INTRODUCTION
Education plays a significant role in the recent contemporary world. To survive in the robust world that we see today, we need to use the lens of education. Having said that, education is a fundamental right for everyone, irrespective of one’s abilities. Special education teacher courses thrive to unravel this for teachers to deal professionally with children with disabilities.
It allows teachers to provide and serve as advocates for students who are disabled or with special needs. This is something that must be mandatory for all institutions and schools at all costs. A faculty development programme for teachers will not only enhance your capabilities as a special education teacher but will also help you with teaching and mentoring as a career in general.
Building a positive relationship between students and teachers impacts positively their academic results. Students feel safe and comfortable under the guidance of their teachers and hence work efficiently. Hence, teachers are expected to extensively prepare themselves for a better future for their students.
The Faculty Development Programme for teachers, too, is inclusive of special education teacher courses for students with certain disabilities.
It intends to enhance knowledge, skills, and make teachers technically sound, considering the new normal. This development programme assists teachers as well as educators to move up the ladder of education, both for themselves and their students.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER COURSES – TOP PLATFORMS
Every occupation covers a particular niche in the global sphere. But the occupation of a teacher is often looked at with a highly holistic lens. Certainly, to hold the steer for something so noble, teachers much undergo professional training. This is even more significant for special education teachers who assist children with disabilities. Some top platforms that provide faculty development programmes for teachers are:
- Coursera: Some programmes offered by Coursera include – Providing Social, Emotional, Behavioural, and Special Education Services in School followed by Disability Inclusion in Education: Building Systems of Support, and Managing ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Concussion in School. Another well known Online Special Education Course that Coursera offers is Supporting Children with Difficulties in Reading and Writing.
- Udemy: It offers an Educational Psychology and Special Education programme specifically designed for teachers who wish to take up special education teacher courses as an integral part of their career. This platform, too, is available online.
- “APTTI” – Certificate or Diploma Courses in Special Education: This course helps the teachers to grab a decent job as a Special Education teacher, thereby, earning a reasonable and handsome salary. It offers three stages of training. These three stages are Certificate, Diploma, and Post-Graduate Diploma. It extensively covers teaching approaches and theories for children with learning disabilities, autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mental retardation. The duration of these courses varies from 6 to 12 months depending on your specialisation.
- Institute of International Teacher Training – Certificate Course in Special Needs Education: To enrol in The Institute of International Teachers Training in Special Education certificate programme, one must hold a bachelor’s degree. This course concentrates on the strategies for taking care of children with special needs. It includes modules to assist and instruct candidates to teach disabled children.
- Swayam – Children With Developmental Challenges: The duration of this course is roughly around 6 weeks. It is undertaken at the undergraduate level. It encourages a clear understanding of what to teach kids according to the individual capabilities they hold.
These courses teach the candidates the significance of mental health and help them to strengthen the mental development of their students. They impel the students to vigorously participate in classroom discussions.
Faculty Development Programme promises outcomes in learning and teaching practices and has proven effective in educational leadership as well. Faculty Development activities encompass administering workshops and seminars, book discussion groups, observation and feedback.
Today, Faculty Development Programmes are accountable for institutional morality and bringing in desired differences to answer the accumulating demands in schools.
Conclusion
Teachers must be motivated to pursue special education courses as an important part of their careers. It enables them to conduct roles such as examining the strengths and weaknesses of students, their interests, and methods of communication, integrating certain accommodations for students before formulating lessons. Special education teacher courses and Faculty development programmes for teachers take a major role in formulating these platforms.
Special education teachers help their students by encouraging them to stay out of all kinds of negative environments that might bring them down. It plays a huge role in building the students with growth as holistic as it can be.
They handle students in groups of a handful number thereby not letting any child feel missed out or neglected. Teachers must go through this training to enhance the future of students with special needs as well as of their own.