Students’ Perspectives on Their Vulnerabilities and Assets in Learning Within an Inclusive Secondary Mathematics Setting
Location
Session 3 Presentations - Teaching Mathematics
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Abstract
Students’ perspectives on their vulnerabilities and assets in learning should constitute the primary source of information in designing teaching programs to aid in their success, yet few studies document their needs and strengths from their standpoint. The current investigation used a case-study design including interviews and clarifying discussions, to capture the perspectives of high school students with disabilities. Document data was used to substantiate students’ achievement patterns and disability evidence. The sample of participants consisted of four self-selected high school students, from two inclusive Advanced Algebra classrooms. Findings suggest secondary students with disabilities 1) are heterogeneous in ability levels, strengths, achievement, interests, and needs; 2) show a good understanding of their vulnerabilities which closely resemble the weaknesses listed in their Individualized Educational Plan or Program (IEP); and 3) demonstrate limited knowledge of their assets. As positive implications, the participants perceived disability as a difference, part of human diversity, showed constructive transformations over time, and were successful as measured by multiple criteria of achievement.
Keywords
students’ perspectives, disability, high-school, strengths in learning, weaknesses in learning
Professional Bio
Cleopatra Sorina Iliescu knows that education holds the key to opportunities in life. This is her 15th year teaching high school mathematics in an inclusive setting at North Cobb High School and her 2nd as a part-time professor, teaching senior and master level courses in the Inclusive Education Department at Kennesaw State University. Cleopatra Sorina Iliescu holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering, from the University of Transylvania, Romania, a master’s degree in applied psychology, from Christopher Newport University, Virginia, and a doctorate in education degree from Kennesaw State University, Georgia. She is passionate about finding positive ways to support students with disabilities from inclusive classes to reach academic and subsequent professional and life success, based on their strengths, preferences, and interests.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
ILIESCU, Cleopatra Sorina, "Students’ Perspectives on Their Vulnerabilities and Assets in Learning Within an Inclusive Secondary Mathematics Setting" (2021). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 48.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2021/2021/48
Students’ Perspectives on Their Vulnerabilities and Assets in Learning Within an Inclusive Secondary Mathematics Setting
Session 3 Presentations - Teaching Mathematics
Abstract
Students’ perspectives on their vulnerabilities and assets in learning should constitute the primary source of information in designing teaching programs to aid in their success, yet few studies document their needs and strengths from their standpoint. The current investigation used a case-study design including interviews and clarifying discussions, to capture the perspectives of high school students with disabilities. Document data was used to substantiate students’ achievement patterns and disability evidence. The sample of participants consisted of four self-selected high school students, from two inclusive Advanced Algebra classrooms. Findings suggest secondary students with disabilities 1) are heterogeneous in ability levels, strengths, achievement, interests, and needs; 2) show a good understanding of their vulnerabilities which closely resemble the weaknesses listed in their Individualized Educational Plan or Program (IEP); and 3) demonstrate limited knowledge of their assets. As positive implications, the participants perceived disability as a difference, part of human diversity, showed constructive transformations over time, and were successful as measured by multiple criteria of achievement.
