Section 2.2: Learner Exceptionalities 2.1.6 - Compare Theories and Philosophies of Education and Training Impacting Learners With Exceptionalities
Section 2.2: Learner Exceptionalities 2.1.6 - Compare Theories and Philosophies of Education and Training Impacting Learners With Exceptionalities
Section 2.2: Learner Exceptionalities 2.1.6 - Compare Theories and Philosophies of Education and Training Impacting Learners With Exceptionalities
2: Learner Exceptionalities
2.1.6 - Compare theories and philosophies of education and training impacting learners
with exceptionalities
performance is so different from the norm that additional services are required.” When training
to become a teacher, it is most important to learn how you can teach to every child’s ability, with
or without exceptionalities and even giftedness. Howard Gardner, Benjamin Bloom and B.F.
Skinner are educational theorists who dove deeper into the world of exceptionalities and because
of them, IEP and 504 plans were implemented across the world so that each student’s situation
discovered the Theory of Multiple Intelligence. This theory explains how humans have several
different ways of processing information and teachers must implement different techniques to
reach every student. Putting this theory into place promises this as a result, all children will reach
a new level of understanding and no child will be left behind. Gardner says that using logic,
mental images, sound/music and communication to teach students, will apply to every kind of
learner in the classroom. Benjamin Bloom had his own theory that piggyback off of Gardner’s.
Bloom believed in methods of taxonomy, or thought processes, he created a scale based on how
students learn in different ways. The scale reads : remember, understand, apply, analyze,
Another notable theorist who shaped the world of exceptionalities for an abundance of
students is, B.F. Skinner. He spent his lifetime studying behaviorism and ended up learning that
behavior is acquired through conditioning or through the use of both positive and negative
punishment as reinforcement. Growing up, I always remembered every teacher having some kind
of rewards system for good behavior and consequences for bad behavior. Skinner believed if
teachers implemented reward systems, punishment, or simply a behavior chart, the classroom
Thanks to the findings of educational theories, education has grown tremendously and
discovered the best methods to prevent students with exceptionalities from slipping through the
cracks. IEP and 504 plans were found as the solutions; they made sure every child with
exceptionalities will get the attention, help, and guidance they need to thrive. Depending on their
exceptionality and the severity, each plan will be customized to their needs. IEP is a more
individual plan that includes specific goals for that particular student, in contrast to the 504 plan,
of which only consists of accommodations such as; having extended time on tests or having
needs” simulation so we, as future teachers, can find empathy for each student. Each task was
designed to mimic a different disability such as; dyslexia, dysgraphia, non-verbal learning
disabilities and more. Overall my experience was uncomfortable and yet very eye opening, I
wrote a reflection essay following the simulation (this can be seen in evidence 2.2.4). I can’t
imagine a student enduring these challenges every day of their life, I was extremely frustrated
and exhausted only after participating for a few hours. When I become a teacher I will hold a
Due to the works of theorists such as, Howard Gardner, Benjamin Bloom, B.F. Skinner
and many more, teachers now have better resources to help differentiate their teaching. The word
differentiate means, “The acknowledgement of all different learning styles such as visual,
kinesthetic, auditory, or collaborative and valuing all types of learners” (evidence 2.2.5). Thanks
to these studies and theories, students with exceptionalities are grasping educational topics faster