Philosophy of Education I believe that one of the rudimentary goals of education is to prepare students to be selfreliant, competitive, and contributing

members of society. I intend to fill this societal need by providing my students with the optimal environment for growth and discovery. I strongly believe that my responsibility as a teacher to provide every opportunity to encourage my students to grow as individuals and prepare them to be successful and independent. I will do this by recognizing the best method for instruction based on situations, by challenging students to think critical, and by encouraging diversity in the classroom. Learning that occurs incidentally, or as a result of natural engagement in activities, often is the most meaningful type of learning. I will aim to incorporate meaningful activities into my curriculum in order to facilitate this type of learning among my students. I will do this by providing opportunities for students to explore their environment - both local and on a more global scale. In many cases, students need direct instruction on skills and concepts. In these cases, it is important to still promote a community of learning and to encourage participation. I will encourage active learning in these situations by allowing for students to research topics and teach their peers and allowing participation and discussion of topics. It is important to recognize that children are our link to the future. Being a teacher is a special career because it allows for educators to have a direct impact on the future helping to shape those who will play a role in the future. This is done by providing students with the best education, encourage their students to better society by ensuring the development of responsible citizens. Educating student to think critically and to problem solve is insurance for a future full of professionals working towards solving social issues and curing diseases and helping the

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environment. Communicating to children that they have the power to change the way the world works and that they can help change the world by being positive and fighting for what they believe in or what is fair. Encouraging them to think critically and approach situations with an open mind are both important methods. The deviation in cultural values, religious beliefs, exceptionalities, and other aspects contribute to extreme diversity in the classroom and ensure a substantial variety of learners. This variety provides students and teachers with a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to a microcosm of some of the diversity that they will be exposed to in the world. As an educator, I will encourage the diversity and encourage a understanding of diversity and foster a sense of pride in my students for what makes them unique. Teaching students to be proud and open about their exceptionalities is important because it is providing the world with a generation of people who are sharing these diversities and educating others about them- in turn dispelling some of the false misconceptions others may have. I will encourage this by creating a curriculum that celebrates diversity and highlights important people from a variety of backgrounds. I will also be conscious of the individual needs of the students in my classroom and teach a variety of methods to allow for optimal understanding in the classroom. I believe that these methods will turn children into knowledgeable and attentive citizens who care about their world, and understand differences and embrace difference and arent scared of those who are different so that they can be more accepting. Teaching provides me with an opportunity to grow as an individual while simultaneously encouraging a similar growth and discovery in my students. During my career I will provide my students with an education that encourages them to love learning. I believe that I can provide my

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students with the best education to ensure that they are competitive and successful members of society one. Statement of Professional Goals An important factor in the development of a career and status as a professional is the awareness of a constant need for improvement and growth. It is my belief that even after I graduate, my journey to gain knowledge will not end. Through advancements in technology and practices, the field of visual impairment is ever changing. Best practices today are not the same as they were 20 years ago, and I feel it is unrealistic to expect all of the knowledge I graduate with to stay relevant throughout the entirety of my career. It is with this in mind that I intend to always be working to further my knowledge and understanding of visual impairments and teaching strategies. Before I settled on my current major, I knew I wanted to work with children. I have always had a passion for working with youngsters, and have been volunteering in various childcentered activities since as far back as I can remember. From helping out in elementary school classrooms, to volunteering at Girl Scout camp, I have always found joy in working with kids. While searching for a fulfilling degree, I sought out a job at an elementary school working the afterschool care. This was an important first step in working towards my goal, and I think it really helped me realize my passion for working with students with exceptionalities. Once I discovered that I wanted to work with students with exceptionalities, I further explored my options. I spent time working with a neighbor who has a cognitive delay and even visited her classroom to help and gain more experience working with students with multiple disabilities.

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Through a family friend I discovered the visual disabilities program and instantly realized my love for working with students with visual impairments. Throughout my time in the major, I have worked continually to further my development. I participated in 2 separate week long job shadowing of teachers of the visually impaired and was able to gain a lot of first-hand knowledge on the profession. I am also a member of the Florida Association for the Educations and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (F.A.E.R) at FSU, a club that raises money and coordinates volunteers for various community events to raise awareness for the needs of the blind and visually impaired. Over the summer I volunteered at Camp Abilities, a sports camp for children 9-19 with visual impairments. And more recently, I attend this years FAER conference which taught me about various assessments methods and ways to work with students with various impairments. It also taught me the importance of attending such conferences. I will be participating in an internship this spring. After my internship I plan to attend graduate school to get my masters in orientation and mobility. Following my completion of my masters, and once I am in the job force, I will be sure to continue my professional development. I will join additional professional organizations. These will provide me with more information related to my field and additional opportunities to attend professional workshops. Because I have always found volunteer work to be very fulfilling, I intend to spend a portion of my summers volunteering at various camps and transition programs for students with visual impairments. I feel like that is an opportunity for me to give back, as well as learn and grow as a teacher. I feel that I am very fortunate to recognize the importance of having professional goals, even this early in my career, and I will use the knowledge I gain from all of the experiences I am

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able to participate in to better myself as an educator, to make sure that I am able to provide my students with the best possible education I can give them.

