per grade level, and only three grade levels in the elementary school reflecting
the perceived current needs of the school. School personnel reported that the
success of the model was contingent on having personnel who believe in the
model. The collaborative teaching approach was part of a continuum of services
available to students with LD in the district. Students with LD were clustered
into age-appropriate classes at each grade level so that a special education
teacher could team teach with a small number of general education teachers for
90 minutes per day. The in-class services consisted mostly of instruction on
learning strategies. The majority of the school day of the target students with
LD was spent as part of the general education group. Full inclusion occur when a
child with disability learns in a general education classroom alongside his or
her age mates with all the necessary supports. These supports are provided
through extensive teamwork and communication. Moreover, in providing these
supports school must always consider the best interests of the student with
disabilities, his or her peers, and all the members of the inclusion team,
including the special educator, the general educator, parents, building
administrators, therapists, and other support personnel whatever, else it maybe,
inclusion should never be seen as a money-saving option for a school or district
under inclusion, no support services are taken away from students; indeed, even
more support maybe required to enable a student to function optimally in the
general education classroom. An individual child’s educational program is
developed and owned by all team members. These are not a single expert, but a
team of experts who contribute interdependently to each child’s program. We have
our support for the philosophy of inclusion on three fundamental arguments.
First, we believe that inclusion has a legal base. The great majority of court
cases have not upheld the traditional practice of segregating students with
special educational needs. Many cases are still pending but it is unusual to
pick up an education journal today without seeing some references to inclusion
and the legal mandates that support the practice. The bottom line of the
argument for inclusion is that each child has a legal right to an equal
opportunity to obtain an education in the "least restrictive
environment" possible. For many advocates of inclusion, the fight for
inclusion has become a civil rights issue in the segregated programs are seen to
be inherently unequal and a violation of the rights of students with special
education needs. A second argument for inclusion rests on the results of
research on best practices. Research continues to show that students who are not
pulled out do better than those who are segregated. Analyses of segregated
special education programs indicate that they have simply not worked. Despite
increases in spending and the growth of the special education bureaucracy,
children in segregated special education programs have not shown the growth that
was predicted. Finally, but perhaps most important, a strong moral and ethnical
argument can be made for the "rightness" of inclusion: it is the best
thing to do for the students. Segregating students the day in any way is not
good: it classifies, it creates bias, and it makes them different. Schools are a
reflection of the communities they serve, and so all members of those
communities should be a part of the schools. Students with special needs are a
part of our communities, and with the inclusion philosophy, we can make them
more and more a part of our school communities. We need to learn from one
another in our schools so that we can do the same in our communities. In the
future, students majoring in education are likely to regard the practice of
segregating students with special needs in much the same as we look upon racial
segregation before the 1960’s. The Role of the Special Education Teacher: When
inclusion was first initiated in some school systems, the myth existed that
special educators would no longer be needed since the children once taught in
separate classrooms would be in general education classrooms. This is very far
from the truth. Indeed, the role of the special educator is crucial. The special
education ran act as the case manager for his or her students, facilitating team
meetings and planning sessions. He or she is responsible for determining the
curricular adaptations that may need to be in place on a daily or weekly basis
and for facilitating the development by parents and team members of
individualized education program (IEP) throughout the year and is usually the
liaison with the therapists. The special educator should also be involved in
actively developing and participating in planning and supports sessions
involving the classmates of the child with a disability. These sessions are
necessary to the success of the child who is included. Peers need to understand
the unique aspects of their classmate to learn fact, not myths: to learn how to
interact with their classmate: and to develop empathy and respect for that
person. The job description could literally go on and on but the most important
role the special educator takes on is that of team playing especially in
supporting the classroom teacher. Inclusion does not mean that a child never
receives separate instruction in skills or functional routines. However, if a
child is to receive separate instruction, it should be a valuable experience
that can only be done outside the classroom. For example, if a child needs
intensive reading instruction in a small group or even one-to-one, this
instruction should be built into his or her schedule at an appropriate time
(e.g., during the language arts period). Such specialized instruction maybe
provided by a general educator, a special education, or an instructional
assistant. Some educators argue that students with significant physical
disabilities or with intellectual disabilities cannot learn functional life
skills in a general education environment. If a student needs to work on toilet
skills, the type of classrooms he or she is in makes not differences. Bathrooms
can be found in the school building, and these skills can be worked on there at
natural or scheduled times of the day. Similar advise applies for mealtimes
skills, grooming skills, and many other skills that may be priority areas on
some children’s IEP. Community living and vocational skills can also be a part
of students’ schedules, as long as they are skills that the parents and team
members have identified as being necessary and relevant. We have also had the
opportunity to work with included children who face behavioral challenges. This
is the most controversial and unsettling aspect of inclusion. No matter what
environment a child is in, behavioral challenges are constant and
time-consuming. This in nothing new to public schools or to special education.
