Inclusion: What Can Teachers Do?

Introduction

One of the major topics in education today is inclusion of students with special needs. But what is inclusion? Inclusion is "to have or regard or treat as part of a whole, the act of including or the state of being included" (Montgomery, 1994). The area of concern is how included should these students be and when should students be included. Some educators say that inclusion should be full, but others state that it should be partial. These questions cannot be answered, and the debate will always be here, but the overall expectations of inclusive education are academics and social interaction between students in the school (Montgomery, 1994). As a future educator, how can I strive to achieve these expectations in my classroom especially if it is my first year? What accomplishments are made by having an inclusive classroom?

First, to fully understand what inclusion is and the purpose behind this type of education, one needs to look at the history of inclusion. One of the main pieces of legislation that was passed was the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which were amendments to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) in 1975. In 1997 amendments were added to IDEA; these amendments were that every child should first be provided an education in a regular classroom setting, and schools must try to make the special needs students included in the regular class setting. If a severe student cannot function in the regular classroom and every measure has been made to work with that child, then other measures can be deemed appropriate. Another amendment was that teachers are an integral part in developing the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP), and also the amendment describes aids and supplementary services for the student (Department of Education, 1999). With the new amendments to IDEA, educators are not sure where to stand on this issue. Some educators feel that inclusion should not be implemented because there are problems with this, but special needs students have rights as a regular child and should be taught in the same manner with some modifications made (Salisbury, 1997). But what are these modifications and what should I do for the child?

One of the expectations of inclusion is academics. As a future teacher, what can I do for the betterment of the child? According to Michael F. Giangreco's article "What Do I Do Now? A Teacher's Guide to Including Students with Disabilities," there are many steps that a teacher should take to prepare for an inclusive student. One of the first steps mentioned is to get help from colleagues. This is probably the most important step because most of the time other colleagues have dealt with this, and they can aid you in your first endeavor. Colleagues will be able to tell a person what has worked and what has not worked, what is good and bad, which materials to use, and which not to use. Welcoming the student in the classroom is another point made. According to Mr. Giangreco, this is a simple task to do, but many teachers do not do this, and it can be detrimental to the students involved. He points out an excellent thought: "Your students look to you as their primary adult model during the school day" (Giangreco, 1996, p.56). If your students are looking at you as their adult model, you must set a good model to the students so they will mimic your actions.

An important aspect for any teacher is to make sure everyone belongs to the classroom community. According to Mr. Giangreco, many students with special needs are placed in a regular classroom but aside from the rest of the students. In addition to this, the special needs student also receives different activities and has different schedules than the rest of the class. Mr. Giangreco states this happens in many situations, but teachers need to place the student with special needs in the class, not aside, and they should be able to do the same activity as the others. Although the student might have the same activity, the goals of the activity might be different (Giangreco, 1996).

In addition to Mr. Giangreco's article, there are other teaching aspects that teachers can practice to include a student. A teacher can use a team teaching approach. Two teachers plan a lesson, and the teachers develop a plan on how to teach. At Withamsville-Tobasco Elementary School in Amelia, Ohio, the teachers use a team teaching approach. Teachers in conjunction with another teacher teach one subject while the other helps the students in the classroom who need the help. Next, the teachers switch duties during the day (Bruns, 2000).

The second type of teaching is supportive teaching; this type is common across the country. Supportive teaching means that the classroom teacher instructs the class, and the special needs student receives additional aid from a special education teacher or an inclusion assistant. Supplemental teaching is the final type of teaching that may be implemented in the classroom. The special education teacher or the inclusion assistant re-teaches the skills that were taught in the regular class. In certain situations when assignments are not modified or the skills are not appropriate for the student with special needs, a supplemental curriculum might come into play in conjunction with the Individualized Educational Plan (Hammeken, 1996).

After you have prepared your classroom and have talked to other teachers and decided on how the teaching is going to happen in your classroom, what modifications should be made? One question that should be asked when making the assignment for the special need student: Is this beneficial to the student and is it important for the student to complete the entire assignment? A couple of strategies include splitting the assignment in half or having the student complete only the even or odd problems. Another strategy is to have the student respond in a tape recorder if the student has trouble writing. If the work is supposed to be copied by students, have a photocopy made for the special needs student so that she or he can underline, highlight, or do what is necessary to help them understand. In some situations have the students work with partners and have students read aloud to each other. This type of learning is more about cooperative learning. You are having a regular student work with the special student, and they must work together (Hammeken, 1996). But modifications should only be made if the student cannot do the regular work and the modifications should be made in the simplest form.

After making modifications in the work for the child, teachers might need to make modifications in testing and grading. Many students with disabilities have an alternate grading system that is implemented.

