LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

There are two legal mandates that protect students from discrimination and ensure that they have equal access to all aspects of education. These laws inClude Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.^[3]

Section 504 states that, “no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States … shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. . . . “

Title II of the ADA states that, “a public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the public entity can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity.”

Section 504 and the ADA specify that students are considered to have a disability if they meet any one of the following criteria:

• He or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities, or
• Has a record of such an impairment, or
• Is regarded as having such an impairment.

A major life activity is considered a basic human function, such as seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, speaking, caring for self, learning, performing manual tasks, and working.

Disability Conditions

Teachers of agriculture will not necessarily encounter every type of disability condition in their classrooms during their careers. However, teachers need to be aware of the conditions that exist and be able to find professional guidance in identifying various disability conditions. The following classifications of learners with special needs offer insight and suggestions for teaching these students. Public Law 94-142 identifies and defines the following disability conditions:

1. Autism. A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
2. Deaf-blindness. Simultaneous hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational problems that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or with blindness.
3. Deafness. A hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
4. Hearing impairment. Impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance, but that is not included under the definition of deafness.
5. Mental retardation (developmental handicap). Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
6. Multiple disabilities (multihandicapped). Simultaneous impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness, mental-retardation-orthopedic impairment, etc.), the combination of which causes such severe educational problems that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include deaf-blindness.
7. Orthopedically impaired. A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes impairments present at birth abnormally (e.g., clubfoot, absence of some member, etc.) or impairment from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns which cause contractures).
8. Other health impaired. Limited strength, vitality, or alertness caused by chronic or acute health problems, such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, leukemia, or diabetes, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
9. Serious emotional disturbance. A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
   1. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;
   2. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;
   3. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;
   4. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or
   5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
      The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted unless it is determined they have a serious emotional disturbance.
10. Special learning disability. A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.
11. Speech or language impairment. A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
12. Visually disabled. A visual impairment that, even with correction, adversely affects the child’s educational performance. The term includes both partially seeing and blind children.

Students with Learning Disabilities^[4]

Students with learning disabilities often learn differently from their peers. Although they have average or above average intelligence, there is frequently a discrepancy between their ability and their achievement in specific areas. Learning disabilities are presumably caused by a central nervous system dysfunction. Learning disabilities are permanent disorders that interfere with integrating, acquiring, or demonstrating verbal or nonverbal abilities and skills. There are generally some processing or memory deficits.

Each student with a learning disability has his or her own set of characteristics; one is not necessarily like another. Teachers of agricultural education can help identify some learners with special needs by noticing students’ difficulties in the following areas:

• Reading comprehension
• Written expression
• Mathematics
• Oral expression
• Auditory processing
• Visual processing
• Abstract reasoning
• Visual spatial skills
• Processing speed

Keep in mind that one student does not have difficulty with all of these areas but generally only a few of these areas. Also, it is not unusual for a learner with special needs to be gifted in some areas.

Students Who Are Visually Impaired^[5]

Students with visual impairments are constantly challenged by classroom instructional strategies. Although they can easily hear lectures and discussions, it can be difficult for them to access class syllabi, textbooks, overhead projector transparencies, PowerPoint presentations, the chalkboard, maps, videos, written exams, demonstrations, and library materials. A large part of traditional learning is visual; fortunately, many students with visual disabilities have developed strategies to compensate.

These students’ abilities vary considerably. Some have no vision; others are able to see large forms; others can see print if magnified; and still others have tunnel vision with no peripheral vision or the reverse. Furthermore, some students with visual impairments use Braille, and some·have little or no knowledge of Braille. They use a variety of accommodations, equipment, and compensatory strategies based on their widely varying needs. Many make use of adaptive technology, especially print to voice conversions using scanners and voice production software. Textbooks are often converted and put on disks for later use. Others use taped textbooks or equipment to enlarge print (closed circuit television [CCTV]) or actual enlargements.

Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing^[6]

Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on visual input rather than auditory input when communicating. Using visual aspects of communication (body language, gestures, and facial expression) often feels awkward to people who are accustomed to the auditory; however, it is essential that instructors learn to effectively communicate with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing do not all have the same characteristics. Some have a measure of usable residual hearing and use a device to amplify sounds (FM system). Some choose to speak; others use very little or no oral communication. Some students are extremely adept at speech reading, whereas others have a very limited ability to read lips. For some, sign language or finger spelling are the preferred means of communication; other communication choices include gestures and writing. Most students who are deaf or hard of hearing have experience communicating with the hearing population. Let them be the guide on how best to communicate.

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder^[7]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.

Students with ADHD or ADD (without hyperactivity) may have difficulty with one or more of the following areas:

• Concentration
• Distractibility
• Organization
• Completing tasks
• Sedentary tasks like reading
• Following directions
• Listening
• Sitting for lengthy periods
• Transitioning
• Planning

Some students with ADHD take medication for their condition. This medication may be a stimulant, which actually calms them and helps them focus on tasks. Antidepressants may also be used.

Students with Mobility or Medical Impairments^[8]

Mobility impairments are often caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury. Students may use crutches, braces, or a wheelchair, and in a few instances, may be accompanied to class by a round-the-clock nurse. Medical impairments are often hidden disabilities, caused by such conditions as arthritis, asthma, cancer, orthopedic limitations, postsurgery, chronic fatigue syndrome, or seizure disorder. The student may have limited energy; difficulty walking, standing, or sitting for a long time; or other disabling characteristics.

Functional limitations may be episodic for some students who may experience dizziness, disorientation, and difficulty breathing during a recurrence. For example, with asthma or a seizure disorder, students may have periods when they function without any accommodations, but at other times their functional limitations are quite severe.

Even with the same disability, students with mobility or medical impairments may have a wide variety of characteristics. For example, persons who have experienced a spinal cord injury are likely to show differing degrees of limitation. They may require different types of class accommodations or may not need accommodations, depending on their functional limitations.

Students with Psychiatric Disabilities^[9]

Students with psychiatric disabilities exhibit a persistent psychological disorder that adversely affects their educational access, their academic performance, and daily functioning. They frequently require medication. Psychiatric disorders include but are not limited to the following:

• Depression is a major disorder that can begin at any age. Major depression may be characterized by a depressed mood most of each day, a lack of pleasure in most activities, thoughts of suicide, insomnia, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
• Bipolar disorder causes a person to experience periods of mania and depression. In the manic phase, a person might experience inflated self-esteem and a decreased need to sleep; however, in the depressive phase, a person may experience lack of energy, lowered self-esteem, and lack of interest in family, friends, and school.
• Anxiety disorders can disrupt a person’s ability to concentrate and cause hyperventilation, a racing heart, chest pains, dizziness, panic, and extreme fear.
• Schizophrenia can cause a person to experience, at some point in the illness, delusions and hallucinations. (Source: University of Minnesota Disability Services web site: http://disserv3.stu.umn.edu/AG-S/3-5.html)

In most situations you will not be aware that you have a student with a psychiatric disability in your classroom. Because students do not show any outward signs of the disability, that does not mean that their disability is any less disabling than a more visible disability. Many of these students are fearful of and have faced stigmatization because of their disability. Some do not need or request any accommodations, and some require a variety of accommodations. For some, the disability is temporary. With medication or therapy, they recover. However, some students face a constant or a recurring battle to keep their disability under control.

TEACHER ATTITUDE

It is especially important that teachers exhibit positive attitudes toward learners with special needs. A positive attitude on the part of the teacher will encourage positive attitudes on the part of students. Positive student attitudes enhance learning.

Some teachers claim that time spent working with learners with special needs detracts from the educational experience of other students. This is sometimes true. However, a teacher who undertakes the thorough planning needed to effectively present instruction for special needs learners will find that instruction for all students will have been more thoroughly planned. Often the modified materials used for presentations to learners with special needs are equally effective with other students.

