My Learning from Kin 120

As a student who is studying Inclusive Education, I thought it’d be helpful to post one of my forum posts on my learning in Kin 120 – a class on Sports and Recreation with Disabilities.

In this course I have learned multiple things about how to work with people with disabilities. I have learned about this from a sports perspective through KIN 120, seeing the other courses I had taken regarding disabilities had not been focused on sports and recreation. I had been learning about communicative disorders, technology, etc. but hadn’t yet seen a course regarding athletics with disabilities.

One of the most memorable pieces of information that resonates with me is the ‘Daring to Believe’ video, as I could see how meaningful the hike up to the top of Mount Albert Edward was to Ryan. As I’m a student in the Faculty of Education, I look at this class as learning methods to teach future students. As I saw what Mr. Peter Mason did for Ryan to accomplish his seemingly impossible goal, I realized that that’s the teacher I’d like to become. One that fully listens to their students’ needs, and takes them into consideration. Lots of individuals in Mr. Peter Mason’s spot could have just told Ryan to ‘dream big’ or ‘see what happens’ or that ‘they have faith in him’ (which are all considerable comments), but Mr. Peter Mason showed Ryan that he could accomplish this, instead of just telling him he could. He put his all into Ryan’s goal, and in my opinion, that is a very strong move as a teacher. Mr. Peter Mason created a memory for Ryan that he will remember forever. He even chose the best individuals to go along with Ryan, and that shows his dedication towards his career. I aspire to be a teacher like Mr. Peter Mason, who inspires their students and shows them that they can accomplish their dreams, no matter how difficult they might seem.

I also took Module 2 on modification strategies into consideration for my lifestyle in the Faculty of Education. Seeing I plan to be working with students, there is a very high chance that I will need to modify certain activities for individuals with disabilities. This course provided me with some awesome methods to help potential students I could teach be a part of activities that might be difficult for them. Through this course I learned that one-size-fits-all is not a great strategy, as every student learns differently. Not all methods for individuals with disabilities will work for everyone. Some students might prefer to work on their own away from peers with a helper. Some students might prefer to be alongside their peers in the same environment with help when necessary. Both of these methods are great for different reasons, but one will not work for everyone. It’s important to get to know (in my scenario, students) individually, so you can help them learn in an environment that’s welcoming and best for them.

Another module that was important to me was the module on behavioural support. Learning how to modify an environment and help individuals behaviour wise are necessary skills for me as a student in the Faculty of Education. Taking the correct approach with potential students with disabilities is very important to ensure they feel safe, respected and understood. In Module 8, the information written is that Positive Behavioural Supports are Respectful, Normalized, Preventative, Educational, and Individualized (Module 8). I think the term ‘individualized’ is especially important, as this fits in with the ideology that ‘one-size-fits-all’ will not work for every individual. It’s important to recognize the individuals have their own needs that need to be catered to, and one cannot just presume that a method that worked for another individual will work for them. I think the term ‘preventative’ is also important, as one might find themselves in a difficult scenario with problematic behaviour and not know how to change that to positive behaviour. As listed in the module, it might seem less difficult to just avoid the problematic behaviours the individual might be finding themselves in, but it’s very important to help them learn how to maintain behaviours that help them learn in the best matter possible.

KIN 120 helped me learn how I can become a helpful teacher for potential students with disabilities I could teach. With seeing real stories of successful students such as Ryan in ‘Daring to Believe’ as well as learning about disabilities in sports, modifications and methods, I believe that learning all of this information will guide me in my journey through the Faculty of Education. I plan to be able to use these methods in my future classroom and remember the story of Ryan, and tell all of my students that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to!

References

“Daring to Believe”

Module 2, UR Courses

Module 8, UR Courses