The Pros And Cons Of Students In Education

Historically, students with disabilities were served in separate facilities or not at all; however, a more modern approach to education deems that all students should be served in the least restrictive environments. At first, students with disabilities were served in inclusion classrooms which are still used today, but there is evidence that a student with disabilities are better served when they attend inclusion classes instead; thus, depending on the level of the disability, some students spend all day in a self-contained classroom, some spend only a part of the day, and some are completely in inclusion classes. Thus, the two classroom styles will be compared using the observations

A stereotype that is often associated with special education is that its only for students with a severe disability. Special Education is for all disabled children no matter how severe or the need for the special education services. This stereotype often leads faculty and others to misclassify or inappropriately place students in a special education program. Another stereotype is that special education can only be performed in a “special” classroom with other students with a disability. Being placed in special education doesn’t mean that the student needs to be restricted from the other students without a disability. Children with a disability should be educated in general education classrooms with typical peers as much as possible. As teachers,

There are many controversies that american public education system does more harm than good. In “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto and “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” by Jean Anyon, explains how school education destructively impacts us. Gatto states his experience as a public school teacher and why he “just can’t do it anymore”. He was tired how the schooling was programmed. He argues how school system are affecting students to be more like “childlike” citizens. Also, Anyon demonstrates her research on how there are many different kind of education depending what “class” you were. She informs us that there is an inequality in “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”. Both authors depicts the reality and truth, that some people are unable to see. As a student, I’ve also experience this and support how school depicts how we are in the future. Moreover, there are many representations that explains why the american public education systems does more harm than good.

In some general classrooms, teachers tend to give more time and attention to children with disabilities, leaving general education students who may be struggling with little to no help. Socialization is another whole ballpark, inclusion could lead to children developing negative attitudes about peers with disabilities, especially if they feel they are receiving more attention from the teacher and other students in the classroom. Teachers of general education classes may have a fear of teaching students with disabilities. They feel they do not know them well enough and that they will make a mistake. This can then in return allow the teacher to push the student with a disability away and not give them the best education piece they can. These teachers feel like they should not have to change their classroom for a student that is coming to them. It also shows that these teachers are not trained properly in special education.

“Disabling segregation” by Dan Habib solely focuses on inclusion within the classroom and the community. He, like most people, grew up in a society where those who have a disability were separated from those who are “normal”. Habib’s passion for inclusion did not occur until after the birth of his youngest son, Samuel. Samuel was born with cerebral palsy. After Samuel’s diagnosis, Habib wanted to do everything he could to make sure his son was included. In his speech, he talks about how inclusion in schools leads to higher marks on tests and assignments than classrooms that are separated. Habib stated that 56% of kids with disabilities spend their day in a separate classroom. He advocates for inclusion, not only for the sake of his son, but also for all children who are like Samuel and who may have never gotten the chance to succeed. Habib tells a story about a man who was very much like Samuel but was never lucky enough to be given the tools he needed for success. Due to the lack of resources, people in that man’s life held him to a much lower standard and he became resentful towards those who were not treating him like a real human being.

In their landmark study, Soukup, Wehmeyer, Bashinski and Bovaird (2007) compared access to curriculum between inclusive classrooms and self-contained ones. They reported that in an inclusive general education classroom, students with disabilities were more likely to be working on a grade-level curriculum and were significantly more likely to be provided some sort of adaptations to improve their access to it whereas in a self-contained classroom, students with special needs were mostly working on below-grade-level standards and tasks. Further, there is considerable evidence that a child’s view of himself or herself is greatly influenced by environmental reinforcements and their perceived competence by significant others in the child’s life (Harter, 1999), and that expectations about the child’s abilities can affect his or her performance through self-fulfilling prophecies (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968). When children with special needs are placed in segregated classrooms by virtue of having a disability, they are automatically categorized as less capable and intelligent than the students from the general education classrooms and, as a result, receive a less stimulating learning experience. It has been