There is a legislative mandate to provide educational opportunity for learners with special needs within the regular school program whenever possible. But regardless of whether there was a legislative mandate, teachers have a responsibility to every student being served. Teachers must not attempt to exclude someone from the educational process simply because he or she may be more inconvenient to teach.

Students with mild disabilities in regular classes have been shown to progress as well as or better than those in special education classes. Schools, therefore, provide educational opportunity in the least restrictive environment. Whenever possible, a student with a disability is to be educated with his or her nondisabled peers.

CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES

There are some general approaches to teaching learners with special needs that work. These concepts and practices stress the value of meeting the individual needs of students. Although these practices are recommended for all students and were discussed earlier in the text, they are emphasized here because of their modified application with learners with special needs.

Student Attitude Development

Many learners with special needs have had their attitudes shaped by failure and rejection. The challenge to the teacher is to develop a positive atmosphere in which all students can learn.

Self-Concept. Self-concept may be the most important single factor in determining what a person is able to do under any given circumstance. It is how a person feels he or she will do in a given area that determines his or her success. A student may not perceive himself or herself as a studious individual, and hence not play the role of a student. There are specific ways a teacher can enhance the self-concept of all students. They include:

1. Praise achievements, no matter how small. Students react positively to praise. If a student does a good job of sweeping the pet shop floor, praise that student. If a student is more attentive than normal during a class period, praise him or her. For some students, praise may need to be given for five minutes of attentive work rather than expecting them to be attentive through an entire class period before receiving your positive reinforcement.
2. Avoid labeling students. In conversations, never refer to students as retarded, special education students, or slow learners. Such labels tend to lower a student’s self-concept.
3. Ignore negative behavior, when possible. Students receiving criticism of negative behavior are reinforced in their belief of low self-worth. Instead, if the behavior is a minor problem, learn to live with it. For example, if a student cannot seem to sit still, it might be better to let the behavior continue than to call attention to the student for the behavior. Channel the behavior in a contributory way.
4. Treat students with dignity. This can be done by valuing students’ opinions and by treating them with respect.
5. Encourage each student’s assets and interests. If a student draws well, encourage him or her to develop plans for a class project. If a student is a good welder, have that student give a class demonstration.
6. Compare a student’s performance with his or her previous work, not that of other students. A student may recognize that his or her work does not compete with others in the class. A teacher, by stressing how the student’s floral arrangement is improved over a previous attempt, will help the student develop a sense of progress.
7. Point out areas of accomplishment rather than focusing on mistakes. If a student creates a sign for the outdoor nature center at the school, but not perfectly, a teacher should recognize that the student has finished a project that he or she had never been able to do previously. In this way, the student is not discouraged from trying again.
8. Listen intelligently to each student. A student who wants to tell the teacher about the playful antics of a lamb at home wants to feel that the teacher is interested in what is said. You must take time to listen.
9. Support students in their attempts to express themselves. Learners with special needs may have some difficulty communicating ideas. Encourage them when they offer to share with the class or the teacher.
10. Provide each student with honest success experiences. Look for experiences in which students may succeed. Do this by giving them responsibilities that match their capabilities and by practicing small increments of the responsibility until it builds to successful accomplishment. Keep in mind that a very small task can be a success for many students.
11. Provide specific help for improvement rather than generally negative comments about work. Rather than telling a student where he or she erred, give specific suggestions. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t hold the parrot that way,” suggest, “It is easier to control the parrot when you hold it like this.”

Recognition and Reward. Being rewarded for doing something correctly usually causes that behavior to be repeated. The rewards should be appropriate to the situation and meaningful to the student. Rewards should be consistent for all students.

