasium for her P.E class in a wheelchair by a teachers aid as she had just broken her leg. I was instantly intrigued as to how my mentor was going to approach the situation, hoping it would align with my thoughts to include her in the lesson as much as possible. I was happy to hear that the student was expected to partake in the lesson as if she was any other student, understandably altering an activity if it was to cause her discomfort or grief, whilst ensuring the safety of all students at all times.
Including the student in each activity as if she were competing in a wheel chair or not was a valuable demonstration to her peers. Shontz (1990) discusses that as a critical component of ones social identity, the body influences social interactions and perceptions of others. Similar to the belief of Shontz, my mentor and I proceeded to treat our student as any other as a means to entrust her and her classmates that we believed she was up to the challenge. This method deemed to be a success as although she may be ‘disabled’ to some degree, she showed it does not what so ever mean she is disqualified to participate in daily happenings. Perhaps somewhat hesitant at first, with support from both teachers and students the student went above and beyond expectation with her efforts in P.E. Activities rarely had to be altered and the student was always involved in lessons. It became obvious that the student was beginning to feel empowered by her inclusion as she saw each class as an opportunity to prove to her peers she could participate as well as anyone. Her classmates were to be commended in the way the supported the student and having her compete alongside them confined to the wheel chair was a motivating factor which saw their participation rise to a pleasing level.
AITSL Standard 1.5, Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development outlines the idea that students can learn within an appropriate difficulty level; so as to still challenge the student but not so much that it is above their level of development (1978).
There is a certain stigma around individuals with physical disabilities because of a presumed lack of physical competence. It’s often that the able bodied community assumes that the bodies of individuals with physical disabilities are disabling and weak rather than enabling and healthy (Fine & Asch, 1998). This is a key message I wanted to portray to my students through my philosophy that everyone is able regardless of their physical attributes.
