Preparing practicing teachers to teach in inclusive schools.Abstract A graduate course developed for both general education and special education teachers provides information and hands-on experiences to help teachers enhance their skills for effectively instructing and managing all students in inclusive settings. The course focuses on providing general information on best practices for instruction and collaboration between educators, updates on the laws regarding the education of all students in the least-restrictive environment, and opportunities for each class member to engage in a project that is centered on helping them to problem solve in their own schools. The course is co-taught by a special education professor and a general education professor to model the collaborative teaching process. Introduction Today's classroom teachers must prepare all students to meet society's complex demands. Not only must teachers address the growing demand for academic excellence, but they are also becoming increasingly responsible for meeting the needs of a diverse group of students, including those with disabilities and those who are at-risk for school failure (Cushner, McClellend, & Safford, 1996; Hardman, Drew, & Egan, 2002; Schoorman, D. 2002). These demands have resulted in the necessity of providing practical information regarding student characteristics, effective instructional and behavior management behavior management Psychology Any nonpharmacologic maneuver–eg contingency reinforcement–that is intended to correct behavioral problems in a child with a mental disorder–eg, ADHD. See Attention-deficit-hyperactivity syndrome. techniques, consultation skills, and individualized instruction Individualized instruction is a method of instruction in which content, instructional materials, instructional media, and pace of learning are based upon the abilities and interests of each individual learner. to practicing teachers both in general education and special education roles (Davern, L. 1999; Pugach & Warger, 1993; Reinhiller, 1996; Webber, 1997). The road toward inclusion continues to be a major challenge for most schools across the country. The difficulty for schools came about for several reasons. One reason is that the current classroom teachers were trained to either work in general education classrooms or in special education settings. Few general education teachers have had any coursework coursework Noun work done by a student and assessed as part of an educational course Noun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's in special education and few special educators have had any training, in teaching in large group settings or have expertise in content areas normally taught by general educators (Burstein & Sears, 1998; Foley fo·ley n. 1. A technical process by which sounds are created or altered for use in a film, video, or other electronically produced work. 2. A person who creates or alters sounds using this process. & Mundschenk, 1997). Neither group has been trained to work collaboratively or in co-teaching situations (Pugach & Johnson, 2002; Ferguson, 1998). Another reason is that teacher training programs in colleges and universities are not offering enough course work to train new teachers to work in inclusive classrooms, so new teachers are unprepared to function in inclusive settings (Pugach & Johnson, 2002; Pugach, 1996; Reinhiller, N., 1996; Ysseldyke, Algozzine, & Thurlow, 2000). A third reason is that many school administrators have not been trained in special education beyond the legal aspects of educating children with disabilities and are unable to create inclusive schools An inclusive school is a school that encourages special needs students and students without special needs to learn together. Therefore, students are able to learn to live together. There are some inclusive schools in the world. or to support teachers who are trying to create inclusive classrooms (Tiegerman-Farber & Radziewicz, 1998). Finally, there is limited opportunity for professional development in many school districts for those who want to enhance their skills for teaching in inclusive settings even though researchers have found that general education teachers who participate in in-service in-service In-service training adjective Referring to any form of on-the-job training noun In-service training of an employee feel more confident teaching students with special needs (Brownell & Pajares, 1997). At a small liberal arts college Liberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers the following definition of the liberal arts as a, "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge in the Midwest, we have been involved in redesigning our graduate teacher education programs to better meet the needs of practicing teachers. As part of the graduate program, we developed a course called Teaching In Inclusive Settings. The course is co-taught by professors from the special education middle childhood teacher educator program, and is designed to meet the needs of practicing professionals who find themselves teaching or working in inclusive settings, often with little or no training. The focus of the course is to support professionals who need to develop skills in implementing inclusive practices in their schools and/or who want to enhance their skills for teaching in inclusive classrooms. The course objectives (see Table 1) are met through a variety of methods. The course meets in an alternative time format: six meetings of three and half hours each over the semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s , with time spent between the scheduled classes completing field assignments, journaling, as well as posting comments on an electronic bulletin board. Teachers trained in both general education areas and in special education areas are encouraged to enroll in the course. Teachers who work in schools that are implementing inclusion teams are encouraged to enroll in the course together. See <http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/fal2003.htm> Course Content Before the first class meeting, students are given a pre-assignment that includes reading several chapters from a text on creating inclusive classrooms, and preparing a one page summary of their own teaching situation as it relates to inclusion. These summaries, handed in on the first night of class, give the instructors an overview of the needs of the class members and help in finalizing future class activities. We believe that inherent to the success of the course is the variety of activities and experiences required of the students. Class assignments include a various readings, small and large group problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. , role-playing role-play·ing n. A psychotherapeutic technique, designed to reduce the conflict inherent in various social situations, in which participants act