Kaylie: Special Educator Seeking an Education on the General Ed World

Holiday break is officially over and as the new semester starts, I’m not only planning for my classroom, I’m also preparing to teach a new college course. Last fall was my first endeavor in teaching higher education, and it turned out to be a blast. I taught an introduction to special education course to students preparing to be general education teachers. The course covered the disability categories of IDEA, each disability’s characteristics and basic information about IEPs and the referral process. It was so fun talk about my passion with a group of interested individuals! I definitely had to do some outside study and research to prepare for class but, overall, I felt comfortable with the topics covered in the intro course.

This semester, however, the class I’m teaching is “Advanced Methods for Students with Mild Disabilities.” As with last semester, the students in the class are preparing to be general education teachers. It’s inevitable they’ll have students in their future classrooms with a variety of disabilities: specific learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, etc. The main focus of the course is how to teach these students in the general education setting and focuses on research-based strategies, common accommodations/modifications and valid assessment measures.

As I looked over the information to be covered, I have to admit that I was completely overwhelmed. All I could think was, “I’m a self-contained special education teacher! I don’t have a clue about this stuff!” While my students do attend related arts course in general education, I know very little about inclusion in academic subjects for students with high-incidence disabilities.

After calming myself down and resolving to educate myself so I can educate others, I began to think about my hopes for the course. I feel very strongly about the importance and effectiveness of inclusion for students with disabilities and desperately want these future teachers to have positive outlooks on the issue. My goal is for them to see the students with disabilities in their future classrooms no differently than the other students. I also want them to be confident in their ability to teach their students with disabilities.

With this in mind, one thought I’ve had is to divide the class into groups and assign a hypothetical student with a disability to each group. The “student” will be a member of the hypothetical classroom. I considered allowing the groups to determine the grade, type of classroom and even the name of the “student.” My point is for my students to realize that their future students with disabilities are unique individuals with specific needs, talents and interests. Through course assignments, they would work to develop effective methods for including their “student.”

Here’s where you guys, the faithful Reality 101 readers and fellow bloggers, come in. I really need some guidance on what it’s like in the general education setting for students with high-incidence disabilities who are fully included, and what it’s like for their teachers. What are the main things teachers need to know or be prepared to do? How do I best prepare them to collaborate with special educators or even a co-teacher? What do you think about the hypothetical “student” idea? Would that be a worthwhile exercise?

I look forward to reading your thought-provoking comments and ideas; thanks in advance for helping me out!

Comments

[Jeff]

I also think that this class is a great idea. I really like having the students come up with ways to include their "student". You really seem like a teacher that truley cares for her students and really has their best interests in mind. I am a general education teacher and I have a co taught class that has about 10 students with IEPs in the class. This class has quickly become one of my favorite classes, because the students actually try. Right, wrong, or indifferent, they try and that is a nice feeling as a teacher to have your students actually try and seem like they are enjoying themselves in your classroom. I also have a great co teacher so that helps a great deal. You have to be able to communicate with your special education teacher or the co taught class will not work the way it is designed. Keep up the good work

[Kaylie]

Thank you all for your great feedback! I wanted to let you know that I shared your comments with my class and have incorporated many of your suggestions into my lesson plans. You guys are great! Thanks again!

[Leigh]

For the most part, I like your idea of having the teachers learn about a student and learning their needs, talents, and interests. However, what is the purpose of having a hypothetical student versus a real case study student? Personally, I think the teachers will be much more likely to realize that their future students with disabilities are unique individuals if it's an authentic experience with real students. Although it may not be possible to actually meet students, I imagine it would be possible to "introduce" your teachers to case study students through pictures, IEPs, background, etc.

This would allow for a more authentic experience, as well as allow more time for the course assignments that will help them develop effective methods for including their student.

[Susan]

The absolute most important thing is to instill in your students the reality that all of the students are THEIR students regardless of label or level of ability. Special Ed teachers are collaborators in the students' education and will provide strategies and interventions but will NOT be their teachers. The days of "your" kids is over. The best way I have found for this to happen is to focus on really examining the standards (we use Common Core) and determining as a team which are crucial and at what level of understanding or performance each SpEd student is capable of achieving. Being proactive rather than reactive in teaching from assessment backwards and allowing the students to learn specifically from their areas of strength will make everyone more successful. Teach them to use learning matrices for each unit they teach.

[Joe]

My career began in k-8 neighborhood schools. In 1980 a desegregation order came about and broke most of the schools into k-5 and middle school (6-8) programs. I next worked as a middle school instructional coordinator, then a district curriculum supervisor, and finally returned to middle school administration. I had always worked with students who had disabilities as a teacher. During my years in administrative positions I began working more with special education teachers and administrators. During my final administrative experiences I was named as the "Compliance Monitor for Special Education". This caused me to look at the inclusion practices during the middle school years. I found them to be virtually nonexistent. This then drove my doctoral work as I set out to design a transitional program for special education students entering middle school from self-contained special education programs toward the included experiences they would encounter as they entered high school. Our teachers began to see the middle school years as a bridge for special education students from self-contained programs moving into the general education world of high school.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have. Basically I feel you are on the right track. The relationship between general education teachers and special education teachers is critical. I do feel that your outlined course assignments will miss the boat for your students. Let me know if you want to hear more from me.

[Tad Hansen]

I mean "fair is not always the same." As in, treating all of your students the same is not always fair. I am off today.

[Tad Hansen]

If they can leave your class with a full understanding that "the same does not always mean fair," You will have won a major battle.

[Dawn]

I'm actually very suprised there's a course of this type out there. Where I'm actually excited, I'm conversely confused on why they chose MIMR as the "included" category. I'm a Special Education Director, and most of my students across my schools are included. We have Autistic, MIMR, OHI, SLD, and SLI. The teachers-to-be you are teaching really need to understand that this situation will occur. They really need to believe in the decision made by the team and be willing to work with the child and team to make the LRE work. Their input is vital to the decision and they need to be proactive in making decisions and giving feedback. It is not a guarantee it'll work without adjustment. They have to believe the student can be successful. Their attitude makes a HUGE difference. If they are unwilling to work with the student in their class, there is no way the student can be successful.

[Teresa]

I think this class is a wonderful idea! I'm still in school as a Special Education/Elementary Education double major and it shocks me at how many of my peers in Elementary Education still do not fully grasp that they will be teaching students with disabilities. My peers are only required to take SPED 100, which like your first course was a basic overview of everything. I believe that they should have some kind of course like this to be more aware about what it will really be like.