The fact is if teachers put a group of children together who demonstrate
challenging behaviors these behaviors will tend increase and become more intense
through imitation and an effort to attract more attention. If teachers wait for
a child to be "ready" to move into an inclusive setting by expecting
his or her behavior to improve in a segregated environment that day may never
come. The "readiness theory" is a myth. Children with challenging
behavior need positive role models, structure, and specific behavioral plans
based on natural rewards and contingencies that are designed to replace negative
behavior with positive ones. The Role of Classroom Teacher: To be successful in
an inclusive setting, a general education teacher must believe that students
with disabilities can learn successfully and deserve the opportunity to learn in
age-appropriate classrooms. We continue to celebrate the abundant leaning that
takes place among classmates of all abilities in classrooms throughout our
school. We see students with disabilities learning alongside their nondisabled
peers in an environment in which support is provided and a real feeling of
communist exists. Students in an inclusive setting develop a new sense of
understanding and respect for one another and for human differences. Classroom
teachers who do not lower their expectations continue to be amazed at what
students can achieve in a risk-free environment where differences. Classroom
teachers who do not lower their expectation continue to be amaze at what
students can achieve in a risk-free environment where differences are recognized
and celebrated. Members of the class get to know one another, talk about likes
and dislikes, and start to realize that they are all equal members of the
classroom community. There are many components to such a community classroom,
and more important, we have found that strategies that are effective for
inclusion tend to benefit all learners, regardless of their abilities or
disabilities. Effective discipline strategies must be in lace, and part of any
successful discipline strategy are the settings of realistic and positive goals
for students. With realistic goals in place for individuals, appropriate
classroom behaviors thrive. When students recognize the appropriateness
trustworthy and confident. Cooperative leaning is a noncompetitive teaching
strategy that works well in an inclusive classroom. Through the activities of
cooperative learning groups, each student can play an equal part in classroom
activity. The roles of group members need to be define clearly and all members
of the group must participate, allowing each student to make a contribution to
the learning member are clearly important, and each student can feel valued even
as a student develops needed interpersonal skills. Therefore, from the first day
of school, the classroom teacher must take ownership of included students with
special needs. These students are no longer thought of as the special education
teacher’s students who have been placed in a general education classroom for a
short period. The classroom teacher should become very involved with the process
of developing of IEP and with making sure that the necessary supports and
services are provided to the included student. The student feels a real sense of
belonging in such and environment. The Role of the Principle: The principal
plays one of the most important roles in an inclusive school. Researchers have
found repeatedly that inclusion programs are not successful if the principal
does not take an active and positive role in the process. Principal cannot see
inclusion as a program that takes place only in classrooms. Inclusion must
become a school wide philosophy; it must permeate the school and become a
building block for all other programs that occur. Curriculum and Instruction: A
very important part of allowing each student to participate actively at his or
her own level and to meet individualized goals is an overlapping curriculum.
Offering different materials in the same topic but at different reading levels
has proved to be very successful. The same curriculum goals are expected of all
students, but differences are taken into account. Parent involvement has proved
vital in inclusive classrooms. Most often, if parents are informed of what is
taking place in the classroom, they will be supportive. Parents can be invited
to volunteer in the classroom, both to assist the teacher and to witness
firsthand how he or she goes about meeting the individual needs of the students.
When the classroom community is extended to include parents, greater involvement
will lead to greater success." Involving students as peer helpers for
students with disabilities is a very effective strategy. Teachers will need to
model strategies for students and allow students to be involved in
problem-solving sessions. Peer assistance and support can help nondisabled
students build and maintain relationship with their disabled peers. In a
successful inclusive classroom, the general educator, the special educator and
the instructional assistants must collaborate to meet the needs of all students
for successful collaboration to take place, the following assets are by: ?
Communication. Teacher who collaborate must be honest and open about concerns
and feelings. ? Flexibility. Teachers in inclusive classrooms must be willing
to "roll with the punches," to compromise, and to do things
differently if necessary. ? Shared ownership. The student with an IEP is part
of the general class and thus "belongs to" the general education
teacher. The special education teacher plays a variety of roles that support the
student and the classroom teacher. ? Recognition of differing needs. All
students can successful met the same curriculum goals with adaptation and
support appropriate to their individual needs. ? Need-based instruction.
Collaborators must be willing to plan activities that ensure success and not be
overly concerned with time lines. ? Willingness to be a team player. The team
must be willing to plan and work together on all issues, especially student
behavior. ? Dependability: Each team member must be prepared for his or her
part of all planning and lesson responsibilities. ? Cooperative grading. The
special education teacher and the
English Major from Paterson, N.J. with ambitions to be a writer and actor.