Teaching Second Language to Children with Learning Disability - Research Paper Example

?Insert Teaching second language to children with learning disability Question Pros and Cons of teaching second language to children with learning disability Teaching a second language to children with learning disability is both advantageous and disadvantageous. On the one hand, children with knowledge of a second language have a wider access to individuals and resources in society (Ren 32). Therefore the children would have a bigger capacity to interact with people from the different language group, access more literature available in the second language, and gain more from visits to other nations, especially where the second language is widely spoken and used (Krasner 27). Introducing learners with disability to second language enables them to have a view of a different culture, thus provides them with a greater level of understanding of cultural experiences. This motivates their self-esteem and makes the educational life less boring. Eventually, having an understanding of an alternative language of communication enables the children to have a competitive edge when they grow up, especially in the multicultural environment where current businesses operate. Children with learning disability will also have better cognitive capacities when they are exposed to a second language (Bucholz and Sheffler 2). This means that second language students are more innovative and superior to their one-language counterparts in terms of solving complicated learning problems (Ren 33). Krasner (29) has argues that second language children perform better than monolingual children on both verbal and written tests of their intelligence quotient tests. This then implies that learning a second language enables children with learning impairments to achieve a better intellectual flexibility (Ren 35). On the other hand, teaching a second language to children with learning disability can be disadvantageous because it results in language setbacks (Vaknin-Nusbaum, and Miller 520). Learning a second language exerts unnecessary cognitive pressure on the children who are already struggling to cope with normal lessons in their primary language. This strain negatively impacts on the children’s learning than would a normal lesson like Math. According Krasner (34), exposing children with learning impairments to a second language simultaneously with the primary language lowers the quantity of vocabulary that the children can learn within a certain period of time. For instance, if a ‘normal’ toddler’s cognitive ability can withstand learning of an estimated 20 new vocabularies in a month, when he or she is introduced to two languages at the same time their learning capacity might reduce by half. A child with learning disability, depending on the gravity of the condition would learn fewer words than what a ‘normal’ child can do (Woodcock and Vialle 27). Apart from fewer input and understanding of new words, children learning second language may experience delays in general learning caused by difficulty in understanding two languages, which often leads to such children being introduced to second language classes later on in life. But this does not help the matters either. Ren (40) argues that starting off language lessons for a child with learning impairment too late can impede the child’s inability to effectively understand the second language. According to Vaknin-Nusbaum and Miller (521), parts of the brain responsible for language development and memory limit one’s own understanding when new sounds are imparted in them. In light of this, children with learning impairments who are introduced to new language later on in their development will develop a weird accent, which might result in misunderstandings and hinder the use of that language in a professional career. Question # 2 Integrating children with learning disabilities into mainstream classrooms in a Jewish school In the current century, children with learning disabilities are entitled to the same treatment as their ‘normal’ counterparts courtesy of a raft of legislations in developed countries to this effect. Jewish day schools are under obligation to provide a standard and equal treatment and learning opportunity for all students (Ren 37). This greater level of accountability required in these education facilities such as Yeshiva has been based on the fact that all students have their own unique capacities regarding learning and can achieve their top potential. In light of the spirit of fairness, and supportive laws, mainstreaming children with learning disabilities into the regular learning environment has become an important norm in Jewish schools. In a Jewish school, mainstreaming enables teachers to appreciate individual differences among students (Krasner 28). Familiarizing and inclusive activities provide instructors with the reason to accommodate all the differences that are unique to children in the classroom, without focusing entirely on a single case or a particular group with better learning capacities. Vaknin-Nusbaum and Miller (523) argue that when instruction is tailored to achieve the most appropriate education possible for all members of a discordant class, the whole class tends to appreciate individual uniqueness. Nonetheless, in order to effectively address all the dissimilarities in the learning environment, instructor in Jewish schools must be skilful enough about the different learning styles, such as perceptible, aural, visual and kinesthetic concepts for deployment to advance learning processes. Mainstreaming also fosters positive thinking, social capacities and behavioural skills among members of a Jewish school (Ren 36). It is arguable that when young learners with disabilities