Ethics for teaching students with disabilities.

As teachers it is crucial that every student in the class has the same opportunities and chances to succeed. It is also with utter importance that each student feels heard and that their opinion matters. 

Teachers can develop relationships with families to ensure respect and trust for all of the parents to have with there child in your classroom

Ask students their perspective on your classroom and what you can do to make them feel more heard. 

When speaking about students with disabilities it is crucial that person-first language is used. See attached examples.

Code of ethics - exceptional children. (n.d.). https://exceptionalchildren.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf 

A safe classroom is an environment that is physically and emotionally safe meaning that the students feel like they can be themselves and express their opinions. 

Provide a safe space for students, this can look like an area in the room that promotes comfortability and is an area where students can go to read a book quietly or rest their head. 

Surround the class with positivity posters as well as posters that state how to express ones feelings and emotions

There are so many ways to ensure your classroom feels safe some of these look like smiling often, incorporating music, staying calm, respecting students space etc. 

Western Governors University. (2022, February 25). 15 tips for creating a safe learning environment. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/15-tips-creating-safe-learning-environment2202.html#close

Teachers can increase socially appropriate behavior by teaching manners in the classroom and modeling what good speech looks like verbally and by posters throughout the classroom. 

Teachers can assign classroom jobs that help students understand responsibility roles and how these fall into day to day life. The way the students react and respond during the jobs is very important. 

Students also need extensive practice in small and large group activities to work on appropriately communicating

Teachers can use data to improve student behavior because they will be able to determine patterns about a students behavior and come to conclusions on how to break these bad habits. 

Data can be used to give to doctors, families and teachers to help better understand student behavior. 

Data can only be successfully implemented if students feel safe and secure in the classroom first

Data can be collected in a few different ways to help teachers assess student behavior best.

A line graph is a type of data that could be used to show student progression over time.

A cumulative graph is another type of data that can record an additive behavior that occurs over multiple sessions. 

A bar graph can be used by teachers to measure multiple different students or behaviors.

There are a few different data collecting tools that help teachers effectively manage classroom behavior and maintain the students behavioral goals.

There are many ways to collect data such as changing criterion design, evaluating single-subject designs, multiple baseline design, multiple treatments design, alternating treatments design, AB design and single subject design.

Single Subject design is when teachers use repeated measurements to understand a students variability and then determine what treatment is needed.

AB design (A stands for baseline data being recorded, B stands for the intervention phase) is helpful for teachers to evaluate target behavior during the baseline time verse the intervention time. 

YouTube. (2015, January 15). Single-subject experimental design 101: What is single subject design?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1idx6djJlY&t=71s 

The first step to developing a behavior management plan is identifying when a behavior is challenging enough that it is in need of a support plan. 

Once this decision is made and behavior has been tracked and put into data, the IEP team will need to review all collected data and determine a plan

Then a screening process will begin putting the students disability, physical health, sensory impairments and medications all into consideration

Teacher will then form a hypotheses from all of these steps and the teacher, parent and IEP team will come up with an effective plan for the behavior to come to an end. 

Teachers need to effectively manage their classroom by being organized, respectful and present. 

Teachers need to understand their personal strengths and know a lot about their strengths and weaknesses to determine what areas in the classroom need help. 

Teachers need to get to know each and every students background as well as get to know their family and create respectful relationships

Teachers can establish rules and routines to ensure students know what is expected of them from day one. 

Once all these measures are taken the teacher will be able to effectively implement a behavior management plan. 

Consequences and reinforcement scan be used in the classroom to increase good behavior and decrease bad behavior.

Reinforcements can be natural, social, tangible, token or activity reinforcers that all have the same goal but look different. 

An example of reinforcements could look like a token reinforcer where the students is rewarded with a ‘token’ when they do something good.

Social reinforcers can look like giving a student verbal praise when they do something correct. 

Negative reinforcements can be used when a student is distracted with something during a lesson, simply removing the object that is distracting them. 

Consequences and reinforcements are great ways to prevent bad behavior among students and increase good behavior.