Learning Together in the Classroom

"Students that learn together, learn to live together." I came across this while researching inclusion on the Internet. My opinion on inclusion was not concrete until I read those words. In this paper, I will explain my position on inclusion, go over current issues that involve inclusion, and give examples of good teaching strategies that will make inclusion successful.

First of all, I always had questions about what exactly goes on in a "Special Ed Room." The "SPEDS" would sit in the school cafeteria over half of the school day, where I attended high school. This made me question what kind of education these students were getting. I also noticed that there was a distinct difference between the "regular" kids and the "special" kids. It wasn't primarily the difference in IQ. Being secluded from the status quo of the school was another difference. Of course, I'm only using my personal experience to base my opinion; however, I doubt that other schools were drastically different. My opinion on inclusion was determined by remembering two students that rode my school bus. They were mentally impaired, but very smart people. I knew this because we lived on the same street. I am confident in saying that these two students would have excelled in a "regular" classroom. The only contact they had with regular students was riding the school bus to and from school. You can imagine they were the butt of many jokes and were treated horribly. They didn't care others were laughing at them. The only thing that mattered was the "normal" students were actually paying attention to them. The two students were taught to say curse words and other crude behavior. This wouldn't have happened if these two were included in the regular classrooms. Using inclusion correctly will allow all students to achieve a perfect score in an essential part of life.
Following this, why would anyone be opposed of inclusion? Many that favor inclusion find it cruel to discriminate against a person with a disability. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as it seems. IDEA 97 clearly states that all children with disabilities be educated "to the maximum extent appropriate" in the "least restrictive environment." The IDEA suggests that the "least restrictive environment" is the regular education classroom. ( www.weac.org/resource/june ) This is the law, so what other reasons are there not to have inclusion? There are many reasons that concerns both teachers and parents. One reason is the simple fact that teachers and many parents are satisfied with the way things are. " If it's not broken, don't fix it", seems to be the motto for many teachers when it comes to inclusion. Another factor is that general educators are not ready to cope with children who have special needs. The fact is, with inclusion, you are not only revamping the special education department. You are restructuring the whole educational system of the school. This will demand a lot of work from the faculty and staff. Many are not willing to put in more time than they already have to. Plus, "regular" education teachers and parents of "normal" children are afraid inclusion will be unfair to the "regular" students. Opponents of inclusion also argue there isn't enough evidence that inclusion will be the best for all the students.

So, are there any reasons why one would be in favor of inclusion? Yes, there are lots of reasons to have inclusion in the school system. Referring to my example of the two students, many feel that being around "normal" students helps disabled children to acquire social skills. This is a very important issue to myself and many others. Look beyond Kindergarten through 12th grade. We are talking about human beings that will one day be adult citizens. They will have the right to take care of themselves and become an active part of society. What better way to ensure their success than to include them in classrooms with students that aren't like them. Special needs students will have the chance to learn what is the correct way to interact with people that are very different from them. Vice Versa, the "regular" students will also have a chance to determine the correct way to treat people with a disability. Another point is that the expectations of the disabled children will raise and ultimately their academic skills will increase.
Finally, how will teachers make inclusion a success? I will tell you just a few teaching strategies that will work. First of all, it will take the cooperation of all faculty and parents of the school. How would an inclusion classroom look? Does it resemble a "regular" classroom or are there other components included? Chris Kliewer, a New York second grade teacher, explains what his classroom looks like. He explains how the classroom looks different all the times. This is because they must change the environment depending on the lesson. There are many group activities, along with separate work stations. He also stresses that the classroom is student- centered. This means that the students are responsible for creating their environment and there is a lot of interaction between the students and the teachers. Another wonderful point that Chris made was that the students know that other students will be doing different things, and the issue of fairness isn't an issue at all. ( www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion )

Next, how many teachers should be in the classroom? In my opinion, at least two teachers should teach the classroom. One should be certified in Special Education, the other specialized in a certain subject. This would be a great compromise for the new law for teachers needing to be Highly Qualified. The teachers should work together in teaching a lesson and both have equal parts in presenting the lesson. This would be an advantage to "normal" students just as much as to the disabled children.

Cooperative learning is another way of teaching. This method is an approach that places children with heterogeneous skills together to work on assignments. You could have two disabled students working together, or have a non-disabled student with a disabled student who reads on the same level.

The last teaching strategy I will discuss is adaptation. This is a change in curricular content, difficulty of the lesson, instructional materials, and method. For example, listed are nine different adaptations that a teacher can use in the classroom:

Size: Adapt the number of vocabulary words that a student must learn.

Time: Create an individualized time line for students to complete tasks and test.

Level of Support: Assign peer buddies, peer tutors or aides to certain learners.

Input: Use visual aids, assign group assignments, have hands-on activities.

Difficulty: Allow students to use calculators on a math test, simplify instructions, or read the test aloud to the students.

Output: Allow students to answer questions aloud instead of writing on paper, have students use hands-on models to answer questions, or have a communication log with students.

Participation: Have a child hold a globe while the others point out different countries, or have a child hold up word cards while the class reads out the vocabulary word.

Alternate: Have a child learn what type of cells are in animal and plants while the others have to label the cells as well, or have some students label states while others label capitals too.

Substitute curriculum: While you are conducting a language arts test, maybe a student is in the computer lab learning computer skills, or students are taking a test on Picasso and the others are painting a picture that would resemble a painting by Picasso.

In conclusion, my thoughts on inclusion are positive. If every teacher, principal, and parent work together all the obstacles and skepticism will be easily overcome. By referring to IDEA and looking for new and improved teaching strategies one can make inclusion a success.

Resources:

www.weac.org/resource/june96/speced

www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion

Exceptional Learners, Tenth Edition
Daniel P. Hallahan James M. Kauffman