Introduction
Let's learn about Special Education!
Special Education is a topic that every individual needs to have some level of knowledge on. Whether it be a parent, a teacher, a person with a disability, a person wanting to learn, or just about anyone else, there is great importance in gaining knowledge surrounding this topic! Learning about the history, laws, communication skills, examples of beneficial materials, and ideas for the special needs community are all great ways in which to educate oneself! For individuals that would like to learn more about Special Education, you have come to the right place! Students will gather in groups to dive deeper into researching a disability of their choice to have an overall better understanding of said disability and special education as a whole.
Task
Students will be choosing a disability to learn more about! They will collect information in the form of a PowerPoint about the history, laws, symptoms, problems with communication amongst educators, parents, and individuals in this community, solutions for these issues, different types of said disability (if any), how special education has impacted them personally, and any interesting fact (Ex: a well-known person/hero in their personal life or famous person with this disability)! Students may work in groups of 2-3 dividing up the work evenly. Groups should collect at minimum ten scholarly sources when gathering research on their chosen topic. The slideshow should be a minimum of ten slides. Classmates should also include a minimum of three images. Students will have one class period per week for three weeks to work in groups on this assignment. What doesn't get finished in class will have to be done outside of classroom hours and will still be due on the assigned due date. After all of the research is complete, students will share with the class their findings in a friendly discussion. This discussion will take place over one class period. Students are required to collect three key components of what they learned from other groups in a short paragraph.
Process
Students will roughly follow these steps to conduct the best work possible:
1. Choose a group of classmates to work with
2. Decide on a special education topic to research
3. Divide up research questions evenly or as close to even as possible so that everyone is doing their fair share
4. Start collecting scholarly sources (Internet, Books, etc.) about the research questions you have chosen and compile them into an outline
5. Start gathering facts, statistics, and other important information about your topic into your PowerPoint
6. Make sure your group's PowerPoint is a minimum of 10 slides long, contains all the information necessary, and is ready to be turned in!
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on several things within their PowerPoint presentation which includes:
PowerPoint Presentation Rubric
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3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Content |
The content was related to the topic, original, & creative |
Content related to some points but not all; was not original |
The content was not related to the topic at all |
|
Group Work |
Group members worked together, fairly, & efficiently to complete the presentation |
Group members worked together but unfairly and did not make use of time wisely |
Group members did not work together on the project at all |
|
Organization |
The presentation was organized, well thought out, and flowed seamlessly |
This presentation was organized but did not flow cohesively |
This presentation was unorganized and all over the place |
|
Visuals |
There were several visuals that helped the audience better understand the presentation |
There were visuals but they did not benefit the audience |
There were no visuals |
|
Sources |
Sources were accurate, scholarly, and resourceful |
Sources were provided but not all were scholarly |
No sources were provided |
|
Takeaways from other groups |
Students wrote an honest and critical review of the groups |
Students wrote a review but it did not benefit the other group |
Students did not write a review |
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Grammar & Formatting |
The presentation has no spelling errors |
The presentation has a few spelling errors |
The presentation has many spelling errors |
|
Citations |
Citations are in APA format and done correctly |
Citations are in APA format but with errors |
Citations are not in APA format and have several errors |
Conclusion
Throughout completing this WebQuest, students should have obtained knowledge of a disability in the special education realm. Students did extensive research on one disability and should be able to individually write a short reflection paragraph on the topic if quizzed in the future (Hint Hint).
To wrap things up, students will write a group and self-reflection paragraph stating what they thought they did well and what they can improve on in the future. This paragraph should include information along the lines of, Did all group members contribute equally? Did group members correlate a time and place to meet up if the group needed more time to work on the project? Were group members time efficient on this project? Did you find this project difficult? What did you take away from the research you collected? How did this project impact you? What would you change about this project if you had to do it again? What did you like about this project?
Credits
RESOURCES:
Below is a list of resources that are scholarly and trusted sources to complete your research process. Feel free to find your own sources if these do not pertain or apply to your topic (making sure they are scholarly sources)!
A History of the Individuals with disabilities education act. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2023, January 11). Retrieved from, https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History
Beyond Autism. (2022, November 9). The genius of Lewis Carroll and how autism impacts creativity. BeyondAutism. Retrieved April 21, 2023, from https://www.beyondautism.org.uk/blog/the-genius-of-lewis-carroll-and-how-autism-impacts-creativity/
Blad, E. (2020). Why the feds still fall short on special education funding: Calls to fully fund the nation's main special education law resound on the campaign trail, but a complex array of factors make that an elusive goal. Education Week, 39(18), 1. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/why-feds-still-fall-short-on-special-education/docview/2344446931/se-2
Cox, D. (2013). How to help special needs children adapt according to their own abilities (Order No. 3598805). Available from Education Database. (1459810821). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/how-help-special-needs-children-adapt-according/docview/1459810821/se-2
D'Andrea, F. M. (1999). Hellen Keller: A life. RE: View, 31(2), 94. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/hellen-keller-life/docview/222955675/se-2
DeBettencourt, L. U. (2004). Critical issues in training special education teachers.Exceptionality, 12(4), 193. doi:https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327035ex1204_1
James, P., French, P., & Cranston-Gingras, A. (2001). Ethics and special education. Focus on Exceptional Children, 34(1), 1-16. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/ethics-special-education/docview/224044488/se-2
Martina, B., Ferrer, A., Galiana, L., Badenes-Ribera, L., & Longobardi, C. (2022). Bullying in students with special education needs and learning difficulties: The role of the Student–Teacher relationship quality and students’ social status in the peer group. Child & Youth Care Forum, 51(3), 515-537. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09640-2
Thurston, S., Paul, L., Loxicy, P., Ye, C., Wang, M., & Brawne, G. (2011). Associations and costs of parental symptoms of psychiatric distress in a multi-diagnosis group of children with special needs. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(3), 263. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01356.x
Zirkel, P. A. (2005). Does Brown v. Board of Education play a prominent role in special education law? Journal of Law and Education, 34(2), 255-271. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/does-brown-v-board-education-play-prominent-role/docview/201011212/se-2
Teacher Page
Thank you!
I hope everyone has learned something new and learned great group work skills!
Keep up the good work!
Ms. Berns
April 25, 2023