Journal Article #1:
*The above video clip is an auditory accompaniment of the text below.
The following journal article was
published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research in 2002. It looks
in detail at the social relationships among both students with and without mild intellectual disabilities,
ranging from ages 9-11. In particular, this study focuses on the various levels
of social acceptance towards students with MIDs demonstrated by students
without MIDs. The authors discuss the positive and negative results of having
students with MIDs mainstreamed after
attending special education classes. This means that the students would leave
their regular class for parts of the day to attend special education classes,
and then return to their regular mainstream class. Although the efforts in this
style of teaching seem to be in the best interest of the students’ social
lives, studies have shown that this sort of segregation and re-joining hinders
the social acceptance of students with MIDs.
The article discusses the common
assumption that integrating students throughout parts of the school day will provide students with more ‘normal’
social learning opportunities as well as raise self-esteem (both students with
MIDs, and their peers). This however, is proven by minimal studies and there is
not substantial evidence supporting this claim. Social acceptance of students
with MIDs is especially poor when they are pulled out of classes to attend special
education classes, and are then returned to regular classes.
After discussing many of the
shortcomings in recent programs to accommodate students with MIDs, the article
suggests several tips that may be useful for educators in facilitating children’s
social acceptance within the classroom and school community as a whole. Some of
these strategies consist of social skills training for students with MIDs.
Although this would require skilled teachers and considerable instruction time,
many schools may have the resources (and teachers) present to fulfill at least some of the social skills training needs
of students. The authors also suggest that schools and teachers arrange for special
educational provisions within regular
classes to avoid constantly separating and re-joining and to promote an
inclusive learning environment. Overall, this article presents studies that are
interesting and informative for future and current educators, with the focus
being on.
Journal Article #2:
*The above video clip is an auditory accompaniment of the text below.
The following journal article was
published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research in 2007. It focuses
on a group of students (approximately age 15) with mild intellectual
disabilities. This article takes a slightly more negative approach to the
abilities of students with MIDs, as it focuses heavily on the deficits of these
students. The article discusses studies that involve working-memory problems
for students with MIDs. Working memory is referred to as a system in which
information can be temporarily stored and manipulated to support ongoing
cognitive abilities such as reading and listening (Van der Molen et. al).
Despite many of the negative
connotations in the article, educators could still use this as a helpful
resource to determine where their students’ needs may lie. This article
presents detailed information on the cognitive processes of students with MIDs,
and may assist educators in understanding the specific needs of students (such
as phonological comprehension and visual-spatial knowledge) so that they can
adjust their teaching and learning strategies to accommodate these specific
needs. Overall, if seen with an optimistic perspective, this article may very
well provide useful information to help create an inclusive classroom.
References
Jacques, N.,
Wilton, K., & Townsend, M. (1998). Cooperative learning and social
acceptance of children with mild intellectual disability. Journal of
Intellectual Disability Research, 42(1), 29-36. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2788.1998.00098.x/pdf
Van der Molen, M. J., Van Luit, J.
E. H., Jongmans, M. J., & Van der Molen, M. W. (2007). Verbal
working memory in children with mild intellectual disabilities. Journal of
Intellectual Disability Research, 51(2), 162.169. doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00863.x
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