The inclusion movement consists of placing students with disabilities into general education classrooms and settings (Lesson 1: Presentation (Transcript)). Through this movement students with disabilities are given opportunities to spend time with peers that are not disabled in hopes that the social

These students make the students with disabilities feel they do not belong or there is something wrong with them when there is not. Additionally, I find the students who get along with students with disabilities are the ones who have taken the time to get the person rather than the label. Students who are introduced to other students with disabilities at young do not discriminate against these students. Their peers at younger do not see the differences as much an example is the comments made by the Patty’s sister how she did not realize until they were older there was some “wrong” with Patty. Another example from the film talks about the mother’s concern about how the students’ opinion might change about Samuel as he grow older. I think if the friends Samuel has, or people who really respect the individual with a disability growing up and learning stereotypes would not matter because they can see the individual for who they are and would not treat them any

Even though the Least Restrictive Environment has been used for a long time around the world, disabled students are still not considered the same as nondisabled students. This leads to the essential question: Is enough being done for disabled students to be accepted by nondisabled students? On one side of the debate, critics will argue that nondisabled students are welcoming to disabled students, and make them feel like they are equal. However, some nondisabled students still do not know how to interact with disabled students, or they may just believe they are better without getting to know the disabled student. It is extremely important for people to realize that not enough is being done for disabled kids to be accepted by nondisabled kids because nondisabled children are not around disabled children enough to know how to interact with them, disabled children may not feel comfortable in the world around them, and disabled and nondisabled children still do not feel comfortable talking to each other because they are not around each other

Within the article "Promoting Inclusion, Social Connections, And Learning Through Peer Support Arrangements", Carter et al. (2015) speak about why inclusion is important, as well as ways to help benefit students with disabilities in inclusion classrooms. They discuss the jobs of paraprofessionals and also how peer support can go a long way in helping students, especially those with severe disabilities. By focusing on both academic and social skills, this plan will help students with disabilities learn how to mingle with fellow classmates and help them figure out about their own preferred learning style.

Inclusion in classrooms can further benefit the communication skills and sense of community among students with and without disabilities. “Children that learn together, learn to live together” (Bronson, 1999). For students with special needs, inclusive classrooms provide them with a sense of self-belonging. The classrooms provide diverse environments with which the students will evolve feelings of being a member of a diverse community (Bronson, 1999). For students without disabilities, they learn to develop appreciation of the diversity. The classrooms provide many opportunities for the students to experience diversity and realize that everyone has different abilities that are unique and acceptable. From this realization, the students will learn to be respectful for others with different characteristics (Bronson, 1999). Inclusion in classrooms is beneficial to all students’ individual and community growth.

This controversy may stem from the fact that inclusion is expensive and experts disagree about how much time disabled students should spend in regular classrooms (Cambanis, 2001). Although this topic is controversial, it cannot be ignored. Inclusion will, at some point, affect 1% of all children born each year, who will have disabilities and the families and educators they will come in contact with (Stainback, 1985).

For years children with special needs were ushered off to separate classes and schools. Children with special needs have the right to attend classes with their same aged peers in the same classroom with support. Students with special needs deserve the same opportunities they would have if circumstances were different. Inclusion gives those students with special needs the chance to be part of the community; able to form relationships outside of the family unit. All students benefit from inclusion; students with disabilities develop social skills and develop friendships while non-disabled students learn tolerance and acceptance.

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.

           Better social skills are just one of the many benefits for a student with disabilities in an inclusive classroom. The student gains these by talking to students that are different from them and “by feeling happy for being part of a regular community” (Inclusive Education: A Renaissance). Students get to interact with all types of students, which helps them with their understanding of the world they live in. Social skills are important for all students, and being able to communicate with all different types of people will be crucial when it comes time for employment. The students are also able to observe how the other students in their classroom communicate with one another and eventually pick up on those skills. In a study conducted by Wiener and Tardif, they found that students in an inclusive setting “were more accepted by their peers, had