So what is "SEN" all about? Does it really effect your students? Doesn't it have something to do with special education?

Whatever happened to "non-readers"? "weak learners"? "learning disabled"? PhD's? hechven? mabar?

No doubt about it...the way we describe students who don't quite learn the way we plan for them to learn has changed frequently. Some of the changes reflect governmental categories that are based on funding considerations and percentages of population served. Others are just what we see happening in class. Still others are a hybrid-diagnosis, or a way to "soften the blow" of saying that we're simply don't accept the way some students perform. And some show our new age conscience for use "PC" or politcally correct terminology.

But let's take a look behind the labels and definitions. When a student is unable to learn with the material that we use for the majority of our class members, what does it mean? If that child has an assessment and diagnosis, it is easier to understand (even though it isn't so easy to correct!) But what about physical, emotional or learning problems that haven't been "caught"?

Over the last decade, there has been more attention to the preferred learning styles of students. When this research was first published, more attention had been given to giving students learning style inventories...but sometimes there wasn't much follow-up.

Multiple Intelligences theories changed our perspectives once again...and like all "good" teachers, we dilligently researched this area. But how much of what we learned did we actually implement in class? And how was our curriculae changed to reflect this theory?

There is now a "label" and theory that it seems that everyone can live with: students with special educational needs, that often reflect learner differences. And some of those differences depend on us--teachers--and how we "teach" material, or our teaching styles.

Here are some links to help you draw your own conclusions. For those who would like to go beyond "surfing" this issue, here's a challenge. And we'd like you to post your reflections and conclusions for this challenge on our SEN Forum Let's Talk About It.

Links

Start out with this link on Quia, which includes the challenge and will for guide you through the links provided.
Who are students with special educational needs?

Resource Note: Quia! is a great site for those of you who want to make web pages fast. And not only web pages--quizzes, flashcards, puzzles, games and more. And it is a wonderful way for SEN students to quickly learn to make their own web pages and study aids. They can change background, font color and size to meet their learning needs. Within one or two sessions your students can be provided with the motivation of seeing their work on the Net.

Help us add links to this page: just send them to Ellen