Teachers need to look at the information that they wish the student to gain and assess them only on that knowledge. When it comes time to assess the student, the teacher might allow an oral examination, allow the student to illustrate what she or he has learned, or have another person write the answers for them. An important fact to remember when giving the final grade for the student is the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). An IEP is a written statement that is developed by the regular classroom teacher, the special education teacher, parents, and any other persons that might be necessary. The IEP is a statement that presents a level of educational performance, long-range goals, short-term instructional objectives, recommendations for specific procedures, and other statements that are for educational purposes to the child (Mann, et al., 1992). In addition to the IEP, teachers might look at effort and performance when determining the grade. Some teachers like to use a shared grading system; in this type of grading, the classroom teacher assigns a grade and the special education teacher assigns a grade. Once both grades are received, the teachers conference to determine the final grade for the student. In some situations a pass/fail grading system might work. The teacher grades on completeness of work and then refers to the IEP to see if the student has achieved the set level.

Another goal for an inclusive classroom is social interaction. It is important that children be exposed to special needs children and vice-versa. One of the most successful ways for inclusion to work is to educate teachers on how children can reach their potential and educate students about special needs children. Children in inclusive classrooms demonstrate acceptance to diversity, better communication skills, show development in moral and ethical values, create a variety of friendships, and increase self-esteem (NAEYC, 1997). By having an inclusive classroom, children will be able to work together and learn to respect all even if there are differences. This type of group learning is very important because with many diversities in the world, children need to learn to respect every type of person.

Having an inclusive classroom can have its advantages. When a school district provides inclusive education, everyone benefits from it, teachers and students. Skills that are learned in an inclusive classroom are life-long and students learn them by interaction. Social interaction is one of the expectations of inclusive education. The skills that are learned are that everyone is different, everyone deserves respect, and everyone should be accepted. Teachers benefit from this type of education because it gives the teacher a new experience and a challenge when it comes to teaching. For myself, it would teach me discipline, and it would allow me to work with all types of children. If a person goes into education, the person must deal with all types of education, including special education. Special education is hard and demanding. The student with special needs also can benefit from an inclusive classroom. The benefits come from interaction with regular students and by working in cooperative groups. Also, the student does not feel excluded and different because she or he is included with everyone else. The inclusion classroom has its rewards in these ways.

As a future educator, one of my toughest jobs will be the inclusion process of students with special needs. The inclusive classroom has always been around in education, and it started with a big boom of the Individual Disabilities Education Act. Some educators feel that inclusive education is not a good idea, but the student with special needs does have a right to general education. Teachers have a lot of preparation for the inclusive classroom, and some modifications might need to be implemented when including the student.

Bibliography 

Bina, M. J. (1999). Schools for the Visually Disabled: Dinosaurs or Mainstays? Educational Leadership, 56(6), 78-81.

Bruns, J. (2000). First teacher at Withamsville-Tobasco Elementary. Interview. May 13, 2000.

Davern, L. (1996). Listening to Parents of Children with Disabilities. Educational Leadership, 53(7), 61-63.

Department of Education (1999). General Information: IDEA '97 [20 paragraphs]. Available: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/q_and_a.html

Giangreco, M. F. (1996). What Do I Do Know? A Teacher's Guide to Including Students with Disabilities. Educational Leadership, 53(5), 56-59.

Hammeken, P.A. (1996). Inclusion: 450 Strategies for Success. Minnesota: Peytral Publications.

Mann, P. H., McClung, R. M., & Suiter, P. A. (1993). A Guide for Educating Mainstreamed Students. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Montgomery, J. (1993). Facing the Challenge of Inclusion: Special Ed Students in Your Classroom. TEC: The Education Centre. Loyola Marymont University Presentation.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (1997). The Benefits of an Inclusive Education: Making it Work [9 paragraphs]. Available: http://specialed.about.com/education/specialed/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site= http://parentinginformation.org/inclusiv.htm

Salisbury, C. L. (1997). Collaborative Problem-Solving to Promote the Inclusion of Young Children with Significant Disabilities in Primary Grades. Exceptional Children, 63(2), 195-209.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The Differential Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wade, S. E. (2000). Preparing Teachers for the Inclusive Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Association.

Joe Stahl, < [e-mail] > a student at Hanover College in Madison, Indiana, has written a fine term paper on special needs students in the classroom. More importantly, he has focused on what the first-year teacher can do to help meet the requirements of a special needs student. It certainly is an important issue, one that the readers of Academic Exchange Quarterly have had or will have experience with in the classroom. Joe provides an excellent bibliography to help us understand this important issue and offers suggestions regarding ways to make the special needs student feel more comfortable in the classroom. It is a well-written and informative essay. Dr. Ben Varner, University of Northern Colorado, Faculty Advisor, Academic Exchange Extra <http://www.higher-ed.org/AEQ/exch.htm>.