Comparative Outcomes Of Two Instructional Models For Students With Learning Disabilities

According to the latest figures available from Data Accountability Center, U.S. Department of Education, 2,415,564 students were identified as having a Specific Learning Disability in the Fall of 2010 (“Full Inclusion”). With the severity of the number of individuals with disabilities in the school system, the controversy of the best way to support them arises. One of the solutions of this controversy is the issue of full inclusion. Those opposed to the idea of full inclusion fear that the approach may impede on the children without disabilities and put a strain on the students with disabilities. The major stakeholders against full inclusion also fear that the process will negatively affect the teachers, as well as, the atmosphere of the classrooms. Many of these parties and individuals are not fully against inclusion all together, but do not support the idea of full inclusion.

Students with special needs need deserve the same education general education students are presented with. The philosophy of “ Disability Inclusion” concentrates on creating a safe, loving, and effective learning environment for students who suffer from physical, learning, and behavioral disabilities. When a student with disabilities is placed in the same environment as a non-disabled student, the results show wonderful improvement. When we are able to discover the strength of the student we are able to see just how much the student can improve in an inclusion classroom. Disability Inclusion not only sets a new beginning for an equal education of special education students, but it allows for more interaction with the child, and a more hands-on assessment.

Teachers attitude toward inclusion are important factor that can cause inclusion to succeed or fail. Survey results indicated that numerous educators have a positive attitude towards the inclusion of special needs students and the beneficial outcomes that

One factor that plays a huge role in successful implementation of integrated co-teaching and has better outcomes for students is when the co-teachers are trained and work together. Magiera and Zigmond (2005) preformed a study at four middle schools in New York that focused on the instructional practices for students with and without disabilities; with teachers who were not trained in integrated co-teaching

Within the past decades and a big discussion has occurred regarding the most appropriate setting within which to provide education for students in special education. Although the change in the educational environment is significant for handicapped student the concepts of inclusion also bring up new issues for the regular education classroom teachers.

“The integration of children with disabilities in the same classroom with non-disabled youngsters has emerged as one of the most complex, important, and controversial practices in the field of education” (Tarver-Behring et. al, 1). Depending on the type of school, special needs students can be segregated from others and placed in their own learning based classroom. However, some argue that special needs students positively impact themselves and the others around them when being placed into the mainstream classroom setting. Special needs students should be placed in the traditional classroom setting because they positively impact students without disabilities, as well as

Special education teachers also need to learn strategies for effective inclusion practices in the classroom. The characteristics of students with common disabilities will be discussed so learners will know how to modify curricula, instruction techniques and progress assessments. Learners will also develop a working knowledge of applicable laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997). Future special education teachers will learn the rights and responsibilities of staff, students and

This article discussed the benefits of students with learning disabilities being in an inclusive environment rather than being in a pullout program. According to data, pullout programs do not assist in student academic growth. Students sometimes do not try hard enough when they are not around their peers in a classroom setting or they can feel disconnected to their peers in a pullout program. The trend seems to be that positive when it comes to putting the special education students with leaning disabilities in an inclusion classroom. This article examines eight grade middle school students at two different schools who are learning disabled with some being served in a pullout program and the others in an inclusion program. At Enterprise Middle School, there was an inclusion model set in place. There was team teaching between the special and general educators and they had opportunities to plan lessons, discuss student progress, and examine classroom management techniques. The teachers bought the lesson to the students in many different ways such as: parallel teaching, station teaching, and alternative teaching. These techniques allowed for lessons to be more individualized even though there was a group of diverse learners. On the other hand, Voyager Middle School did not have an inclusion program; they used the pullout program for the learning disabled students. Interaction between the special

Orr (2009) conducted interviews with special education teachers and the attitudes they have seen in their schools since inclusion was implemented in their schools. Orr (2009) chose fifteen teachers, which included fourteen female and one male teacher who agreed to participate in the study so it was a purposive criterion sample. Twelve of the fifteen teachers taught in a suburban area, two in a rural area, and one in an urban area; but they varied in the age they taught and school. Seven of the fifteen teachers taught in a self-contained classroom while the remaining eight taught in a resource room, where they only saw a student for less than an hour or two a day. Another pattern that showed was that many teachers found that they did not receive any classes that focused on differentiation or inclusion while completing their undergraduate work (Orr 2009). These results are important when considering the implementation of inclusion because it may mean that there is a need to reteach teachers. It is important to consider professional development classes district-wide before implementing inclusion in the classroom.

In an ideal education system all teachers would receive inclusion training during their masters’ program or teacher certification process. These trainings would focus on teaching prospective teachers theoretical principles and how to apply them to real-life situations, how to analyze difficult situations and manage them, how to use assistive teaching strategies, student assessment, and curriculum modifications for students with disabilities (Almog & Schechtman, 2007; Buell, Hallam & Gamel-McCormick, 1999). Research has shown a positive relationship between teacher self-efficacy and pre-service training (Brownell & Pajares, 1999; Buell et al., 1999; Center & Ward, 1987; Lancaster & Bain, 2007; Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1996). Teachers who have had pre-service inclusion education have positive attitudes toward inclusion and students with disabilities (Bennett, Deluca, & Burns, 1997; Larrivee, 1981; Stoler, 1992).

Collaboration in the world of education has become an increasingly popular method of addressing a variety of school issues, such as curriculum design, behavioral plans, professional development and management of resources. One of the areas in which collaboration is becoming more popular is co-teaching in special education, where special education teachers and general education teachers share the planning and instruction responsibilities for inclusion classrooms (Friend & Cook, 2010). As academic standards for the education of students with disabilities are held to the same standards as their typical peers due to the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the co-teaching model has been increasingly

Many children have had learning disabilities for many years. Each year more and more of these children are being helped. Schools are working to improve their special education programs and to have all kinds of students work together in the same classroom. The practice of inclusion was started because educators felt that special needs students would achieve more in traditional classrooms with non-learning disabled students than they would in special education classes. However, research findings suggest that there really is no difference in academic achievement levels for special needs students when they are placed in regular classrooms.

Separate special education provides no guarantee of success for children who need special attention. Students with special needs may fail to conform to the expectations of school and society, (Carter, Lewis, & Wheeler 2017) Inclusion may present issues for teachers that do not possess the skills to make it work. Teachers must collaborate with a team of professional to plan and implement instruction for students in an inclusive environment. Students without disabilities could begin to see the students with disabilities as a distraction in the class depending on the needs of the student with disabilities.

One of the most controversial issues facing educators today is the topic of educating students with disabilities, specifically through the concept of inclusion. Inclusion is defined as having every student be a part of the classroom all working together no matter if the child has a learning disability or not (Farmer) (Inclusion: Where We’ve Been.., 2005, para. 5). The mentally retarded population has both a low IQ and the inability to perform everyday functions. Activities such as eating, dressing, walking, and in some cases, talking can be hopeless for a child with mental retardation.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a strong movement within schools around the United States to integrate students with disabilities in to general education classrooms. Schools have been making more efforts to increase educational opportunities for students with disabilities, and while there are many benefits to inclusion, there are also many challenges. Inclusion of special education students in a regular education classroom continues to be the center of debate amongst administrators and teachers. Everyone has their own ideas and attitudes towards inclusion, and research studies have revealed that there are many things that contribute to those positive or negative attitudes.