SPED teachers teaching learners with difficulty in remembering and concentrating

Chapter 4

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

This chapter presents analyses and interprets the data on the lived-experiences of SPED teachers teaching learners with difficulty in remembering and concentrating.

Lived Experiences of SpEd Teachers Teaching Learners with DIFREM learners

The lived experiences of SPED teachers teaching DIFREM learners cover the following; Challenges, Coping Mechanisms, and Passion for DIFREM Learners.

This is manifested in Figure 2.

Insert here Figure 2 ---major themes.

Challenges

There were five concepts that came-up in relation to the challenges encountered of SPED teachers in teaching DIFREM learners.

These are Teaching Difficulties, Instructional Materials, Curriculum, SPED Fund, and Training Needs.

Teaching Difficulties. Teaching difficulties are one of the major challenges of SPED teachers in teaching DIFREM learners. Teaching difficulties include teaching academics, utilization of appropriate teaching strategies, behavior management, and training self-help skills.

The participants' teaching difficulty in academics is manifested in the following statements:

• Dili sayon ang pagtudlo sa mga DIFREM·labi na dugay kaayo sila makasabot interms sa ilahang comprehension.
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  [Teaching DIFREM is not easy ... because they have slow comprehension]." -Participant 2 (P2)

• Dili sayon tungod kay kinahanglan akong mahatag kanina ang ilang mga kinahanglanon sa pagkat-on matubag bisan pa sa ilang difficulties. [It is not easy because I need to see to it that their learning needs are met despite their experienced difficulties]." -P3
• Kanang lisod ba sila tudluan nga sabton jud nako sila kay dili jud diay siya ingon na kung unsa imong gusto mao jud ang matuman. [Teaching DIFREM is not easy, as I have to understand learners with special needs.
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  It requires me to adopt my teaching to their level]." - P5

• The participants' difficulty in utilizing appropriate teaching strategies is manifested in the following statements:
• Sa teaching strategies ga struggle ko ani kay bisan pa gibalik balik nako ang lessons ug tudlo, at the end of the year daw paminaw nako na hala oi mura man wala'y nakat-unan akong mga DIFREM. Ma feel nako na wala ko'y accomplishment nahimo which is very annoying. [I am struggling on what appropriate teaching strategies I must use for my DIFREM. Even if I applied the repetitive teaching approach I felt that somehow they do not learn from me. It is annoying on my part]." - P6
• Ga lisod ko unsaon pagtudlo labi na sa mga activities na angay para sa akong mga DIFREM. Dili ko kabalo sa mga teaching strategies ug techniques na suited jud para nila. [I do feel teaching difficulties. I do not know the appropriate teaching strategies and techniques suited for them]." - P7

The participants' teaching difficulty in behavior management is manifested in the following statements:

• Lisod sila tudluan labi na ug mag tantrums. I motivate lang jud nako sila aron akong makuha ilang attention. [Teaching or handling DIFREM is not easy. It is, especially, during their tantrums and I have to constantly motivate them to gain their attention]." - P1

The participants' teaching difficulty in training for self-help skills is manifested in the following statements:

• Lisod sya pero kung moabot na ilang mastery rewarding na sa imuha. Aside sa academics mag focus pod ko sa ilahang self-help skills. [Teaching DIFREM learners is not easy. It's because they need more time to gain mastery, especially those self-help skills]." - P4

Almost all SPED teacher participants' lived experiences were having teaching difficulties in academics, teaching strategies, behavior management, and self-help skills. All SPED teachers expressed difficulty in teaching DIFREM learners.

The participants expressed that DIFREM learners were difficult to handle because the learners were often difficult to teach especially when they were experiencing tantrums; what would be the appropriate teaching strategies to be used when behavior strikes like tantrums. They were not quick to learn the lessons; then, we need to really understand them because they have different, varied learning needs, so sacrifices on our part, are necessary. Moreover, not all of us teachers in terms of qualification are teacher education graduates major in SPED. Though we have learned things when we had availed ourselves of scholarships and have earned master's units in SPED, yet, our knowledge seems not sufficient as we were only exposed to learning theories of special education. Somehow, teachers really need to demonstrate sacrifices, especially, in letting the children learn through hands-on training strategy.

This was supported by Gatens (2016) that teaching will never be an easy profession. That much we know, but we also know that being a teacher is far more than just a job or a backup plan. And to do it well, they are you're going to have to be prepared to make sacrifices that stretch beyonds own capacity.