Unique Needs of Students with Visual Impairments Support Statement Students with visual impairments often have exceptional needs that stem from their lack of visual learning. These students miss out on key information that their peers learn incidentally, that is through repeated observation. Without direct instruction in these areas that others pick up incidentally, students with visual impairments may demonstrate knowledge gaps. It is with this in mind, that the expanded core curriculum, or ECC, comes into play. The ECC provides instruction in a specialized set of vision-related skills for students who are blind or visually impaired. The ECC contains 9 areas and is intended to be taught alongside a standard curriculum. Though oftentimes some of the skills mentioned are taught in general education classrooms, it is rarely taught in a way that can close the gap for student with visual impairments. The areas of the ECC are discussed in-depth below, with an explanation of the importance. Assistive Technology Skills related to assistive technology are uniquely important to students with visual impairments as it contains direct instruction on how to use various pieces of technology. These devices are often exclusively marketed towards the visually impaired and they are often vital for their success in the work force. With these devices, individuals can stay on the same level as their sighted peers in terms of abilities. Having a cursory understanding of the way to use, and how to acquire these devices will allows for a student to independently access their environment, and provide them with the ability to compete in the workforce.

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Compensatory Skills Skills related to this part of the ECC are important to teach students with visual impairments as they provide students with the means to access information. They include braille, organizational skills, as well as other communication related skills. Organizational skills are important to teach students as they have to learn to rely on methods other than visual to keep track of objects in their environment. Teaching students these skills is teaching them to be independent, and to access material without assistance from others. Career Education Children are exposed to countless jobs in their daily life. They are easily able to learn various occupations and understand some rudimentary qualifications of holding the jobs. They can take in this information visually, and question frequently when they have gaps in knowledge. Without the intentional expose to available jobs, students with visual impairments may never gain knowledge of the many available jobs. That is why career education is so important. It begins with exposure to jobs and mirrors a childs development to provide them with more information as they mature. Career education includes instruction in professionalism, and dressing the part for the job, as well as how to apply, and qualifications that are needed. With career education, our students are able to learn about jobs, and gain the understanding and confidence to eventually seek fulfilling employment. Recreation and leisure Recreation and leisure may not initially seem to be very an important skill set to teach students, but when considering how prevalent it is in the lives of nearly everyone, it becomes easier to appreciate why having a solid foundation of understanding of various aspects of it is

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significant. It is important to teach students about the sports that can be made adaptable to visual impairments, and the sports that were designed for people with visual impairments to give them the same opportunity that countless others get, to be part of a team. Nearly everyone participates in some form of recreation and leisure activity. Millions of spectators attend or watch sporting events from little league to the Olympics. It is important, therefor to teach them about how to be a fan of a sport, so that they can have the option to bond and connect with others over sports. Orientation and mobility Orientation and mobility instruction is the training of individuals who are blind or visually impaired to safely and effectively travel through the environment. These skills are vital to the safety of students who have visual impairments that are severe enough to pose a risk for their safety when traveling. It is with their safety in mind that this skill set was added to the ECC. I believe that orientation and mobility skills should be ingrained in every activity that a student participates in. Every activity is a chance to learn how to navigate their environment. Social skills Many of our cultures social interactions and communications occurs nonverbally. It is possible to tell a lot about how a person feels by looking at them. When there isnt sight available, then many aspects are missing. It is important, therefor to teach students about the rudimentary aspects of social skills. Teaching students how to interact with others gives them the confidence to handle social situations and professional situations alike. Without this instruction, they may not have awareness of various norms and customs. It is for this reason that I believe that direct instruction in social skills helps students become successful and relatable adults. Self-determination

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Students with visual impairments often have to advocate for their needs. Due to their impairment, they need to grow used to explaining their abilities, and their special needs. This skill is needed beginning in the classroom- to tell teachers that they may need modifications, certain seating, or other various needs. It then translates into the workplace. At that point in their life they are independent and they will not have anyone to be their advocate. They need to learn how to communicate their impairment, what they need and how they can be aided. I want to train my students to be their own advocate, as a way to prepare them for their future. Sensory efficiency This skill involves teaching students to use their other senses to understand their environment. This includes any vision they may have, meaning teaching students when and how they should use their vision. Students with visual impairments have to learn to use their other senses to piece information together. Sensory efficiency provides students with a skill set that they can utilize in any environment. It is important, because though there are many tools and devices that will give students the same information, there is something to be said for students who can use their own body to give them vital information. Independent living Independent living consists of various activities that individuals perform in order to maintain independence in their personal life. It is often a wide range and can include food preparation, personal hygiene, money skills, dressing skills, grooming skills, and household organization. Students with visual impairments are less likely to have ample opportunities to observe their family and others participating in daily living activities. They often do not have a full understanding of how various tasks are performed. And oftentimes, children will have these

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task performed for them, furthering this gap in knowledge in performing these task. I know that teaching students independent living skills is an important step in teaching them to be independent in all aspects of their life. It is important as a teacher of students with visual disabilities to be fully aware of not only what the expanded core curriculum is, but have an understanding of why teaching each skill is so essential to these students. It is critical to have an understanding of the impact of the lack of incidental learning on students and know how to help bridge the knowledge gap that our students have in order to help them become positive and productive members of society. The ECC is so interconnected. It is hard to teach one area without touching on a bunch of others, it is important in everyday life.