Reflective Account: Teaching Theories for Disabled Learners

This reflective account explores the author's experiences in teaching, specifically focusing on the application of educational theories and frameworks to teaching disabled learners. The author reflects on the effectiveness of Behaviorism and Constructivism in creating inclusive learning environments, highlighting the importance of adapting teaching methods to accommodate diverse learning needs. The account delves into the author's personal attitudes towards teaching, including optimism and a tendency towards status quo, and how these attitudes influence professional practice. The author identifies areas for improvement, particularly the need for greater flexibility to provide effective teaching to students with learning difficulties. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of reflective practice in evaluating past experiences, refining teaching strategies, and fostering personal and professional growth. The author recognizes the need to enhance teaching approaches to cater to a broader range of disabled students and promote a more inclusive educational setting. The paper provides insights into the application of theories and their impact on individual attitudes and professional practice.

REFLECTIVE
ACCOUNT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT.............................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION
Reflective account is an essential practice that is associated with reflecting and evaluating
past experiences which paves way for future growth and prosperity (Majid, 2016). Therefore, in
regards to this, the report below is a personal reflective account that is associated with practice in
relation to application of theories and frameworks for teaching disabled learners
REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
Teaching has always been quite an appropriate and essential experience for and working
within this activity contributed towards enhancement of my skill and expertise. It is an
imperative practice that allows me to provide appropriate and effective education services to a
range of learners in an appropriate manner.
In this context, the activity allowed me to come across a range of theories that were
subjected towards teaching disabled learners. One such theory was Behaviourism, which works
on the notion that the behaviour of an individual is controlled through several internal and
external conditioning. It required me to develop the curriculum in a manner that motivates
individuals towards gaining education. Another theory that was in question towards provision of
teaching to individuals was Constructivism. This theory relates to the fact that learning could
only be acquired and gained through sequential purposes and in a constructive manner.
Both these theories have appropriate principles and application towards disabled learning
(Ashwin and et. al., 2020). For instance, effective conditioning could be created for students who
are physically disabled. This could be done through inclusion of technology based learning,
which creates an environment for individuals to learn appropriately. As for constructivism, this
could be implemented for people with learning disabilities, as a range of different methods could
be used in regards to providing sequential knowledge to these individuals.
However, these theories enabled me to inform learning in an appropriate and effective
manner. For instance, I realised that while I could create an environment for individuals with
physical disabilities by implementing and using technological alternatives, I fail to develop a
curriculum that would allow me to provide the teachings to people with learning difficulties. The
reason for the same is that my teaching methods are not flexible enough to ensure appropriate
and effective benefits to these individuals.
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Through this activity, I also realised that attitude of an individual has a direct influence of
over their professional practice (Farrell, 2015). There are several things which this activity made
me realise about the same. For example, my attitude towards teaching is certainly optimistic, as I
effectively provide education and learning of new concepts and elements which are associated
with betterment of the academic and professional performance of individuals. However, I
realised that my attitude towards change is somewhat negative, considering the fact that I prefer
a status quo in my activities. This has an evidently negative impact on my professional practice.
The reason for this is because teaching is a practice which requires providing education to a
range of students with different mindsets and physical and mental capabilities. Hence, this
negative attitude of mine towards change would restrict me towards improvising my practices to
suit these students.
Moreover, I tend to motivate individuals as well, which I believe is quite imperative to
enhance their confidence and ensure better results academically. Furthermore, for this purpose, I
use a range of theories and principles that underpin my approach and allow me to ensure that
each person is motivated as per their own requirements and speed. I believe this attitude of mine
is quite beneficial for my performance in the future, which is related to the fact that I am capable
enough towards providing individuals with necessary support that is essential for their personal
and professional growth.
Hence, this activity allowed me to provide an appropriate insight towards several theories
and personal attitude that are necessary towards dealing with disabled individuals. However, I
believe that I must enhance my flexibility in a manner which enables me to adopt a more
inclusive approach towards providing teaching to disabled students in a better and more
productive way (Hayden and Chiu, 2015).
CONCLUSION
Thus, it could be concluded from the report above that reflective accounts are very
important and crucial for individuals to assess their past experiences which have an influence on
their current practice. Furthermore, it is crucial to reflect on theories and frameworks
implemented by people to determine the effectiveness towards appropriate application of the
same within their practice, as well as to identify their impact over own attitudes and professional
practice
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ashwin, P., and et. al., 2020. Reflective teaching in higher education. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Farrell, T.S., 2015. Reflective language teaching: From research to practice. Bloomsbury
Publishing.
Hayden, H.E. and Chiu, M.M., 2015. Reflective teaching via a problem exploration–teaching
adaptations–resolution cycle: A mixed methods study of preservice teachers’ reflective
notes. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 9(2). pp.133-153.
Majid, F.A., 2016. The use of reflective journals in outcome-based education during the teaching
practicum. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research. 4(1). p.11.
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