Teacher Training for Inclusive and ESL Classrooms

Introduction

"No matter what a mission statement or statement on diversity might say, if people in and of the institution do not begin to conceptualize their being-in-the-world differently, no change will occur. Multiculturalism, diversity and the idea of the geocitizen require a different vision of community…" (McCarthy, 2008, p. 294).

Preparing New Teachers for Inclusive Schools and Classrooms

For today's future teachers who are in training for positions in elementary school, middle school, and high school, it is vital that they are prepared for the challenges they will face when working with ESL students and students with varying degrees of disability in their classrooms. This paper points to studies and other research that verifies the importance of preparing future teachers for inclusive classroom experiences.

Eileen C. Winter explains that worldwide, the policy of including pupils "with special educational needs" (SEN) into mainstream classes is becoming well established (Winter, 2006, p. 85). What remains to be done, beyond policy-making, appropriate legislative mandates, and executive school board decisions, is the training of teachers, Winter explains. The benefits that students can enjoy through improved teacher preparation include "the quality of the school experience," which can lead to achievement and full participation for those students whose disabilities have previously kept them from mainstream education.

Teachers need the skills necessary to work with children with special needs, and they need a "coherent plan" for teacher training with respect to children with SEN; but they also need the "confidence to teach in inclusive settings," Winter asserts (p. 86). That confidence and self-efficacy — grounded in Bandura's social cognitive theory — is vital, the author continues. "Individuals pursue activities and situations in which they feel competent," Winter explains, paraphrasing Bandura; and they "avoid situations in which they doubt their capability to perform successfully" (p. 86). Hence, preparing teachers thoroughly will foster the confidence they need to handle teaching challenges. Asking prospective teachers to participate in pre-service coursework helps those teachers address: (a) the needs of students with disabilities; (b) the necessary curricular and instructional adaptations required; and (c) the "behavioral management techniques" that will be pivotal in maintaining classroom decorum and order (Winter, p. 86).

Winter's research was conducted in Northern Ireland, but the results can apply to almost any teaching program that embraces specific instruction related to developmental diversity in the classroom. The bottom line for these teacher training programs is two-fold: teachers must first complete a teacher education program that offers courses on how to relate to and help students with special needs; and secondly, there needs to be on-the-job learning and a willingness to attend professional development programs.

Experiences of Disabled Students in Initial Teacher Education

What are the experiences of college students with disabilities who are entering the teaching profession? It would seem, on the surface, that newly trained teachers with disabilities — ones that do not prevent them from carrying out their duties — would be an ideal fit in a classroom with disabled pupils. Indeed, more students with disabilities are entering teaching programs in the UK. An article in the Cambridge Journal of Education points out that until 2004, potential student teachers in Scotland had to meet "fitness to teach" criteria (MacLeod, et al., 2009, p. 459). In other words, mental health and physical standards effectively eliminated many able and intelligent students who wished to join the teaching profession. Scotland eventually abandoned this restrictive policy, and more recently the requirement to gain a teaching certificate is based on "the successful completion of an ITE program" approved by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (MacLeod, p. 459).

A number of disabled students were surveyed at Scottish universities for this study; they were asked about their earlier experiences when others learned they were disabled and had plans to enter the teaching profession. The following themes emerged: (a) a lack of understanding on the part of others; (b) an assumption that as a teacher with a disability one would be "a second-class employee no matter how well you handle it"; (c) embarrassment at being sent to another room for exams, leading some disabled ITE students to decline disclosing their disability; and (d) several students received "more positive responses than had been expected" (MacLeod, p. 462).

Only 20 of 93 ITE students with disabilities told their university placement tutor about their disability; "a majority believed that their disability was unlikely to affect their placement," according to MacLeod (p. 463). One response quoted in the study points to the risk of disclosure: "The tutor who carried out the initial tests… tried to sway me away from teaching because I am dyslexic… [but] teaching is something I have always wanted to do and I am determined not to let this stop me" (p. 466).

The positive aspect of the survey showed that a number of class teachers mentoring recent ITE graduates were "very supportive and helpful on the whole"; and in a few cases, the student's disability was seen by the host school "as an asset, with teachers suggesting that the student would be a positive role model for pupils" (MacLeod, p. 468). In the case of specific learning difficulties, MacLeod explains, having a disabled teacher in the room could lead "to a greater awareness of the learning needs of pupils" (p. 468). Indeed, newly trained teachers with disabilities who fully understand these challenges could be extremely helpful and successful in classrooms that include disabled students.

Conclusion

The literature presented in this paper reflects the issues that future teachers — not just ESL-trained teachers — in liberal arts disciplines are going to have to be prepared to deal with. Future teachers should be up to speed with every issue related to classroom dynamics regarding the inclusion of disabled or English language learners into a mainstream class. There will be doubts, problems, and parents of disabled pupils who are upset. For example, consider the response of a mother of a student with Down syndrome to an article by Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education. "I take offense to the fact that inclusive education is being based on grades," she wrote (Posny, 2011, p. 2). "Inclusion is not about the grades or closing the gap, it's about belonging in society, it's about being part of a whole… It's about civil rights" (Posny, p. 2). Notwithstanding some negative responses to inclusion, teachers must be updated throughout every year of their training to understand how important it is to embrace diversity — both with respect to English language learners and students with disabilities.