By Allison Swan ’18
Instead of learning various teaching methods in the classroom, during the fall 2017 semester, 15 Assumption students enrolled in EDU 260: Teaching Students with Special Needs and found themselves in a West Boylston Public Schools (WBPS) classroom, observing and learning how to impart knowledge to pupils with an array of challenges.
“This course helps students open their eyes and explore strategies to help them think more critically, and they are doing it in an actual school setting,” said Nanho Vander Hart, Ph.D., professor in and director of Assumption’s special education program. “Students have the chance to observe licensed professionals, gain a deeper understanding of pupils with a variety of special educational needs, and have an overall immersive experience with those of different ages in an array of special education settings.”
This course is the result of a collaboration between Prof. Vander Hart and WBPS Superintendent Elizabeth Schaper, Ed.D., who developed the Community Service Learning component of the course to secure a 2017 Massachusetts EPIC Innovation Grant. One day per week, students observed and worked with WBPS pupils at the elementary and secondary levels.
“Before this course, I had no idea about all the ins and outs of helping a student with disabilities,” said Bridget Sistare ’19, an elementary education and English major from Westford, MA. “This experience has helped me to understand part of what my future job will be. It has taught me how I can aid students with disabilities and what my role in their specific education will be. I hope to use what I have learned through my time in this course and apply it to my future career.”
In this course, students develop a deeper understanding of specialized teaching methods for students with special needs, a skill that Dr. Schaper said is in high demand. Students participate in case studies and team meetings, work individually with children, and have the opportunity to engage in lesson planning. They also have access to school administration – such as counselors, behavior analysts, and psychologists – who help them understand the whole child they are teaching.
Kristi McCarthy ’19, an elementary education major from Norwood, MA, believes that this course challenges students to explore areas on the periphery of their chosen major. “This class has changed my view on teaching as a whole, by helping me to realize how important integration of special education students is in a classroom,” she said, adding that it has taught her “how to develop engaging and effective lesson plans which involve students with and without special needs” and how to ensure all students succeed.
In addition to developing professional connections in the WBPS system, the experience students gain working with children and professionals in the classroom setting strengthens their resumes and career prospects after graduation. “Many skills and lessons educators learn during their first year of teaching will be obtained during this course experience,” said Prof. Vander Hart, with Dr. Schaper agreeing. “With an experience like this, students can leave Assumption better prepared and have greater success in acquiring a job.”
Sistare said the class has only strengthened her desire to teach and highly recommends it to others. “It sparks the students’ interest by taking what we see in the textbook and applying it to a real-world situation,” she said.
