Are you interested in working with children? If so, you might be wondering what the difference is between Special Education and Elementary Education. Both fields are similar in that they involve instructing elementary school-aged children, but the two fields differ significantly in how they approach teaching children.
Special Education teachers work with students who have learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, or other behavioral issues that make learning difficult. Special Education teachers create specialized curricula for each individual student, and often work within mainstream classrooms to give additional support to their students.
Elementary Education teachers teach all subjects to groups of students without learning disabilities or other special needs. They work to ensure that all their students are successful learners and create lesson plans based on the state’s standards. They may be generalists, teaching all subjects, or may specialize in a particular subject like English Language Arts.
Special education and elementary education are both important, but they have different focuses. Special education is focused on helping kids with special needs reach their potential by creating an environment where they can grow as learners and people. Elementary education is more focused on educating children in the foundational skills that they will need in order to succeed throughout their educational careers.
In elementary education, teachers work with students in grades 1-5. They usually focus on core subjects like math, reading, writing and social studies. There is some variation between schools, but elementary teachers generally teach a variety of subjects to the same group of students all day long.
Special education teachers also work with students ages 5 through 18. However, unlike elementary school teachers who typically teach a variety of subjects to one class every day, special education teachers often specialize in one subject or type of subject like reading or math. Also unlike elementary school teachers, special educators usually work with the same students for less than half the day and then move onto another class.
Special education programs often require additional coursework in subjects such as psychology, behavioral therapies, and teaching strategies for students with disabilities. Additionally, special educators often go through more rigorous certification and licensing processes than their general education peers do.
Special Education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students’ individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematic instruction of children in a way that addresses their unique needs. Special education includes learning disabilities, communication disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and gifts and talents.
Special education is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and their community, than may be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education. Elementary education covers a broad range of subjects taught to young children, such as language arts, math, social studies, science, music, art and physical education. The focus of elementary school is to help children build a strong foundation in these basic subjects so they can become successful learners as they move on to middle school.