Effective inclusion programs for students with disabilities in schools

¶ … school inclusion with the goal of showing how an inclusion program, when implemented and understood correctly, can work to benefit all students involved, both special and regular education. This paper is aimed at a New York City middle school where the student population is comprised of both general and special education students, including profoundly retarded and autistic students.

Recently, the school district has implemented a policy that requires inclusion efforts to be made. The typical situation is that a special education student is pushed into a general education course, such as math, literacy or science, where they are accompanied by their paraprofessional. The paraprofessional will provide materials for the special education student, thus the general education teacher does not provide any instruction to these students.

Clearly, there are both benefits and challenges to inclusion. For example, profoundly retarded students tend to enjoy being in the general education classroom. However, these students are limited in terms of interaction and involvement. Thus, this paper will take an approach to establish an inclusion method that focuses on such challenges.

Introduction

The issue of classroom inclusion of students with disabilities is an ongoing pedagogical question and one that remains a controversial subject. Both those who advocate for full inclusion, partial inclusion or no inclusion all have valid points. For example, one benefit of having full inclusion is that gives the student with disabilities an equal opportunity as all other students at receiving a public education. Further, and more importantly, regardless of what the student is able to learn regarding the subject matter, the student with disabilities is able to learn about socialization and be an active member in his or her classroom. A third advantage of having full inclusion is that it creates a classroom setting that mirrors the realities of the world at large. Namely, it creates a classroom setting where everyone is not the same, thus teaching the regular-education students about interacting with all kinds of individuals.

On the other hand, a valid argument against full inclusion is that it does not provide the student with disabilities the special education that they need. This line of argument argues that inclusion actually fails to adequately provide for students with disabilities. In order to get the education and skills that they need per their unique situation, specialized and personal education approaches need to be utilized. These types of education approaches are not feasible in the regular classroom.

The Role of Collaboration

Collaboration is an essential role in the day-to-day routine of the special educator. In order to provide a well-rounded education to students with disabilities, the special educator must collaborate with various individuals both inside and outside the school environment. For example, the special educator must collaborate with the student with disabilities family and parents. Further, the special educator must collaborate with such colleagues as physical education, music, art and other co-curricular activities. More so, if inclusion is used in any manner, the special education teacher must collaborate with the regular classroom teachers in order to find areas within the regular curriculum where the student with disabilities can participate.

A Broad Definition of Inclusion

A teacher's work with a student with disabilities is not limited to working only with the child but also includes significant work with the child's parents or family. When first approaching a family with a newborn child with a disability, a professional must consider several things. First and foremost, the professional should demonstrate his or her knowledge and experience on working with children with disabilities. Next, the professional should point that although every child is unique, especially in terms of their educational development, from his or her own experience this is typically what a parent can expect. From here the professional should give a brief overview of the educational process typically used for exceptional children, including benefits and challenges that are likely to be encountered.

It is essential to involve families as partners in education. The time spent in the classroom is only a fraction of a child's learning experience. The vast majority of it occurs outside of the classroom, most often at home. Since continuity is essential in the educational development of a child with special needs, it is important that what is happening in the classroom is carried over and reinforced at home and the other way around. To do this, families must be made part of the school education process in order to understand the methods and progress of the child and what they can do to facilitate this at home.

This being said, the parents and families of a child with special needs plays an important role as not only a parent, but also a teacher. Thus, they must be given some level of educational training. Such things as basic courses in developmental psychology and instructional strategies would be highly beneficial in allowing the parent to provide effective instruction when the child is not in the classroom. Other areas of training include on the status of the law and what is required for their specific situation.

Creating a Classroom Environment Conducive to Inclusion:

Once an inclusion plan is agreed upon and set by the family and educators, the next step is to implement the plan within the day-to-day process of the classroom. Although successful inclusion requires such strategies as group work, one-on-one attention and adapted technologies, the fundamental key to a successful inclusion classroom is a set order and discipline. Without this foundation, no meaningful learning can occur.

The first few days of the school are essential in that they can make or break the learning experience for the remainder of the school year. It is during these first days that the learning environment is created. For this reason, a first year teacher must be both prepared and knowledgeable in how to implement that direction of the learning experience from the ring of the very first bell.

One of the main factors in doing this is to implement a set form of discipline. Regardless of what grade level you teach, the general rule is to never start off being nice. Instead, start as a stickler for rules, you can always become more nice as the students begin to accept the classroom rules. Further, the rules must be implemented constantly and without any differentiation. The students will test you during these first few days. Without steadfast rules and well outlined disciplinary procedures, the students will not respect you.

In order to create a positive atmosphere of expectations, procedures and routines, it is also important to clearly outline to the class what is expected of them. However, in order to empower the classroom students, one beneficial strategy is to allow the students to help develop the classroom rules, procedures and expectations. By bringing the group together and making the classroom environment one in which they assisted in creating, the students will be more likely to both respect it and work with it.

Although there are numerous steps a teacher must take to create a successful learning environment in a full-inclusion classroom, taking firm and clear actions the first days of school are the most important. The purpose is to let the students know what the rules, procedures, expectations and consequences are. In a sense, it is the teacher's way of making a lasting first impression.

Bibliography:

Gore, M.C. (2003): Successful Inclusion Strategies for Secondary and Middle School Teachers: Keys to Help Struggling Learners Access the Curriculum. SAGE Publications.

Hardmand, Michael L. (2007): Human Exceptionality: School, Community and Family. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Male, Mary. (2002): Technology for Inclusion: Meeting the Special Needs of All Students. Allyn & Bacon, Inc.

Nowicki, Stephen and Marshall P. Duke. (1992): Helping the Child Who Doesn't Fit in. Peachtree Publishers.

Willis, Judy. (2007): Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.