out particular behavioral roles in order to expand their awareness of differing points of view. , guest speakers, video programs, field assignments, weekly journaling, electronic bulletin boards, and a final project. Field assignments are given to enhance time spent in class. These projects are designed to increase depth of understanding as well as to offer opportunity for practical application of theories and practices discussed in class. Several field assignments require students to consult the professional literature and to summarize sum·ma·rize intr. & tr.v. sum·ma·rized, sum·ma·riz·ing, sum·ma·riz·es To make a summary or make a summary of. sum and interpret what is read in light of their own teaching situation. Students also review World Wide Web Sites and share relevant applications to their teaching situation with the rest of the class. Other assignments are designed to inform students of actual situations and practices. The students interview several educators asking for definitions and opinions of mainstreaming and inclusion. They discover that responses can vary from both terms meaning essentially the same thing, to "just buzz words buzz word Noun Informal a word, originally from a particular jargon, which becomes a popular vogue word buzz word n → palabra que está de moda ", to fairly clear understandings of the intended approaches. Additionally, students are required to contact a nearby school district and obtain descriptions of the types of inclusion programs offered. They discover that these programs vary from fairly well defined programs with teams of general educators, special educators and aides working together, to practically nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non inclusion programs where the special needs children along with their special education teacher are segregated from the general education population. The students are also to develop and implement a program to prepare a student for entry into a general education classroom. Our intention is to encourage dialogue between special educators and general educators for the benefit of the students involved. Students share this exercise with the class and we brainstorm about ways to improve consultation skills between professionals. Students are required to keep a journal throughout the semester. There are questions from required readings that served as prompts. Sample questions include "When you were growing up, did you have opportunities to interact with children and adults who had a disability?" and "How are individuals with disabilities and individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds portrayed por·tray tr.v. por·trayed, por·tray·ing, por·trays 1. To depict or represent pictorially; make a picture of. 2. To depict or describe in words. 3. To represent dramatically, as on the stage. in books, television shows, movies, and cartoons Many of the cartoons used in this database were obtained from The Cartoon Bank, Dobbs Ferry, NY, which has a huge selection of cartoons on every subject (visit www.cartoonbank.com). ?" among several others. In addition, students are encouraged to reflect on readings, class discussions, and field assignments. Personal growth and insight are goals of this exercise. Some students choose to complete this assignment by e-mailing us their journal entries. Other students fax or mail weekly entries. As an example, Table 1 presents several passages from one student's journal. She has several special needs students in her classes, but gets little support from colleagues to meet their needs. There is no common planning time for her and the special educator in her building. The final project requires students to take action. They are expected to develop and implement a plan of inclusion in their school setting. This approach has the advantage of meeting these teachers' individual concerns, as well as encouraging them to become change agents for inclusive practices. The wide variety of projects developed attests to the diversity of settings and the need for change across the board. One teacher devised a one-page form, which condensed con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. each student's Individualized Education Program In the United States an Individualized Education Program, commonly referred to as an IEP, is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In Canada an equivalent document is called an Individual Education Plan. (IEP IEP In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Irish Punt. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. ) so that it was particularly relevant to the science class. This enabled her to consider not only academic goals but also organizational and study skills, classroom behavior, and peer/teacher relations goals when designing her science lessons and units. The second example is from a teacher of students with multiple disabilities at the middle school level in her third year of teaching. She developed a Peer-Tutoring course designed to enable general education students to develop peer relationships through a job-coaching role for students with multiple disabilities. Requirements for the peer tutors A peer tutor is anyone who is of a similar status as the person being tutored. In an undergraduate institution this would usually be other undergraduates, as distinct from the graduate students who may be teaching the writing classes. were carefully laid out including daily reporting, meeting daily with the special needs student and the special education teacher to decide on daily activities, and to participate in on-going peer-tutor training. A third example is from a full inclusion teacher of eighth grade students with mild learning and behavior problems. She is part of a five-member team and is responsible for 15 special needs students. The general educators on the team volunteered to work with her and her students in creating an inclusive team. She developed a training/resource manual that highlighted topics general educators have identified, as priority needs areas. This low-cost, easily accessible avenue of information and ideas was made available to all of the teachers in her building who were interested in inclusion or in implementing inclusion practices in their classrooms. She sees this resource as a "working manual" adding to it and deleting from it as the need arises. In conclusion, Teaching in an Inclusive Setting, has become a valuable course for supporting teachers as they move into more inclusive classroom teaching. The course evaluations A course evaluation is a paper or electronic questionnaire, which requires a written or selected response answer to a series of questions in order to evaluate the instruction of a given course. indicate that the students see the advantage of having two instructors with differing backgrounds teaching the course. They comment on how much they learn from the course