Schooling Children with Down Syndrome- Christopher Kliewer

Schooling Children with Down Syndrome is about...

Equality Education

Down Syndrome

Acceptance

Democracy

Disability vs. Ability

Citizenship

Valures

Reciprocity

Arguement

Christopher Kliewer argues that acknowledging students with down syndorme as thoughtful, creative, and intrested learners with personal identities that distinguish them from all other people suggest an individual value that enhances any context containing the child. In classrooms that recognize all children as citizens, teachers and peers have rejected the image of community burden attached to down syndrome.



Evidence

1. Now that we know that people with disablities can learn and have a full, rich life. The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with diabilities.(Kingsley, 1996 p.6)

2. " Culture of segregation surroundng people with diabilities actually teaches underdevelopment of thinking through the isolation of children from socillay valued opportunites. [...] Altering the culture of disability requires that a child be recognized as an active learner, a thinker, and a problem solver"(83.)

3. "School citizenship requires that students not be categorized and seperated based on presumed defect"(85.)

Points to share/ Questions/ Comment

This article made me think of how disabled people are viewed in society and how I viewed the disabled. Reading this article made me realized that disabled people regardless of thier disability are capable of learning. During my volunteering at Pleasant View Elementary School, I am working with bilingual students but there are a few students who I mentally challenged. It is very difficult working with them because you must use two different methods of teaching when you are working with a mix of mentally challenge children and "normal" or average students. I don't think theres really a such thing as normal...but average students who can learn at the same capacity. To me... it seems unfair to mix them up because you hold students back from learning. But down syndrome children may be different, just because they look different doesn't mean they are incapable of learning with the average child. I do not know exactly how down syndrome can affect learning or intelligence but regardless of the matter, all children have different methods of learning. They should be taught accordingly. If down syndrome does affect their learning...than maybe it is best that they are taught seperatly.But if a teacher notices that this child is capable of learning more, than maybe they should be switched to an average class. I don't think segregation is good at all, but their learning should be based on their skills, capacity to learn and their intelligence.