Prinsloo (2001) said that SPED teachers find it hard to deal with DIFREM learners. The SPED teacher's lack of the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise to understand and assist these learners, causes frustration and difficulty in teaching. These cause serious feelings of inadequacy which disrupts effective teaching and successful learning.

Instructional Materials. Another concept that emerged was instructional materials. This is manifested by the following responses.

• Problema jud ang IM's, dapat provided pod unta ta aron ang kakulangon matagaan ug pagtagad. [Instructional Materials are a pressing problem so that we can teach the learners well]." - P1
• Dako jud ang panginahanglanon sa tulunghaan tungod kay dili provided ug IMs ang special classes nga makatabang unta kanatong mga SPED teachers. [There is a need that school has all instructional materials to aid the teachers]." - P3
• Kung buot nato nga ang atong mga estudyante nga makakat-on og maayo, kita kinahanglan adunay mga IMs sa pagtudlo nga tinuod nga motubag sa mga panginahanglan sa mga bata. [If we want our learners to learn well, we need to have teaching materials that will truly answer the needs of the learners]." - P4
• Bisan pa ug naa ta'y IMs na kita'y gahimo ug nag gasto, pero mas maayo unta jud naa'y available na IMs na appropriate para sa mga learners. [Though we can have materials of our making and expense, it is better if there are available teaching materials that appropriate to the learning needs of the learners]." - P7
• Ang kakulangon sa IMs usa ka panginahanglan nga atong nasinati sa pagtudlo sa mga DIFREM. [Lack of teaching materials is a need that we are experiencing in teaching DIFREM learners]." - P8

Five out of eight participants expressed difficulties related to instructional materials used for teaching DIFREM were also a challenge experienced.

Participants expressed the reasons that instructional materials were a challenged because the government did not provide any appropriate teaching materials needed. They ended by insisting that they would continue to use the local teaching materials they personally made, and personally financed so as to help their learners.

This is supported by the study of Delacruz (2018) that instructional materials were one of the problems that our public school has faced. Because teachers most often come up with their own teaching materials which they can use in teaching the learners, . The DepEd should have provided them with IMs that are appropriate for the DIFREM learners and are ready to be used to ensure an effective teaching-learning event in the classroom.

Curriculum.

Another concept that emerged is curriculum, which includes curriculum guide and curriculum structure.

The participants complained about having no curriculum guide specifically for SPED provided by DepEd. This is evident in the following statements:

• Since I am new in SPED, I am basing my curriculum on the kindergarten curriculum, but not at all time. Ako lang gipili ang content na applicable sa akong mga DIFREM. Naa pod time na ug unsay naa sa akong hunahuna na lesson na need kaayo sa akoang mga learners mao man akong itudlo. [·What I do is to choose lessons that are applicable to my DIFREM. Then, whatever are their needs based on my observation, I teach them lessons that would answer their learning needs]." - P5
• Dili ko guided ug asa ko magsugod sa akong lesson ug unsa akong itudlo kay wala koy curriculum gi follow na para jud sa LSENs. Wala ko natagaan ug curriculum para sa DIFREM. Mao na sa kindergarten curriculum akong gigamit. [I am not guided where and what to begin in my lessons because I do not have a curriculum guide to follow for DIFREM. I am not given the curriculum for DIFREM. So what I used is the kindergarten curriculum] - P6
• Kindergarten curriculum akong gigamit kay wala koy curriculum sa SPED. [I don't have SPED curriculum so what I used is the Kindergarten curriculum]." - P7
• Sa grades I and II na curriculum akong gigamit kay graded naman akong mga learners na gi-tudluan. [I am using the regular curriculum (Grades I and II) for my learners are graded already]." - P8

The participants also expressed their thoughts about the absence of curriculum structure in SPED. This is evident in the following statements:

• Ang pinaka challenging nga akong nasinati mao ang unsaon pagtugot sa mga DIFREM nga makat-on ubos sa akong pag dumala nila. Mao nga kinahanglan matubag ilang mga panginahanglan.Bisan ga follow ko sa atong SPED kurikulum apan adunay problema sa pagpatuman niini tungod kay adunay mga leksyon nga dili angay sa mga DIFREM.Mao nga wala ko nagsunod ug nagpatuman sa curriculum nga adunay pipila ka mga leksyon nga dili mo haum sa lebel sa mga bata. Kinahanglan nga usbon ko kini. [The main challenge I encountered is how to let the DIFREM learn under my care. I therefore must able to answer their needs. I have to implement the curriculum but along the way got a problem with its implementation because there are lessons not suitable to the learners. So I do not faithfully follow and implement