The FFA organization provides an excellent vehicle for recognizing achievements of students. The number of awards provided should be sufficient so that all students who have achieved in some area are recognized. The FFA Achievement Awards program provides a system through which FFA members are recognized for their accomplishments in both the instructional program and in their FFA leadership activities. Students participating in the achievement awards program compete against a standard set of performance objectives rather than against other chapter members.^[10] The awards are intended to involve all students studying agriculture in the awards system of the FFA and to provide a broad array of opportunities for recognition. An individual contract containing a checklist of skills to be achieved can be developed with each student. Achievement award certificates are available to teachers from the National FFA Organization.

Learners with special needs often respond to immediate rewards rather than the promise of later recognition. Therefore, teachers must devise a system for giving immediate recognition to desired behavior. An FFA merit point system is an example of providing both immediate and delayed gratification. The student receives points for displaying desired behavior. As points accumulate, the student again receives recognition for the total effort.

Fear of Failure. Fear of failure may result in avoiding an activity in which students perceive they will fail. Students have been known to be absent from school because of a planned activity (such as an examination) they believe they might fail. Some students will simply refuse to try tasks they believe they cannot successfully accomplish.

A person may have potential for a certain job, but it is only after that person believes that he or she can do it that it will be performed successfully. Once a task or job has been accomplished, proficiency and confidence result, which facilitate success in additional work.

In the classroom or laboratory, learners with special needs may not feel capable of performing certain tasks. A teacher may need to provide a meaningful related learning activity. Confidence can then be developed to do work that previously was thought to be too difficult. Learning activities should be designed so students believe they can succeed in doing them but at the same time believe they have been appropriately challenged. Learning activities designed with this range of challenge will enhance student satisfaction and self-concept and help them overcome fear of failure.

Motivation. Students are motivated at all times, but often they are motivated along lines that are not educational. A student may be motivated to study in the classroom, to be disruptive, or to daydream. It is the responsibility of the teacher to channel students’ motivations along positive, constructive lines. Because disadvantaged students have sometimes experienced academic failure and frustrations, they will have to be provided with positive experiences before a consistent motivation to learn is established.^[11]

Feedback and Reinforcement. Students need to be shown that their actions do make a difference. Feedback or knowledge of results is a motivational technique based on theories of behavioral change. Feedback of a positive nature will provide reinforcement and increase the probability of repeated behavior.

Reinforcement can be verbal (written or oral), nonverbal (physical gestures or appropriate contact), or material (money, food, special privileges). Feedback must be appropriate to the individual. Stephens^[12] suggests some tactics for use by teachers:

• Direct reinforcement. When students perform or respond correctly, the teacher rewards them. Direct reinforcement can be positive or negative and can be used to develop appropriate or inappropriate behavior.
• Shaping. Behavior is shaped through differential reinforcement of gradually improving responses on the part of the student. In this procedure the teacher may recognize and compliment a student attempting to drive a nail for holding the hammer correctly, and later for completing a nail-driving project correctly.
• Cuing. Students are coached using a step-by-step process in which they are signaled concerning the appropriate performance for each step. A teacher making a corsage would tell a student to watch and do what the teacher does; the teacher would perform only one step at a time; and the student performs the step while observing and listening to the teacher.
• Contingency contracting. Performances and rewards are specified in advance. Interim rewards may be used for progress toward desirable performance.

Student Personal Development

Learners with special needs must develop skills in citizenship if they are to successfully enter adult life as productive workers. There are several techniques that can be used by teachers to develop students in this area. Some are best used in conjunction with the National FFA Organization (see Chapter 11).

Learners with special needs should have the opportunity, through the FFA, to conduct group planning, accept responsibility, develop awareness of the rights of others, and develop work habits and social skills.

Supervised Agricultural Experience

Supervised agricultural experience programs (see Chapter 10) are a desirable part of agricultural instruction for all students, including those classified as learners with special needs. It is especially important that learners with special needs be encouraged to apply instruction because, for these students, abstractions are less meaningful than real hands-on experience.