and on how they enjoyed the variety of activities included as part of the coursework. They complete the course believing that collaboration and co-teaching enhances the teaching-learning environment for all students. (See Table 2). See issue's website <http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/fal2003.htm> As instructors, we continue to learn from our students. We are impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: with the way teachers want all the children in their classrooms to achieve. They have often tried a variety of ways to meet the needs of all of the learners in their classrooms and while there are many successes, they realize that some students whether they have a special education label or not, need additional support to reach their full potential. They are all frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: by such things as the lack of provisions for common planning times or opportunities for discussion during the school day between the teachers who are practicing collaborating or in co-teaching situations. In the process of our collaboration in developing and teaching this course, we have validated val·i·date tr.v. val·i·dat·ed, val·i·dat·ing, val·i·dates 1. To declare or make legally valid. 2. To mark with an indication of official sanction. 3. our belief that good teachers from both general education and special education backgrounds meet students' needs, often in similar ways. We believe collaboration and professional support are essential for successful inclusion and realize that many schools still need to focus on theses aspects as they develop into schools that can teach all children in the 21st century. Professional development and course work for practicing teachers should engage them in enhancing their skills for working together and in helping them find ways in their own schools to create opportunities for developing supportive partnerships. We plan to evaluate the effectiveness of this course on an on-going basis. Survey questionnaires will be sent to the practicing teachers who complete the course. We will be looking at the effect that the information and skills gained in this course have on helping these teachers to be effective in inclusive schools. We will use the information that we gather to revise or enhance the material taught in the course. References Brownell, M. & Pajares, F. (1997). Teacher efficacy and perceived success in mainstreaming students with learning and behavior problems. Teacher Education and Special Education, 22(3), 154-164. Burstein & Sears (1998). Preparing On-the-job teachers for urban schools: Implications for teacher training. Teacher Education and Special Education, 21(1), 47-62. Cushner, K., McClellend, A., & Safford, P. (1996). Human diversity in education: An integrative approach, 2nd ed. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY: McGraw-Hill. Davern, L. (1999). Parents' perspective on personnel attitudes and characteristics in inclusive school settings: Implicationa for teacher training programs. Teacher Education and Special Education, 22 (3), 165-182. Ferguson, D. (1998). Changing tactics: Embedding 1. (mathematics) embedding - One instance of some mathematical object contained with in another instance, e.g. a group which is a subgroup. 2. (theory) embedding - (domain theory) A complete partial order F in [X -> Y] is an embedding if inclusion reforms within general education restructuring restructuring - The transformation from one representation form to another at the same relative abstraction level, while preserving the subject system's external behaviour (functionality and semantics). efforts. In S. Vitello & D. Mithaug (Eds.), Inclusive schooling: National and international perspectives (pp. 35-53). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Foley, R. & Mundschenk, N. (1997). Collaborative activities and competencies of secondary school special educators: A national survey. Teacher Education and Special Education, 20(1), 47-60. Hardman, M. L., Drew, C. J, & Egan, M.W. (2002). Human exceptionality: Society, school, and family, 7th ed. Needhan Heights, MA: Simon and Schuster. Pugach, M. C. (1996). Reflections on current issues facing teacher education/special education. Teacher Education and Special Education, 19(3), 207-208. Pugach, M. C. & Johnson, L. J. (2002). Collaborative practitioners collaborative schools, 2nd ed. Denver, CO: Love Publishing. Pugach, M. C. & Warger, C.L. (1993). Curriculum considerations. In J. Goodlad and T. Lovitt (Eds.), Integrating general and special education. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing. Reinhiller, N. (1996). Co-Teaching: New variations on a not-so new practice. Teacher Education and Special Education, 19(1), 34-48. Schoorman, D. (2002). Increasing critical multicultural mul·ti·cul·tur·al adj. 1. Of, relating to, or including several cultures. 2. Of or relating to a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only a mainstream culture. understanding via technology. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(4), 356-369. Tiegerman-Farber, E. & Radziewicz, C. (1998). Collaborative decision-making: The pathway pathway /path·way/ (path´wa) 1. a course usually followed. 2. the nerve structures through which an impulse passes between groups of nerve cells or between the central nervous system and an organ or muscle. to inclusion. Upper Saddle River Saddle River may refer to:
In 1913, law professor Dr. , Inc. Webber, J. (1997). Responsible Inclusion: Key components for success. In P. Zionts (ed.), Inclusion strategies (pp. 27-55). Austin, TX: Pro-ed. Ysseldyke, J.E., Algozzine, B., Thurlow, M. L. (2000). Critical issues in special education, 3rd Ed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers Company. Michele C. Gerent ge·rent n. One that rules or manages. [From Latin ger  ns, gerent-, present participle of gerere, to manage.] , College of Mount St. Joseph The College of Mount St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its enrollment as of fall 2006 was approximately 2,200 students. The school is also known by its students as Delhi Tech, the University of Delhi, or simply UD. , OH Judith Z. Hotz,
College of Mount St. Joseph, OH
Gerent is an associate professor of special education. She was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy Degree by the University of Florida University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,912 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. . Hotz is an assistant professor of middle childhood education. She was awarded the Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati is a coeducational public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ranked as one of America’s top 25 public research universities and in the top 50 of all American research universities,[2] . |
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