Teaching Strategies Mainstreaming involves placing special education students in regular classrooms as much as possible, and using resource rooms where the student receives special tutoring, review and instruction. Inclusion, which is considered a goal of mainstreaming is the total integration of special education students and services into the general education classroom where special education teachers collaborate with general education teachers to teach the entire class. There is still debate in education about the pros and cons of total inclusion of special education students as opposed to having them in special classes. Full inclusion of special education students would require restructuring several traditional educational policies. It also necessitates extensive collaboration between special education teachers, general education teachers, and support paraprofessionals. And it requires restructuring of the curriculum and lessons. One of the critical issues in mainstreaming and inclusion is the training of the teachers involved. This perhaps decides, more than other factors, the success of the program.

Philosophy.

The issue of mainstreaming and inclusion need a lot of thought and preparation. Students however learn best when they are among their peers and when they feel safe and comfortable. Usually being included in a regular classroom provides such safety and comfort better than being segregated in a special classroom. The stigma attached to being a special education student takes away that safety and adds some embarrassment to the difficulties the student already faces. However, to successfully include special education students into the regular classroom I would want to make sure some factors are considered. According to Brucker (2000) three important...

The atmosphere in the classroom must be a positive one for special education students to feel welcomed and accepted. This atmosphere is created by all involved- the teachers and how they conduct the classes and include the students in events and activities, the parents and how they support what is happening in the classroom, and the students and how they feel about themselves. For inclusion to work, the teachers must have the professional skills and knowledge about how to deal with and provide a curriculum suited to the special needs of each child. Without the support of the administration, and even the community (the school community and the wider community), the special education child will still feel excluded or not completely a part of the system.
Instructional Strategies.

There are many strategies for including all students in the classroom. In general, programs should focus on the individual needs of the children. Having children in the same group who are developmentally matched rather than chronologically matched was found to work well. When the children were of the same size and developmental level they had the same interests generally and it helped with their interaction with each other. The instructional strategies that have been successful include playing games which include the whole class, having pets in the class for the students to care for, art projects, science projects. Another strategy is to include the students as class helpers; passing out materials, helping to set up and clean areas and assisting other children. These activities help the students to learn additional skills such as taking turns,…