Instruction and assistance should be provided to students at the time of practical application. Demonstrations are nearly always needed, and close supervision of the work is required.

Student placement with cooperating employers is especially important for special needs learners. The successful work experience gained in supervised agricultural experience will enable students to gain the needed confidence and work record for further employment.

Supervised agricultural experience also teaches students to manage money. Basic personal accounting should be considered as a part of the intracurricular course of study.

Student Safety

Teachers of agriculture are responsible for the safety of their students (see Chapter 9). Special needs learners may require extra instruction and supervision in this area. Therefore, teachers must devote time to safety instruction and supervise a safety test (in some states this is the law) for each student on every potentially hazardous piece of equipment, technique, or process.

Guards on machines must be kept in place. Demonstrations must be given for each step of each job. The teacher must provide supervision. It is helpful to establish a checking procedure whereby students must demonstrate what they are going to do before the task is performed.

Individual Instruction

The teacher is responsible for preparing instruction that meets the individual needs of all students, whether they are classified as disadvantaged, disabled, regular, or gifted. The technique of teaching using individualized instruction has been discussed previously (see Chapter 7). Special needs learners must have an individualized educational plan (IEP). The plan is usually prepared by a team but chaired by the special education teacher. The IEP involves assessment of need or diagnosis, specification of learning objectives, planning and providing learning activities, and assessment or evaluation of learning. Agriculture teachers need to be proactive in providing objectives and activities to the special education teacher for inclusion in the IEPs of learners with special needs enrolled in agriculture classes. Given the hands-on, intracurricular nature of agricultural education, the agriculture teacher is equipped to suggest techniques and strategies that are contextual to the agriculture curriculum. By working together, both teachers are proactive, rather than reactive, to the needs of the learners.

The special needs teacher will lead the team of professionals that perform the following duties:^[13]

• Assessment
  • Psychological testing
  • Organize and facilitate assessment
  • Assess students’ needs and make program recommendations
• Consultation and Program Planning
  • Facilitate the development of behavior management programs
  • Facilitate the development of IEPs
  • Discuss modified programs and teaching strategies with teachers; offer recommendations and provide support in program planning for students who are encountering academic or emotional difficulties
  • Consult with administrators, teachers, teaching assistants, and parents regarding appropriate special education programs for students
  • Provide information regarding interpretation of assessments, medical documents, and special needs
  • Assign students to district special education programs
• Provision of Resources
  • Recommend materials and resources for special education students
  • Order materials and resources for special education
  • Consult in-service teachers, teacher assistants, and parents regarding special education issues

ENRICHING INSTRUCTION

Instructional techniques that teachers of agriculture might use with learners with special needs are not unlike those that might be used with any group of students. General techniques have been discussed in previous chapters (see chapters 6 and 7). However, with learners with special needs, techniques that appeal to multiple senses and those that reinforce and reemphasize learning are needed. The techniques that follow, although useful with all students, may have special value with students who are disadvantaged or disabled.

Using Instructional Materials

Learners with special needs may have limited vocabularies and be behind grade level in reading or other core subjects. Their orientation may be toward verbal rather than written communication. Standard materials will not meet the needs of students with these characteristics.

To develop the ability of students to read and understand literature in agriculture, the use of glossaries, word lists, or vocabulary lists is helpful. Students should be challenged to learn new words and their meanings. New words can be taught by connecting the word with its visual image, when possible. Either a picture or a real object can be used to illustrate the word. The word can be used in simple sentences to develop further understanding.

The reading level of instructional materials is an important consideration. References for student use should represent a variety of reading levels. During supervised study, materials should be assigned according to the reading capability of students.

Because of the difficulty some students have in dealing with abstractions, real objects should be used for demonstrations when possible. Visual aids may be used to illustrate concepts. With visual aids, use questioning to assess understanding. Students may have trouble visualizing two-dimensional illustrations of three-dimensional objects.

