Inclusion Classroom Strategies

Inclusion is the act of placing students with disabilities into the general education classroom. Students are given the tools, time, and resources necessary to actively participate in all aspects of the general education classroom. Inclusion is not just adding a student with disabilities into the classroom, but genuinely including them as valued members of the classroom. Inclusion is not an easy system to put into practice because it requires a great deal of teamwork and cooperation between teachers, administrators, and parents. Positive Inclusion programs closely supervise the social and academic progress to ensure the students are thriving. When inclusion is done correctly, the teacher finds a way to meet the student’s needs in a way that is natural and unobtrusive. The resources and supports in an inclusion classroom benefit all students, not just the students with disabilities.

In 1993 a woman by the name of Dee Begg filed a lawsuit against the school district office of Baltimore County, Maryland. She wanted her son Sean, a developmentally challenged eight-year-old boy suffering from Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, to be able to attend a public school with normal children. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person is born with forty-seven chromosomes instead of the usual forty-six causing both physical and mental handicaps. Children suffering from Down syndrome will often have a smaller than usual and abnormally shaped head. An abnormally large forehead, with their eyes slanting upward, small ears and mouth are just a few of the telltale signs. Children suffering from this disorder

Inclusion can be defined as the act of being present at regular education classes with the support and services needed to successfully achieve educational goals. Inclusion in the scholastic environment benefits both the disabled student and the non-disabled student in obtaining better life skills. By including all students as much as possible in general or regular education classes all students can learn to work cooperatively, learn to work with different kinds of people, and learn how to help people in tasks. “As Stainback, Stainback, East, and Sapon-Shevin (1994) have noted, ‘...the goal of inclusion in schools is to create a world in which all people are knowledgeable about and supportive of all other

In education, physical space of the classroom matters, but more importantly the impression imposed by the instructor and interactions determines how the space is perceived as. Creating a positive space is displayed as welcoming any student to the class, and every student can benefit from such an effort. International students come to the institution with overwhelming fear and stress, hoping to be able to connect with their instructors and colleagues. When first stepped into the classrooms, it is important for instructors to create a welcoming and inclusive space, to provide a positive impression of the classroom building a sense of belonging. To achieve such setting, Crose (2011) introduces step-by-step teaching methods, starting from understanding international learners to the ways of creating an inclusive, internationalized classroom to overcome the challenges of language barriers.

When asking the question, is the inclusive classroom model working, the answer is yes. Inclusion is the right direction to go; however, the model that is in place is not the most effective for education. The Education Law for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 mandate that schools provide free public education to all students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 ended the idea that a free public education meant segregating students with special needs in separate classrooms or wings of the school, and thus began the “inclusive classroom” movement. What does the law actually mean in regards to “inclusion”? All learners between the ages of 3 to 21 with handicaps, defined as students with hearing impairment, visual impaired, physically disabled, emotionally disturbed, or having special learning disabilities, will be provided a free public education. Furthermore, each of these students will have in place an Individualized Educational Plan where the educator and parent decide on the least restrictive environment possible (which in most cases is the regular classroom) as well as set educational, behavioral, or social-emotional goals for the student.

Introduction This essay will attempt to highlight the importance of inclusive practice in the early years setting. As stated by (Hyder, T. and Jennings, J, 2009) ‘the best inclusive practice aims to build on existing good practice to create educational environments within which all children can develop and learn.’ Through evaluation of the various acts and legislation that are currently in effect to safe guard children’s well being. This essay will assess the impact upon children, if these legal requirements are not adhered too. There are many theories and key concepts that will be referred to in this appraisal, along with some examples of inclusive and non-inclusive practices.

There are pros and cons to inclusion education. Those who support inclusion education point to the benefits which result from putting students with disabilities into general classrooms with other children who do not have a disability. To begin, integrating students with disabilities into the classroom forces some teachers to leave their comfort zones and learn new techniques to become better instructors. Another big benefit for students of all levels of ability is the increase in social areas such as peer modeling. Children from both aspects of the discussion learn social norms from their peers exhibiting acceptable academic and social behaviors. Relationship building as well as allowing children to understand diversity are also great pros.

The article, “Inclusion Strategies That Work” by Alice M. Hammel, states “you can make special learners successful in your classroom.” Throughout the article Alice explains how a future music teacher can include special learners into their classroom. Things can be challenging for the teacher as well as the student, but this article gives suggestions and helpful tips to resolve these issues. After reading the article I think the suggestions made can be very useful for every classroom.

Reflection is an important part of the planning process. “Ongoing learning and reflective practice is one of the five principles of the early years learning Framework” (DEEWR, 2010. p. 7). It gives the educators an opportunity to look at the planning process, the successful areas of planning, the areas of improvement and progress and to get motivated to work better for the learning of children. The following reflection will highlight the merits of implementing the inclusion improvement plan, some of the issues that impact on educators’ capacity to provide an inclusive care environment and how can the educators manage the competing demands of inclusion of children with additional needs, with the demands of providing an inclusive environment for all children.

At the level of school systems, aspects which appear to be common to inclusive school practice for pupils with ASD are ethos, leadership and environment. An important starting point is a shared commitment across all staff towards the inclusion of pupils with ASD (Humphrey and Symes 2013). This can be facilitated through staff training which incorporates whole staff awareness (Ravet 2011) and targeted training according to need (Glashan, Mackay, and Grieve 2004), both of which have been found to reduce teacher stress and increase strategy use (Probst and Leppert 2008).

The school considers inclusion to be an important part of its ethos. As a larger institution there are a variety of pupils’ from many different backgrounds, the school as a whole is diverse. It is vital the school provides a ‘secure learning environment in which they feel safe, secure, confident and able to learn.’ (Behaviour for Learning Policy, 1) As a trainee teacher it is important I am aware of who I will be teaching and their requirements. I will support students in the best way I can and seek support from the inclusion team when necessary. I will plan my lessons adhering to the policy guidelines and academic levels for that particular class. I will use differentiation to ensure all pupils are able to achieve their full potential.

What was the moment you decided what you wanted to do in life? For me it was one Monday afternoon, sitting in a first-grade class. I had always thought about being a teacher; I knew I’d love it. But I wasn’t sure if I could handle the challenges that come with teaching. About a year ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a long-term substitute in a first grade inclusion class. The first few days were quite difficult. I had to learn schedules, the kid’s names, and how to interact with special needs students. However, I quickly caught on. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I really fell in love with my new job. I was working with some of the lower children in the class on how to subtract two digit numbers. One little boy was just

Jason is a 16 year old student who just completed his junior year of high school. He is a bright, friendly student with a specific learning disability in reading and reading comprehension. Jason was first identified with a learning disability when he was in the 8th grade, and he has beeen reciving service in an inclusion setting since he’s been identified with LD.

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.

A lot of people do not agree with inclusion in classrooms. They say, “the disabled student might be disruptive” or “the other students might get upset when the teacher has to slow down for the disabled student.” All students have their right to an education, whether it be inclusive or not. If a student is disruptive, the teacher should be able to handle it. Although people think inclusion has many disadvantages, there are far more advantages and benefits for all students, teachers, families and even for communities. Since everyone can benefit from inclusion,  we as society should make schools and communities inclusive.