A Special Eduaction Webquest

Special Education can be defined as providing students with learning disabilities, the correct services to allow them to get a proper education. Special Education is so important because 1 in 5 people in the United States have a learning disability. In the past, the school system was not very inclusive, or concerned with the overall well being of students. This was quite terrible since those who had learning disabilities (which was very many), didn’t get a chance to flourish in school as much as they could have. Some people with learning disabilities weren’t even enrolled in school. Thankfully, things have positively changed for the better! Now there are laws to ensure that everyone gets an adequate education as well as making sure that all children are enrolled in school. Laws have been created to make sure those with special needs are provided with the services they need to do well in school. Teachers now challenge all students regardless if they have a disability or not, to guarantee that students are flourishing academically as much as possible! There are several different things that go into a child with special needs to get the services they need, such as an Individualized Education Plan. This Webquest will introduce you to all of the factors that are considered when providing a child with special needs the best education. 

The students will collect information on learning disabilities, how to know if a student is eligible for an IEP, all of the factors considered when developing the IEP, and strategies in the classroom that can be implemented to benefit those with a learning disability. The teacher will pair up all of the students. If the classroom has an odd number of students, then that group may need to have more information included in their presentation. Then the pairs of students will decide which student will research the first two topics which are learning disabilities and how to determine if a student is eligible for an IEP. The other student will research the last two topics which are the factors considered when developing an IEP and strategies in the classroom that can benefit special education students. The first two days the students will individually research their topics that they were designated. They will take notes from their findings of their topics, from the websites provided by the teacher. They can take the notes any way they please as long as they do it in a way that will be easy to communicate their findings to their partner. On the third day the pairs will share the information they got from their research and determine which information is most important to include in their presentation, that details the topics they were given. The fourth day the pairs will create a powerpoint presentation. This presentation can include graphics, videos, or anything that will captivate their audience. The fifth day the pairs will present their presentations to the class when the teacher has told them it is their turn.

1. The student will find their partner after the teacher has announced who their partner is. Then the pair will choose an area in the classroom to do their work.

2. The students will need to determine which partner will research the first two topics and which partner will research the last two topics. 

3. They will individually do their own research for their designated topics using the websites provided by the teacher. They will need to take notes while completing their research so they can share it with their partner in the future.

4. The two students will then collaborate and share the information they collected while completing their research, by discussing their findings and explaining their new knowledge. They can also share their notes they took while completing their research.

5. Each pair will then need to determine which information is key to include in their presentation. A rubric will be given to the students to make sure they know what the teacher is looking for in the presentation. 

6. The students will construct a powerpoint that will be able to tell their audience what an introduction of special education is, by explaining to the class the slides that include the four topics they were given to research. 

7. The students will practice giving their presentation by finding an area in the school that is quiet, so they will have preparation before the actual presentation in class.

Rubric:

• Did the powerpoint encompass information on all four topics they were given?
• Is the powerpoint organized and creative?
• Did the students speak when it was their turn to explain their topics?
• Do the students have a general idea of what special education is?
• Did the students use the class time provided to research and create their presentation?
• Is everything appropriate on the powerpoint?
• Are the students clear when they are explaining their slides?
• Is the powerpoint neat?
• Did the pair come prepared for their presentation?
• Are there any spelling/grammatical errors on the powerpoint?

This WebQuest is a way for students who may have never spoken to each other, to learn how important it is that we have inclusive classrooms so everyone, regardless if they have a disability or not, can flourish academically. It also helps show students that teachers challenge them to make sure they excel as much as possible in school. If teachers didn’t challenge students, then they could possibly be harming them by never allowing them to reach their full potential. By completing this WebQuest, students should now have a basic knowledge of learning disabilities, how a student is eligible for an IEP, how IEPs are developed, and strategies in the classroom that can benefit those with special needs. Students should also have the understanding that just because a student has a learning disability, doesn’t mean that they are eligible to get services for it. Another key point is students should know that there isn’t one strategy that can help all students with special needs in the classroom. All learning disabilities differ so much from person to person, so we should keep advocating for these students, while trying to continue to find ways to help them the most in the classroom. I hope this WebQuest has an effect on students to make them want to be more welcoming to others, and understand that people with learning disabilities aren’t less intelligent than those without a learning disability. They just process information differently, which is why they may need certain services that meet their unique needs. I also hope that tackling a research activity and presentation with someone they were randomly paired with, allows them to see that interacting with new people is something they should strive to do, and that making everyone feel included is a goal we want to always be reaching for.

Resources:

• Internet
• A handout of the rubric for this WebQuest

Website links:

• https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-special-education 
• https://www.parentcenterhub.org/steps/ 
• https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-disability-classification/ 
• https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/learning-disabilities
• https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/
• https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/09/keeping-up-school#:~:text=A%20child%20with%20a%20learning,about%20their%20ability%20to%20learn. 
• https://www.verywellfamily.com/when-to-ask-for-an-iep-2601418 
• https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/iep-teachers.html
• https://www.makespecialeducationwork.com/blog/the-three-essential-parts-of-an-iep-goal#:~:text=The%20three%20parts%20of%20an,need%20to%20support%20each%20other. 
• https://www.ldatschool.ca/strategies-to-support-students-with-learning-disabilities-who-experience-anxiety/ 
• https://www.adcet.edu.au/oao/for-academics-and-teachers/teaching-strategies-for-students-with-a-specific-learning-disability
• https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-specialeducation/ 
• https://ldaamerica.org/lda_today/the-state-of-learning-disabilities-today/