Multimedia presentations are useful and desirable. They appeal to multiple senses and can be replayed for repetition and overlearning. Tape recordings may be especially useful for this purpose.

A camera and the resulting photographs can stimulate interest and discussion. Impromptu photos of individuals involved in field trips or special events may be posted on a bulletin board. The result is often a better group spirit among students.

Students with specific disabilities such as blindness or deafness may need specialized aids. Special education teachers can assist teachers of agriculture in selecting appropriate materials.

Sensory-Rich Classroom

A sensory-rich classroom can arouse student interest, stimulate thinking, and provoke questions. There should be a variety of things to see, touch, hear, smell, and taste.

Developing learning centers of various varieties and grades of hay or silage can enrich a unit of instruction on feeding ruminants. You can also enrich the unit of instruction by conducting experiments on rate gains of animals fed different protein levels. A natural resources unit of instruction on recognizing game birds can be illustrated with color photographs of various species. The ingenuity and imagination of the teacher serves to develop and maintain a climate of anticipation about learning.

Peer Instruction

A student who has mastered a particular skill or some knowledge is often able to work effectively in teaching other students. This method of peer instruction is especially effective in providing individualized or small-group instruction for learners with special needs. Peer instruction using students from another classroom has been found to be more effective when:

• The assistance program was completely voluntary.
• Learning to help was regarded as an educational activity for the assistants.
• Assistants were provided with feedback.
• Helping became a status activity.^[14]

When students from the same classroom help other students, care should be taken to avoid the stigma that might be attached to being helped. Vary the procedure so that occasionally a learner with special needs works with another learner with special needs. Take advantage of possible opportunities for learners with special needs to demonstrate skills to regular students. This opportunity may come when a regular student is making up work because of an absence or when a student with special needs possesses a specific skill. For example, a student with special needs may have practiced to become proficient as a dairy holder. The student could then help others learn showmanship skills. Peer instructors should be taught, among many things, to be patient, to relate with others, and to express themselves. They must practice demonstrations for small groups of students to develop their abilities in these areas.

SUMMARY

The goal of every school must be to provide educational opportunities for learners with special needs within the regular school program whenever possible. In regular classes, students who are mildly handicapped can progress as well as or better than they do in special classes. By placing learners with special needs in regular classes, they avoid the stigma that is often associated with special needs education.

All agriculture teachers are likely to teach learners with special needs in their classes. Assistance can usually be obtained when needed from the special needs teacher from whose class a student is being placed in your classroom. Teachers continually serving students who are disabled may desire further in-service education to better prepare them for the task. The contribution to individuals and to society because of effective instruction of these students is great. Teachers must enthusiastically accept the challenge of teaching every student enrolled in their classes.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

1. Read the following case problem and answer the question in the last sentence.

   CASE PROBLEM

   Although Mary’s legs were severely crippled, she could use her crutches to walk. During the first week of school she went with the rest of the horticulture class on a field trip to a large commercial greenhouse. Shortly after the tour of the facilities began, she became tired from walking. Especially difficult for her were the gravel walkways. Ms. Brown, the class’s teacher, gave her a chance to rest briefly before continuing on the tour. As the field trip continued, Mary’s rest stops became more frequent and her slow walking put the trip farther and farther behind schedule. Mary sensed that she was spoiling the trip for the other students, so she made up a story that she did not feel well and wanted to go back to the bus to wait until the others had finished the tour. What should the teacher have done?

2. Visit a school that offers an agriculture program. Observe the students in one or more classes. Discuss with the teacher which students might be classified as learners with special needs. Find out how the teacher modifies instruction to meet their needs.
   1. List the number of students with each classification of special needs.
   2. What challenge does the teacher face in teaching these students?
   3. What special techniques does the teacher use?
3. Visit with a special education teacher. What recommendations does he or she have for teaching various learners with special needs in his or her classes?
4. Observe a special education teacher during class. Describe techniques being used, and rate the effectiveness of those techniques with the various classifications of learners with special needs.