Kaylie: Inspired by Inclusive Education

Don’t you love coming across a novel, poem, movie, or song that you first encountered years ago and really enjoyed or that had a lasting impact on you? You get to have that great experience again and reminisce about what was going on in your life the first time you heard or read the piece? This happened to me this week.

I’m a nerd, so it came as no surprise that what I came across were two articles I had read in grad school. The articles both discuss inclusive education for students with moderate-severe disabilities (i.e., my students). There were so many “highlighter-worthy” statements that I just had to pass along.

• Definition of inclusive education: “Full-time membership of students with disabilities in their chronologically age-appropriate classrooms with the necessary supports and services to benefit from educational activities.” (Downing, 2010)
• Collaboration is a “hallmark” of inclusive education: “General educators, special educators, paraprofessionals, related service providers and all critical team members share the responsibility for teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities in typical learning environments.” (Downing, 2010)
• What inclusive education is not: Students being only physically present in general education classes, hiring paraprofessionals to assist students in general education classes, students sitting away from other peers working on different assignments, students coming to general education classes for 30 minutes every now and then. (Downing, 2010)
• Mindset for inclusive education: “...assume competence and teach to that assumption.” (Downing, 2010)
• Outcomes of inclusive education: “...research findings to date support the practice of bringing students of different abilities together to learn. Benefits have been documented for all involved with minimal detrimental impact. Teachers have reported learning more skills and knowledge to use with an increasingly diverse student population.” (Downing, 2010)
• Who should be the advocate for inclusive education: “...advocates for inclusion and access to the general curriculum...disseminate their positions and findings to special educators when the primary target audience ought to be general educators, administrators, parents and community members.” (Halle & Diamond, 2010)
• Thinking differently about inclusive education: “Rather than striving for ‘sameness’...there is a need to expand educational contexts for all learners to incorporate inclusive settings outside the classroom and in the community.” (Halle & Diamond, 2010)

Wow! These articles really rekindled my fire for inclusive education for students with moderate-severe disabilities. The wheels are turning wildly in my head about how I can make this kind of genuine inclusive education happen for my kids.

Is this something any of you do in your schools? Do you know of schools where this is in place for students with moderate-severe disabilities? Where do I start?

References:

Downing, J. (2010). Teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities in general education classrooms. In J. Downing (2010), Academic Instruction for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities (1-16).

Halle. J & Dymond, S. (2010). Inclusive education: A necessary prerequisite to accessing the general education curriculum? Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 33-34(4-1), 196-198.

Comments

[John Arthur]

I am currently student teaching in a self-contained autism unit for 1st-4th graders. While I am enjoying the experience and look forward to walking into the classroom every morning, I have to admit that my experiences in the unit have only reinforced my belief that it is a flawed model. I have never been a big fan of ability grouping, and I especially do not believe that students should be lumped together in a self-contained classroom because they all happen to share the same disability category, especially when the students range in age from 6 to 10 years old. I understand the need to have a teacher in the room qualified to address the behavioral and developmental needs of students with autism; however, asking that same special educator to plan instruction in Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies for three curriculums, tailoring that instruction to fit the individual needs of 13 students with IEPs, all while managing evals, IEP meetings, etc. is unrealistic to say the least, and in the end it is the children who fall behind and pay the price. I have also spent time in a middle school ED unit, which makes even less sense to me (let's take the 20 kids who have the hardest time staying out of trouble in school and throw them all in a room together . . . awesome). As teachers we ask our students every day to make good choices -- when it comes to inclusive education, the choice is clear.

[Think_inclusive]

Kaylie,

This is something I am very passionate about as well. I have written extensively on my blog about inclusion (especially for students with the most significant disabilities). The more you are willing to do it...and do it well. The more you can show your colleagues that it can be done and that is really is the best of all kids. Please consider checking out Think Inclusive and see the stories from educators, parents and self-advocates. I am learning so much as a go through this journey. I am a self-contained teacher...so I know that it is hard to break out of this mold but it can be done. :) Good luck and please connect with me via Twitter (@think_inclusive) and the blog.

Thanks for your great thoughts!

[Charmelle Smith]

I love this post Kaylie! I support and share your views.

[Kaylie]

Thanks for sharing these great success stories about inclusion! I want this so badly for my kids!

[Alex Dunn]

Hi Kaylie! Love the quotes you cited from the articles. I am a Speech Language Pathologist at Upper Canada District School Board in Canada. We have developed Smart Inclusion, an initiative that does not represent a "canned program" but rather a philosophy that ALL students should have access to meaningful educational and social participation. We start from a curricular goal and then our classes have Universal Design For Learning (cast.org) Toolkits designed to reach and teach all of the profiles of students in the room, in a centers-based, student-directed classroom. The UDL Toolkit blends traditional teaching methods with manipulatives like Lego and both assistive (switches, VOCAs) and educational (iPads, SMART Boards, Nintendo DSi, laptops) technology, together. The wonderful thing about Smart Inclusion is that it is always growing and changing as more educators, parents, students worldwide join the Professional Learning Network. We have written articles in Closing the Gap and most recently in TEC+ http://tecplus.org/articles/article/9 but all of our articles, videos, ideas and suggestions are posted at smartinclusion.wikispaces.com or inclusioneers.com. Wonderful topic that for me too is like the best song I have ever heard and can never seem to get out of my head - and I hope I never will :) Alex

[Jack O'Toole]

I worked in all full inclusion classrooms in CT last semester as a student teacher. I actually enjoyed the range of ability and I think if handled correctly/respectfully by the teacher, students can get much more out the inclusive environment than a "general ed" or "gifted" room. Why? Range of level brings out more range learning. The key is to have accommodations and modifications in place before class.

I had a student with a vision impairment last semester. Because of this impairment, her IEP allowed for her to use an iPad at all times which had various vision impairment apps installed. To ensure that the student was able to participate in lively discussions, the student and I found the "White on Black" app very useful. Not only would the student use it for normal reading circumstances, but I would project EQs, vocabulary, and important names/dates on the SMART Board. Even many other students liked the crispness of the app as it seemed to "burn the info into memory." In addition, it forced me to really hone in on the core of my lessons for all, not just the vision impaired student.

[HollieMason]

I am involved in two inclusion classrooms right now as a resident teacher. Having three teachers in the classroom has definitely been a benefit for the students I work with this year. Fortunately for me, I work with a lot of teachers who really value an inclusive setting. There is no "your kids"/"my kids" for the most part. A lot of our students are having difficulties with math this year and we are able to split the class into smaller groups to benefit all of the students. Because we are in a brand new building, there are some empty rooms during each period and we are even able to split the students according to their learning styles after a general lesson to work on classroom activities. The students actually like going to different settings and it is not unusual for me to work with a group of mostly students who are labeled as general education. I have really loved the creativity that comes from working with others and the shared ideas that we are able to put together for the good of our students.