are integrated into a regular learning classroom, they acquire new playing skills and communicate more effectively with their age-mates (Bucholz and Sheffler 3). As Woodcock and Vialle (28) have indicated, students with disabilities who have gone through mainstreaming often exhibit better interpersonal and play capacities, enhanced social ties with their schoolmates, and motor activity in play, and limited level of inappropriate or dull responses from the community. Mainstreaming students with disabilities also reduces cases of their aggressiveness and rebellious behaviours. Although mainstreaming students with disabilities has the potential of providing a many benefits, it is associated with some difficulties in the classroom (Gortmaker et al 204). For instance, poor ratio of student-to-teacher often results in substandard learning and poor performance, especially for children who need closer attention and assistance with assignments. Krasner (29) has pointed out that the minimization of the size of groups in a mainstreamed class is advantageous because it enables the instructor to effectively see to the needs of all learners and supervise interactions within the learning environment. Apart from compromised learning, mainstreaming may also place a huge demand for a bigger number of highly qualified instructors in order to achieve the needed outcomes on time (Woodcock and Vialle 31). The need for qualified teachers has created challenges within the Jewish learning environment with the bar for “effective teachers” being raised constantly. In light of this, school managers have to make sure that the students with learning impairments are enrolled in classrooms with skilled and experienced instructors, which results in a number of mainstream classrooms having more students with impairments than others. In particular circumstances, there have been complaints in Jewish schools from certain teachers with regular training that they are being pinpointed and assigned to classes composed mainly of children who need special care (Gortmaker et al 210). This discrepancy may limit the meeting of educational needs of the students. Question # 3 Advantages and challenges to inclusion in Jewish day schools, and in congregational schools Inclusive education refers to the housing of students with special needs in same classroom as regular students for uniform lessons (Subban and Sharma 44). The strategy of inclusion is advantageous and disadvantages to the learners in the classes as well as the instructors and members of the education plans. Each Jewish and congregational school normally weighs the merits and demerits of inclusion so as to arrive at a decision designed to the population of children. Inclusion of learning processes amounts to non-discrimination and is in line with current-day laws that classifying students with learning disability as capable. When learners with special learning needs are enrolled in isolated classrooms from their regular peers, Chhabra, Srivastava and Srivastava (224) point out that it puts tags on those learning as "abnormal." Inclusion strategies classify children uniformly into the same learning environment without any form of discrimination, provided the children have mild cases that cannot jeopardize general learning (Subban and Sharma 45). In this way, the strategy enables each learner to have adequate access to the services of the same instructors, in addition to learning materials, equipment and lessons as any other learner in the facility. Despite these advantages, inclusion becomes hard when it comes to satisfying the unique needs of an inclusive classroom. Sometimes learners who need special education facilities and instruction require more accommodative structures, equipment and policies to achieve learning in the regular Jewish or Congregational schools (Shevlin, Winter and Flynn 1120). This might encompass behavioural support, physical educational materials and or the attendance of additional staffs throughout the learning day. In the inclusive setting, it can be daunting for an instructor to offer these adjustments to a learner with disability without holding the learning of the rest of the class to ransom (Chhabra, Srivastava and Srivastava 223). The regular learning setting usually lacks the learning materials for taking care of the unique needs of learners in special learning processes. This puts an additional pressure on the learning facility to introduce into the regular learning setting, all of the materials they require to teach these special case students. Conversely, inclusion is an important pointer to life in the real-world experience (Edward 163). When learners leave Jewish education facilities, for example, and integrate into the society, they will not usually find themselves in the company of other individuals who have similar impairments to them. Students with learning disability will want to learn to operate with the rest of the members of the society people who are ‘normal’, and the reverse is also factual of children in regular learning programs (Chhabra, Srivastava and Srivastava 224). An inclusive classroom, therefore, enables young learners to acquire knowledge of the differences between individuals and appreciate diversity through classroom lessons and play. According to Subban and Sharma (43), another challenge facing inclusion programs is that regular class instructors may not possess the relevant training to handle children with special needs in an inclusive classroom. As a result, the provision of instruction, behavioural and physical services to the students with disabilities may be hard. While a number of Jewish and congregational educational facilities may respond to this problem by assigning a team of a special educator and a regular teacher and some