Introduction
Universal Design for Learning is an educational strategy aimed to meet diverse needs of students and improve education. Applied to special needs education environment, this program will help students o master knowledge and improve their decision-making skills. This strategy can be established to center specifically on a student’s needs. Individual is the key word in such curriculum. In order to implement this strategy into the curriculum, the teacher should assess needs and skills of students (Greenspan 1998). The main elements of the Universal Design for Learning will remain: motivation, visual representation and knowledge base. The task of the teacher is t adapt these elements to special needs of the students.
Main body
In order to get through these frustrating issues, the teacher should seek support from other parents or administration. If a student is in need of a given intervention, a strategy must be established to provide it. The teacher or a parent does not have to agree to a proposed curriculum if this is not appropriate for his child. During the development procedure, the teacher should take into account the result of the assessment, represented by a special agency, with assistance from representatives of other agencies providing support. The curriculum should be based on a plan using observations, results from tests, parental response, and their knowledge of development. This curriculum will identify goals for the students and includes specific instruments for achieving those goals through a synchronized effort. The purpose of curriculum is to work with families and provide education to all students in accordance with their needs and abilities (Greenspan 1998).
Curriculum will be designed that highlight self-help skills. A youngster who scores below the norm on assessments may be placed in a developmental class. In this class the curriculum standards may be simplified than in a regular curriculum. An extra instructional assistance may be used. The curriculum may be somewhat unusual, and the time spent on each purpose may be longer. The teacher may center on providing activities that promote visual and auditory skills if that is what is needed by the children with special needs. The curriculum describes the format for the tester to follow in formative where to begin testing on the continuum and where to end. The beginning of the assessment should reflect a set of skills the student with special need is exhibiting (Smith et al 2007).
The first point is the positive demonstration of successive skill items. Universal Design for Learning strategy will help teachers to provide students the special needs with the same skills and knowledge acquired by their peers. The role of the teacher is to analyze education difficulties and avoid them in the curriculum (Greenspan 1998). The teacher may find that a student is not able to answer some questions because of his or her disability. If students cannot get credit for answering some questions, the questions should be simplified or transformed (e.g., cognitive level) may be inaccurate. School administration is now responsible for supplying technology, or services, or both, to students eligible for special education programming (Smith et al 2007).
Conclusion
In sum, teachers need to be aware of possible difficulties in curriculum in advance. Universal Design for Learning should be used as a core of curriculum thus the criteria and standards should meet special needs of students. The curriculum can involve technology for students with special needs. The role of the teacher is to check that the testing is adequate.
References
Greenspan, S. J., Wieder, S., Simons, R. (1998). The Child With Special Needs:Â Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional Growth. erseus Books; 1 edition.
Smith, T. et al. (2007). Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings (5th Edition) Allyn & Bacon; 5 edition.