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ADAPTACIÓN CURRICULAR Y ENSEÑANZA DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA
EXTRANJERA ENFOCADA A ESTUDIANTES CON NECESIDADES
ESPECIALES
BY: Jefferson Villalba
January 2, 2023
DEFINITION
For nearly 20 years, the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) has promoted the right to
education for all. However, the global discussion on inclusive education has changed
significantly over time. The UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education
(1960) and other international human rights treaties prohibit any “exclusion from, or
limitation to, educational opportunities on the basis of socially-ascribed or perceived
differences, such as by sex, ethnic/social origin, language, religion, nationality, economic
condition, ability”. For decades the concept of inclusive education was mostly understood
as focusing narrowly on children with disabilities only.
A true inclusive education system is one that includes all students regardless of race,
ethnicity, gender, or physical, social, or emotional differences. Promoting an education
system that includes all children should be the goal of all educational leaders. Students in
an inclusive system should be provided academic, social, emotional, and physical
supports.
PURPOSE
Inclusive education, as defined in the Salamanca Statement entails “recognition of the
need to work towards “schools for all” - institutions which include everybody, celebrate
differences, support learning, and respond to individual needs.”

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BELIEVES
According to personal experience, students with special needs more attention and
time. Special education teachers face a unique set of challenges, and so do the parents of
special needs students. Some of the biggest challenges of working with special needs
students are as follows:
Lack of parental support: You can pour your heart and soul into your efforts as a
special education teacher but if the child’s parents are not on board, all of that
work could be for nothing. Having a positive relationship with the parents of your
students is essential.
Lack of appreciation. Teachers do not teach because it is a prestigious or high-
paying career – they do it for love of the students. Still, a little appreciation goes
a long way, especially in a challenging and stressful field like special education.
Too much paperwork. Every special needs child needs an Individual Education
Plan (or IEP) and each one can easily reach 10 to 20 pages long. Not only do these
plans take time to develop, but there is a lot of documentation that needs to take
place. This is all on top of your regular teaching duties which include curriculum
planning, progress reports, lesson planning, and more.
Scheduling challenges. Many special needs students have special schedules for
their school day depending on which classes they are able to take and taking into
account their needs for additional services like occupational or speech therapy.
Working with other teachers. As a special education teacher, you have to develop
your own curriculum for your students, but you also need to know the general
education curriculum so you can work with your students to help them with their
regular classes. Collaborating with other teachers can be very difficult, especially
if they do not understand the challenges of special education.

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IMPORTANCE
Inclusive systems provide a better quality education for all children and are instrumental
in changing discriminatory attitudes. Schools provide the context for a child’s first
relationship with the world outside their families, enabling the development of social
relationships and interactions. Respect and understanding grow when students of diverse
abilities and backgrounds play, socialize, and learn together.
EXPERIENCE
Rina´s experience: I have a boy in the fourth year of elementary school, his name is
Bryan and he has autism. I met him 2 years ago before the pandemic started. I could
observe that he was a shy, lonely and fearful child, he didn't like noise or noise, he didn't
socialize and because of his condition I think that is normal. During the pandemic the
child was connected to virtual classes and completed his homework punctually and
responsibly with the help and support of his parents. When we went back to class, his
mother spoke to me in person and told me that Bryan really liked my classes because of
the activities, the videos, the games and everything we did and that she was very
concerned because it was different sitting in front of a blank slate. I told her that we as
teachers were going to do our best to help Bryan continue with his studies by making him
enjoy the class. They love playing while learning. It took him longer than the other
children to return to the classroom. When he came back I could see how much progress
he has made. He is totally different now. He has integrated in his own way with his
classmates and participates like a normal child. I love listening to him speaking English,
singing and playing. I have been able to conclude that family support is very important
for the good development of children with this disorder.
Magaly´s experience: We consider it is a good idea to include this kind of students in
regular schools but in real situation, the most of the schools in our country don’t have an
adequate infrastructure to give a free access to the classrooms. We consider government

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have to give an economic support to make this changes. We as teachers need to be
well prepared to teach in a better way. We don’t have the adequate preparation to do
that. We need to know more about activities to work with them. It is important
to integrate inclusive education in our classroom because it provides an
opportunity to learn and accept individual differences. It also provides all children
with opportunities to develop friendships with each other. In this sense, friendships
provide working in groups as a whole and it gives opportunities for growth. So, the
goal of an inclusive education is to provide all students with an appropriate
learning environment to allow each the opportunity to reach their potential. Every
student can reach their full potential when they are given the opportunity, resources and
a correct teaching that suits their needs.