Definition of Trend/Issue Inclusion is the combining both general education classrooms and special education classrooms into one. Full inclusion combines everyone regardless of the severity of his/her disability; whereas partial inclusion leaves those with severe and profound disabilities and/or intellectual disabilities in self-contained special education classrooms. In an inclusive classroom setting, special services are brought into the classroom instead of students being pulled out of the classroom for those special services (Henson, 2006, p.366). An inclusion classroom is designed to allow students with special needs the opportunity to access the full curriculum and view children of their age group in their natural interactive and behavioral model (Terpstra, 2008). Background Information The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) require proficient teachers in the areas in which they teach which could serve as a problem for some special education teachers that are not as qualified in core content areas as they are in special education, particularly with secondary education (Nichols, 2010). Many people feel this has been the driving force behind the push for inclusion more than for the sole purposes of providing the most effective learning environment for all (Nichols, 2010). An effective co-teaching model is the best research based method in implementing the most effective inclusive environment. A co-teaching model has a general education teacher and a special education teacher working together as a team. While this model is the most effective it is only effective when properly implemented, which it seldom is. More often than not the general education teacher takes the lead as the head of the classroom w... ... middle of paper ... ...rating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform. (Ed. 3). Long Grove, IL. Waveland Press, Inc. Jung, W. (2007). Preservice teacher training for successful inclusion. Education, 128(1), 106-113. Musti-Rao, S., Hawkins, R. O., & Tan, C. (2011). A Practitioner's Guide to Consultation and Problem Solving in Inclusive Settings. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(1), 18-26. Nichols, J., Dowdy, A., & Nichols, C. (2010). Co-teaching: an educational promise for children with disabilities or a quick fix to meet the mandates of no child left behind?. Education, 130(4), 647-651. Roberts, J. A., Keane, E., & Clark, T. R. (2008). Making Inclusion Work. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(2), 22-27. Terpstra, J., & Tamura, R. (2008). Effective Social Interaction Strategies for Inclusive Settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(5), 405-411.
Shapiro, Art. "Special Education Inclusion, Making it Work." 2005. Education World. 27 March 2011 .
Educators can have strong feelings on the subject because having special needs students in a regular classroom can have a large impact on the classroom community. Those who believe in inclusive classrooms realize that, to be successful, it requires allot of classroom management and differentiated instruction, but feel the benefits are worth the work involved. Those who do not believe in inclusion feel that it leads to “l...
Co-teaching is the collaboration of two or more credentialed teaching professionals, most typically a general education teacher and a special education teacher. To truly qualify as a co-teaching model, each teacher must be actively involved in the teaching of the lessons. Each teacher contributes their own unique expertise to the planning, instruction, and managing of all students in the classroom. If executed in this way, co-teaching can enhance the learning environment and involve and engage all students in the classroom. All students, from the academically gifted to the academically challenged, can benefit from the increased engaged time and more diverse instruction which the co-teaching model offers.
Inclusion in the classroom is a topic that I did not fully understand when I first became a special education teacher. Studying inclusion and all the aspect that it encompasses has enlighten me to the complexities of inclusion in the classroom. Inclusion has expanded to every facet of school activities outside the classroom. I am going on my fifth year of being a special education teacher and continuously find the need for additional education and training among the staff and administration. I feel having a comprehensive understanding has made me a better educator and advocate for children with disabilities.
Wischnowski, M. W., Salmon, S. J., & Eaton, K. (2004). Evaluating co-teaching as a means for
Retrieved Feb 6, 2010 from http://www.newsforparents.org/experts_. Inclusion_pros_cons.html Villa, Richard A., Thousand, Jacqueline S. (1995). Creating an inclusive school environment. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Card, Toby.
Lynch, S., & Irvine , A. (2009). Inclusive education and best practice for children with
Glazzard J, Hughes A, Netherwood A, Neve A, Stoke J. (2010). Teaching Primary Special Educational Needs. British library: Learning Matters. p7.
Thorburn, J., & Corby, M. (2002). The ECE inclusion handbook: practical guidelines for early childhood teachers working with children who have special needs. Christchurch: User Friendly Resouce Enterprises Ltd
Those who support an inclusion model for all students take the stand that students with disabilities should be placed in and inclusion setting with the idea that all special education students will benefit from an inclusion setting with their general education peers. An inclusion setting will provide academic growth and social growth. The placement of special education students in a general education classroom would also benefit students to respect and accept those students who are different. Students should be placed in an inclusion setting whenever possible (Noll, 2013).
Inclusion 'mainstreams' physically, mentally, and multiply disabled children into regular classrooms. In the fifties and sixties, disabled children were not allowed in regular classrooms. In 1975 Congress passed the Education of all Handicapped Students Act, now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA mandates that all children, regardless of disability, had the right to free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. Different states have different variations of the law. Some allow special needs students to be in a regular education classroom all day and for every subject, and others allow special education students to be in a regular education classroom for some subjects and in a separate classroom for the rest. There are many different views on inclusive education. In this paper I will address some of the positive and negative views on inclusion and ways to prepare educators for inclusive education.
Klein, M. D., Cook, R. E., & Richardson-Gibbs, A. M. (2001). Strategies for Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Settings. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Inclusion has become increasingly important in education in recent years, with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act being passed in 2004 to ensure equality in our system. In summary, inclusion is the idea of there being no child...
Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Special education has undergone immense changes through the years. Research and studies on the debate of whether or not inclusion is appropriate for special education students is just beginning to cultivate. The question has always been, what is best for these students? Schools and teachers are becoming leaders in the exploration of new paths, in search of new teaching styles and techniques. Mainstreaming or inclusion at the middle school and high school level, which is educating students with special needs in regular classes with their non-disabled peers, has proven to be beneficial for the special education students cognitive and social developmental needs. It can not only benefit the handicapped student but all students in the classroom.