Co-Teaching Expectations
Division of Labor
General education and special education teacher are require to work together as a team to ensure the students in the inclusive classroom setting is learning with the accurate accommodation and tools to fit their needs. The general education and special education teacher work together to create a lesson plan to which it targets all areas of learning for all students in the inclusive classroom setting. Both teachers should sit together to discuss their concerns for their students and contact the parents together to allow the parents to understand it is a team working as a unit.
Space & Furniture
As both teachers should have a desk to complete work, the desk should be on opposite ends of the classroom for instance, one in the back of the classroom and one in the front as each teacher should be the eyes for each other. The classroom desk should allow room for both teachers to move around freely along with a table for small group learning and/or one-on-one help. In certain situation a table may cause the room to become too small, grouping a group of five student’s desks together will allow the inclusive teachers to conduct small group lesson for the students to complete together, which will allow the general and special education teacher to work with a group of students who need additional help.
Classroom Routines & Discipline
At the beginning of each marking period, both the general and special education teacher should discuss
General education should promote collaboration to increase an effective quality education for student in an inclusive classroom (Argan, 2014). This can be done a multitude of ways. Paraeducators can be included in planning activities in the classroom (Argan, 2014). By incorporating paraeducators, general education teachers and special education teachers can get a different perspective on how an activity may look or what
Special education teachers no longer may identify themselves as teachers of just a specific category of students. Rather, they must identify themselves as teachers of all students and be willing to provide whatever support is needed to meet the varied needs of students. Likewise, students should not be identified as self-contained or resource, but as students needing specialized instruction and supports for specific skills/subject areas for specific amounts of time in either a special education setting or a general education setting.
Teaching Assistant’s goal is to work with classroom teachers and support them and their responsibilities for the development and education of pupils, including pupils with special needs (physical, emotional, educational). Teaching assistant should be involved in the planning cycle and might contribute to it by providing ideas, materials and learning strategies for lessons, organising and managing learning experiences, recording the achievements and more. Teaching assistant should always make sure that she/he understands what the learning objectives of activities are and how the success of the activities is going to be measured. If teaching assistant has any concerns regarding the planning, he/she should share it with the teacher by giving constructive
Preparing regular education teachers to address the diverse needs of children with special needs in inclusive set up.
SPE 513 WEEK 3 DQ 1 ROLE OF GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS
Special needs students with emotional, behavioural, mental, or physical disability are now often mainstreamed for at least part of their school day. Gifted children are also often in the same classroom and also need support, but a different kind (DfES 2004). This makes planning lessons that service all pupils a complex and often difficult task. The teaching is also one that could rarely be performed effectively by only one instructor (Bage, Grosvernor and Williams 1999). Hence, all three adults must work together to ensure pupils’ progress at an appropriate rate, balancing the special needs pupil’s entitlement and the needs of the broader class.
“One of the essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.
According to the foundations of Inclusion video the three key elements to the best inclusive practice are: access, participation and support. Access is allowing the student to get the education they deserve and making it easier on them. Students with disabilities should be allowed to have recess and go on fieldtrips with other students and teachers should help them accomplish that. Teachers are also encouraged to modify lesson plans so everyone in the classroom understands. Participation helps to make sure the student engages and fully understands what is being taught. Teachers can help with participation by interacting with the student and helping them to understand in different ways other than just speaking with them. Lastly, is support
The necessity of education for students throughout the United States and the world continues to grow, making it necessary for teachers in all areas. Though most special education teachers work in public school settings, the need for teachers in residential areas or as tutors in homes or hospital settings still remains ("Teachers-Special Education"). Within the school setting, special educators can take on different roles. Their role may include supporting the general education teacher in the regular education classroom or they may offer resources in a special education setting. The term “inclusion” is often used for special education services offered by supports and accommodations in a regular education classroom with grade level curriculum. “Pull out” services are often in a special education classroom in smaller group settings with academics adjusted to meet their needs. The duties of a special education teacher often combine these responsibilities by determining what will best meet the needs of students.
Today, under the provisions of IDEA many teachers must be prepared to help students at a variety of different levels including students with disabilities (14). More specifically the “Least Restrictive Environment,” provisions helps students with disabilities to receive time in general education classrooms with their peers (14). To learn more about this provision, special education in general, and to gain the perspective of a general education teacher working with children receiving special education, I spoke with a general education working at an inclusive school (22).
During the ten years that I have worked in primary education inclusivity has played an increasingly important part when considering how the curriculum can be delivered and how a classroom can be managed to ensure that it is accessed by all children. Experience of working within a primary classroom has shown that the accommodation of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and the delivery of inclusive lessons have had a vital part to play when determining classroom
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.
Special education teachers are trained to work with children who have a wide range of disabilities. One of the primary responsibilities of a special education teacher is to assess her students' cognitive abilities, and modifies the standard age-appropriate curriculum to create a custom plan for the student. This plan is called an individual education program(IEP). An IEP often includes a number of social and emotional development goals as well as specific academic areas to be taught. The special education teacher’s core task is to meet each of the goals established in the students’ IEPs. In some cases, the special education teacher is located in a separate classroom. When this is the case the teacher will creates lessons geared to meet the objectives of the students’ IEPs. In many instances, special education students are placed in regular classrooms. In that situation, the special education teacher attends classes with her students. She often will work with students on life skills and behavior modification techniques as well. Skills that special educational teachers should possess include, better than average stress management, great multi-tasking abilities, quick thinking, and creative problem solving. A special education teacher must be able to think outside the box and develop an array of teaching methods and techniques to meet the needs of each individual student. Special education requires a vast amount of detailed record keeping, so it is essential for these teachers
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
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.