additional staffs to an inclusive class, this practice normally soars institutional budgets in a trade-off with adequate education. In light of the mixed outcomes of inclusion, it is important for Jewish and congregational facilities to factor in adequately trained staffs, excellent materials and learning equipment for the success of inclusion programs (Edward 166). Proper diagnoses of learning disabilities will enable the enrolment of deserving cases inclusions programs for maximum benefits. Question # 4 How Hebrew teachers effectively integrate children with learning disabilities into their mainstream classrooms Mainstreaming teachers normally work to meet the unique needs of their children in a special education environment usually referred to as resource room (Shevlin, Winter and Flynn 1122). In such an environment, Hebrew teachers provide students the opportunity to work and interact with regular classes at some points for learning purposes. Special case Hebrew teachers providing services normally implement important strategies in order to achieve their objectives. These include; easing student-student and student-teacher communication; offering an enabling environment for the students to work together in small groups; and establishing an effective behaviour correction and feedback policy for effective learning processes. Mainstreaming Hebrew teachers normally simplify their language without watering down its essence or communication value when dealing with such classes (Vaknin-Nusbaum, and Miller 518). Although, this often demands a delicate balancing act, the teachers understand that it is appropriate for the students’ better understanding. They also refrain from slang and idiom terms because a clear language, spoken at the right pace is best for effective communication and learning. Hebrew teachers normally encourage learners to ask for more clarification if something is not clear to them during the lesson Furthermore, Hebrew teachers normally support the use of the language in a mainstreamed class for academic and social purposes, with the latter taking the first priority for a better understanding of the language. This is especially true because students normally find it easier to interact and communicate with the instructors and or classmates during social activities, but experience problems with its use for academic purposes such as textbooks, exams, assignments, or presentations in the classroom (Gortmaker et al 203). To solve language development issues, Hebrew teachers normally preview the literature; teach grammar that is relevant to a certain topical area, and show the all the learners how chosen academic language fits in reading, writing, verbal, and listening contexts (Vaknin-Nusbaum, and Miller 516). Those with learning disability are given more attention to boost their understanding. The teachers also provide students with the opportunity to integrate on a regular basis, and work together with their regular counterpart in lean groups or twos. As Vaknin-Nusbaum, and Miller (517) have noted, cooperative learning interactions foster interpersonal skills within peers, which then improves Hebrew language development and the acquisition of ideas and learning content, especially among children with learning disability. Appropriate activities normally encompass managing worksheets in groups, and switching roles to have a better understanding of the language. Finally, by implementing an appropriate correction and feedback policy, Hebrew teachers will be able to detect inappropriate developments or language and behaviour for faster correction. This improves clearer communication among students with learning disability who experience problem learning the second language in a mainstreamed classroom. Works Cited Bucholz, L. Jessica and Sheffler, L. Julie. Creating an inclusive classroom environment: Planning for all children to feel welcome. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 2.4 (2009): 1-4. Chhabra Simmi, Srivastava Rama, and Srivastava Ishaan. Inclusive Education in Botswana: The Perceptions of School Teachers. Journal of Disability Policy Studies,20.4 (Mar 2010): 219-228. Edward Salifu Mahama. Disability and development: the role of language and e-learning. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 6.3(2012): 162-176. Gortmaker et al. Improving reading outcomes for children with learning disabilities: using brief experimental analysis to develop parent-tutoring interventions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40.2(2007): 203-21. Krasner, Jonathan Bruce. When the present took precedence over the past: social adjustment and the mainstreaming of American Jewish history in the supplementary school. Journal of Jewish Education, 70.3 (2004): 27-39. Ren, Guanxin. Which Learning Style Is Most Effective In Learning Chinese As A Second Language. Journal of International Education Research,9.1(2013): 32-42. Shevlin Michael, Winter Eileen and Flynn, Paula. Developing inclusive practice: teacher perceptions of opportunities and constraints in the Republic of Ireland. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17.10 (2013): 1119-1133. Subban, Pearl, and Sharma Umesh. Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusive Education in Victoria, Australia. International Journal of Special Education, 21.1 (2006): 42-52. Vaknin-Nusbaum, Vered, and Miller, Paul. The importance of vowel diacritics for the temporary retention of high and low frequency Hebrew words of varying syllabic length. Memory & Cognition,39.3(2011): 516-526. Woodcock, Stuart, and Vialle, Wilma. The Potential To Learn: Pre-Service Teachers' Proposed Use Of Instructional Strategies For Students With A Learning Disability. Contemporary Issues in Education Research,3.10(2010): 27-38. Read More