GRETTA NAVALES

MIDTERM EXAM

1. Why Mental Health and Emotional Well-being matter in teaching learners with

Disability? Cite some philosophies or theories to prove your answer.

Special education teachers deal with children who have difficulties to express their feelings and

oftentimes withdraw or act negatively when they get confused or feel overwhelmed. When

dealing with these types of children, it is also critical to have a calm demeanor because a

classroom atmosphere may be extremely stressful for many children who must manage

behavioral and learning concerns .Thus, it is critical for special educators to have good mental

health and emotional well-being because they are expected to show calmness to lessen the

anxiety of the struggling students inside the class. As the saying goes “you can’t give what you

don’t have”, hence teachers can’t offer calmness to students when they themselves are

emotionally in trouble. Teachers must be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy to

perform their best. Eating good foods, drinking enough of water, regular exercise, sleeping for

8 hours, and turning off all gadgets at least 30 minutes before bedtime may all contribute to a

healthy mind and body.

2. How about you as a graduate student?

Mental health issues may have a detrimental influence on many aspects of a student's life,

specifically on the quality of my life which includes my academic accomplishment, physical

health, as well my relationships with my friends and family members. As a student of graduate

school and a senior high school teacher at the same time, it is very hard to balance life, work,
and mental health. I always find myself pressured and stressed in doing my errands especially if

I have several works and assignments to do. However, I believe that loads of works and

assignments do not hugely affect my mental health because even though I feel stressed in

accomplishing it, the experience was not that mentally exhausting compared to family conflict

or problems I experienced. According to Selye (1936), stress at a minimum level is healthy. It

can enhance the body’s ability to be alert, to focus, or to prepare the body to perform well

under pressure. Stress is the mind and body’s reaction to perceived threats or tension

(stimulus) that affects or disturbs the well-being, state of calm, or body’s balance. So

personally, accomplishing a task and beating the deadline is stressful but challenging because it

pushes me to the level of optimal cognitive and physical alertness that would lead to efficiency

in work and learning. I just sometimes lose my mental and emotional balance whenever I have

family problems, but it’s still bearable because I always look on the positive side of the problem

and ask God’s providence every time I feel weary.

3. Your role as a student in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

As a graduate student and a teacher in a fast-changing world of technology, I believe I must

equip myself with the technological knowledge and skills that I might need in case there will be

abrupt technological changes in the world specifically in the education field. First, the

enhancement of technology made information accessible for everyone, so I should have

excellent information literacy skills. Information literacy includes the ability to identify, find,

evaluate, and use information effectively. Information literacy is necessary in a world with

rampant online content that is misleading and false. Second, I should be a digital leader since I

am a teacher as well. I should synthesize learning and use it in collaborative environments.

communication and understanding, and integrate a variety of technology tools in their lives.

Thus, I should be a digital leader who improve technology experiences not just for myself, but

for my students as well. Lastly, I should be a tech-savvy educator who integrates technology in

my instructions and promotes a positive environment where my students find learning

enjoyable. I should learn to use technology, such as gamification, as a fundamental teaching

tool to help transform my classroom into an interactive, inclusive learning environment.

4. What is 4th Industrial Revolution?

A major shift in the way we live, work, and interact with one another has been brought about

by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is a new chapter in human history, made possible by

astonishing technological developments comparable to those of the first, second, and third

industrial revolutions. Introducing tools like digitalization, deep data analytics, process

automation, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IOT) that further

streamline workflows and give humans even more freedom to accomplish greater things–

including the fusion of the biological and virtual worlds in which we live. These advancements

are fusing the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that hold enormous promise as

well as possible danger. The revolution's pace, breadth, and depth are driving us to reconsider

how countries evolve, how organizations create value, and even what it means to be human.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than simply technological change; it represents

a chance for everyone, including educators, leaders, policymakers, and people of all economic

levels and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to improve lives.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution affects not only economic activities but it also has an impact

on education specifically in SPED Program. Nearly every element of our daily lives is changing as

a result of the digital revolution, including how children and young people access information,

communicate, and study. Although this revolution has not yet transformed the whole

educational system, there is a possibility that education would be highly adaptive to

technological advancements. In the recent years due to pandemic, education has shifted from

traditional classrooms to the virtual world–the online classroom. More and more institutions of

higher education are recognizing the benefits of online educational programs, mostly regarding

the need to keep up in a growing digital environment, but also for the creation of additional

revenue streams and for allowing students greater flexibility to work at their own pace. The

integration of technology in education probably has advantages and disadvantages like any

other changes. However, when we try to look at the comfort and excellence that technology

can offer in education, I guess it’s time to retire to the traditional pedagogies especially in

special education. We all know that technology is highly engaging when use in the class. Also,

some of the new inventions namely assistive technology and adaptive tools like audio players

and recorders, computers, graphics etc. are really helpful for learners specially students with

disability since these kind of assistive devices can substitute to their physical or learning

detriment. The following are examples of assistive devices or tools that can be helpful for

students with special needs:

1. Text-to-speech - Text-to-speech software, such as Kurzweil 3000, can read aloud digital

or printed text. This is beneficial as students are more likely to understand text when
 unfamiliar words are read to them (MacArthur, Ferreti, Okolo, & Cavalier, 2001). This

software can assist students with monitoring and revising their typed work, as hearing

the text read aloud may assist students in catching grammatical errors that may have

otherwise gone unnoticed (Raskind & Higgins, 1995; Rao, Dowrick, Yuen, & Boisvert,

2009; Zhang, 2000).

2. Speech-to-text –Writing involves low-level transcription skills (e.g., handwriting,

spelling, punctuation, and grammar), as well as high-level composition skills (e.g.,

planning, generating content, and revising). Speech-to-text software transcribes spoken

word into computer text, allowing the student to bypass the demands of typing or

handwriting; freed from these effortful tasks, students may compose stories that are

longer, more complex, and contain fewer errors (Graham, 1999).

3. Word Prediction -Word prediction software was originally designed for students with

physical disabilities who experienced difficulty typing. However, word prediction with

text-to-speech is also effective for students with learning disabilities because it reduces

the need for handwriting, and improves students’ spelling accuracy and writing skills

(Cullen, Richards, & Frank, 2008; Evmenova, Graff, Jerome & Behrman, 2010; Handley-

More, Dietz, Billingsley & Coggins, 2003; Lewis, Graves, Ashton, & Kieley, 1998; Silió &

Barbetta, 2010).

4. Graphic Organizers – Graphic organizers benefit individuals who experience difficulty

expressing their thoughts on paper as well as visual learners who need to see their ideas

mapped out. While graphic organizers completed without technology can help students
 with learning disabilities to improve the quality of writing (Institute for the Advancement

of Research in Education, 2003)

5. Pentop computers - Pentop computers, such as Live Scribe smart pens, are cheaper than

high-tech devices like iPads but can provide text-to-speech, strategy feedback, and other

organizational functions. As cost-effective and self-regulated reading aides, pentop

computers may be a useful tool for students with reading disabilities (Schmitt,

McCallum, Hennessey, Lovelace, & Hawkins, 2012)

Indeed, how we live, study, and work is being shaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Technology advancements are paving the way for flexible and responsive education which is

specifically helpful in special education. As online education grow more popular and extensively

utilized, methods for effective instructions and monitoring will be critical so we need to take

advantage of the new innovations in learning tools and processes that enable more inclusivity

for all students.