pedagogy and classroom design students special needs

Educators and school administrators have a legal and ethical obligation to create learning environments that serve all students, include those who have been labeled with emotional or developmental disabilities, or with behavioral disorders. I believe that educators frequently become frustrated due to lack of knowledge about best practices in special education, especially when working in a universal classroom. The entire school benefits from serving children with special needs through effective classroom design, in terms of higher overall achievement scores (Carrero, Collins, Lusk, et al., 2017). Therefore, I am proposing low-cost, unobtrusive alterations to classroom design that all teachers and schools can implement.
The preliminary research I have done to investigate my research question has revealed a fairly large body of research demonstrating what works and how to create an optimized classroom environment for all students. Also, I believe that changes to the classroom environment do not need to be costly, and often entail simple attitudinal changes in administration, leadership, and among the student body. These attitudinal changes can promote a supportive learning environment that yields measurable results in performance outcomes. I have some personal experience with helping students with special needs, but I have minimal education leadership experience so am unaware of the institutional obstacles that might stand in the way of implementing suggested changes. However, I know that submitting my proposal to school districts or to individual schools should include a reference to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation to underscore the legal obligation that educators have to meeting the needs of all students through effective classroom design. Although optimistic, I do not believe I am biased but am simply interested in making evidence-based practice suggestions for teachers working with students with special needs.
The classroom design includes all aspects of the learning environment, from the size, shape, and location of the room, the presence of natural light, the arrangement of seating, availability of interactive learning resources, the placement of the teacher in relation to students, acoustics, and any other element that is not strictly embedded in the curricula or lesson plans. Research shows that classroom design can exacerbate predispositions to emotional and behavioral problems including what are known as behavioral excesses (such as outbursts or aggression) and also deficits such as being withdrawn, not participating, or not showing up for school (Landrum, Tankersley & Kauffman, et al, 2003). Research also shows that students are much more likely to comply with classroom regulations when environmental triggers are removed, and when the classroom design promotes prosocial behavior (Landrum, Tankersley & Kauffman, et al, 2003). Prosocial behavior has in turn been positively correlated with the ways teachers arrange their classrooms to encourage social interactions among peers or between teacher and student (Breeman, Wubbels, van Lier, et al., 2015). Therefore, making changes to the classroom environment through strategic design, layout of the classroom, the placement of props and other materials, and the nature of the workspace can all help reduce unwanted behaviors and promote student achievement.
Another element of classroom design that has been shown to be important for promoting the achievement of students with special needs is universal design for learning (UDL). The principles of UDL go beyond just the physical environment. Using UDL, teachers are encouraged to use multimedia throughout all lessons, using rich examples and multiple means of expression (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). The assumption is that students interact with material in different ways based on their emotional and cognitive orientations, and multiple means of representing and expressing material helps each student understand and comprehend the lesson. The keys to effective instructional and classroom design for meeting the needs of all students is flexibility and creativity.
Classroom management techniques and pedagogical methods are also important to address in the interest of promoting higher academic achievement for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Brownwell, Ross, Colon, et al. (2005) show how active pedagogy helps students with special needs. Active pedagogy focuses on anticipating the needs of students and responding to them proactively (Brownwell, Ross, Colon, et al., 2005). Combined with UDL and other classroom design strategies, active pedagogy can be implemented at relatively low cost to schools because it requires more of an attitudinal shift than investment in new materials. I am interested in promoting both UDL and active pedagogy based on research showing that student outcomes are measurably higher throughout schools that promote active pedagogy (Bronwell, Ross, Colon, et al., 2005).
Perhaps more challenging are the issues related to organizational culture in schools. For example, collaborative teaching methods that build a professional and supportive community have been shown to promote higher academic achievement among students (Bronwell, Ross, Colon, et al., 2005). Yet creating a professional and supportive community requires changes to organizational culture and climate. If the school does not already promote collaboration and a supportive working environment for teachers, then leadership change may be in order. My research has consistently revealed that teachers perceive leadership and organizational culture as being the most important components of improving services for students with special needs (Braxton, 2004). Therefore, I have proposed transforming the organizational culture in schools using simple means, such as holding weekly meetings with educators and administrators to discuss concrete ways of maintaining a community of collaboration.
Based on what I have learned about this subject so far, I have proposed holding a seminar for all teachers that exposes them to the extensive body of evidence demonstrating the ideal classroom environment for students with emotional and behavioral problems. Each teacher can construct a classroom environment conducive to helping all students based on the information provided in the session, and their efforts will be monitored with close attention paid to assessing student outcomes incrementally and at the end of the school year. The seminar can include various creative ideas: ways teachers can arrange their rooms or vary their classroom designs to diversify the environment or to provide comfort and stability to students who need it. I would also suggest a revision of instructional strategies to reflect active pedagogy and UDL. Furthermore, seminars with teachers can introduce them to the plethora of materials, technologies, and resources available to them online and through professional organizations. Some teachers may opt for more collaborative learning technologies and educational games, while others might want to hold more class sessions outdoors or on field trips. The key for working with students with special needs in integrated classrooms is creativity and flexibility, rather than rote ascription to a lesson plan. Teachers therefore need to cultivate situational awareness.
Studying this topic will tremendously benefit the field of education because of the ethical and legal obligation to help students with special needs. Most teachers will encounter challenges working with special needs students, which will sustain interest in the subject throughout my dissertation research. My research will help administrators and educators learn more about what they can do to improve classroom design, enhance pedagogical flexibility, and promote a supportive and collaborative organizational culture without having to invest much other than some time and effort. Many of the changes that can be made to instructional and classroom design are simple yet effective, and depend more on leadership and organizational culture than on fundraising and policy change.


References
Braxton, L.M.K. (2004). An investigation of special education teacher support. Dissertation.
Breeman, L.D., Wubbels, T., van Lier, P.A.C., et al. (2015). Teacher characteristics, social classroom relationships, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral classroom adjustment in special education. Journal of Social Psychology 53(1): 87-103.
Brownell, M.T., Ross, D.D., Colon, E.P., et al. (2005). Critical features of a special education teacher preparation. The Journal of Special Education 38(4): 242-252.
Carrero, K., Collins, L., Lusk, M., et al. (2017). Equality in the evidence base. Behavioral Disorders 43(1): 253-261.
Johnson-Harris, K.M. & Mundschenk, N.A. (2014). Working effectively with students with BD in a general education classroom. The Clearing House 87(2014): 168-174.
Landrum, T.J., Tankersley, M., Kauffman, J.M. (2003). What is special about special education for students with emotional or behavioral disorders? The Journal of Special Education 37(3): 148-156.