Abstract:

The aim of this study is to be able to identify the strategies they have developed in addressing the problems they encounter while teaching students with mental disabilities in general and private educational classes. The phenomological research approach, which is a qualitative research method for this purpose, has been used. During the creation of a working group, the measurement sampling method was used from targeted sampling methods and 13 teachers with mental disabilities were reached in the classroom. The data was obtained through a semi-structured interview form and the class teachers who voluntarily supported the research during the interviews were asked to answer the 6 open end questions in the semi-structured interview form. In the research, in order to ensure the validity and reliability criteria sought in quality research, reliability, consistency, portability and validity criteria have been taken into account. The obtained data was analyzed through content analysis and visual analysis techniques. While the participants' opinions are combined into common topics, citations from the participants' opinions are presented. The research findings have been evaluated on four topics, including "the approach that teachers adopt in the reading-writing teaching process, the problems they encounter, the strategies they implement and the recommendations they develop". In this study, it is understood that all teachers, by adopting a student-centered approach, conduct reading-writing activities in such a way as to take into account the needs of the student with mental disability. With an approach to focusing the child, it is understood that in the reading-writing activities that they carry out depending on the disadvantages of the student, not on their skills, teachers are trying to put in different practices when they 'select methods, use tools, organize events'.

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