My Special Education Learning Journey with OPC SEA

I think of my journey as building a house. My journey started with me solidifying my philosophical foundation related to special education. Central to developing these core sets of beliefs was understanding the theoretical underpinnings of special education and the legalities that govern special education in Ontario. A strong structure or framework is essential for the effective delivery of special education programming for our students. Each truss and beam represents the kinds of supports that we must have in place for us to have a strong special education delivery system at a system level and at a school level.

With a solid foundation and a sturdy framework i.e system and school-wide special education supports, we then need to ensure that the occupants of the house are supported in the delivery of special education programmes. To this end, we must ensure that we have a system in place to provide teachers with the necessary professional learning, especially in the area of special education.

This house must be maintained as the materials may succumb to wear and tear. An audit of what we do and how we do it at both the system and school level  must be done on a regular basis to determine the effectiveness of the system in delivering special education programming and services.

The maintenance that I can conduct at the school level could include:

• Including a special education component in our weekly memo to staff
• Including a special education component at our monthly staff meetings
• Creating professional learning opportunities for staff re:
  • IEP’s
  • Accommodations/Modifications
  • Programming for students on an IEP
  • Learning for All

This maintenance is an ongoing process both at a system level and at a school level and is essential to ensuring that our Special Education House remains strong.