For the past four years, I have had the opportunity to work in an inclusive school. This has been a powerful experience, and one that I continue to learn from every day. Within my classroom, there are several students with a range of needs. My responsibility as a teacher is to include all of my students in lessons that are meaningful for them, in a classroom where they can build positive relationships, and in designing instruction that meets everyone's needs. Inclusion is hard work! It requires teachers to be more thoughtful and purposeful in their lessons and in the classroom environment they create and support. It has been a pleasure to learn more about inclusion through my classes, and to identify the methods and attitudes that make it work. I have included a paper I wrote in response to two documentaries. The first, "Educating Peter," follows a young boy with Down Syndrome who is introduced into a third grade classroom. He is only previous experience at school had been in self contained units with other children who had special needs. The second, "Including Samuel," follows Samuel Habib, a young boy with Cerebral Palsy, who has been with his same age peers in a mainstream classroom since Kindergarten. Comparing the boy's experiences, as well as the experiences of their fellow students and teachers, helped me to identify what makes inclusion work, the necessity of creating inclusive classrooms, and the benefits that are available to everyone involved.
Develops learning experiences that engage and support students as self-directed learners who internalize classroom routines, expectations, and procedures.
One of the main purposes of the intervention space in which I spend a majority of my time is to support students in developing independence. This independence comes from having appropriate work that is within their Zone of Actual Development. It also comes from having very clear expectations for behavior as well as a consistent and predictable schedule. The importance of a predictable schedule is even higher for students with disabilities. A classroom that lacks order and a clear schedule can create an atmosphere that leads to anxiety that is often expressed through undesirable behaviors. In our classroom, students have access to a large, posted visual schedule. They also have their own schedule on the back of their work charts. As we go throughout the day, the students manipulate the schedule to show what is happening now, as well as to be aware of what comes next. Students also have "first-then" charts that help them to understand that they must work first, then they will have their chosen break option. All of these supports are designed to create an environment where the students can develop independence and become self-directed learners who will be successful in an inclusive classroom.
Collaborates with students to establish a positive learning climate of openness, respectful interactions, support, and inquiry.
An important part of a Montessori classroom is grace and courtesy. Grace and courtesy lessons teach students how to be successful members of a classroom community and, in turn, of their own community. Students practice skills like taking turns, asking for help, walking around other student's work, pulling out and tucking in chairs, and saying "I'm sorry." One of the key skills we are helping students to develop is the skill of communication. One student in particular does not often choose to use words and expresses his needs through behaviors, some of which are undesirable. It has been vital for us to create an atmosphere where he felt comfortable to communicate, and where we as teachers are quick to listen respectfully. We as instructors model the kind of communication we want the students to use with each other. Weeks of observation and documentation of this student's behaviors has resulted in the development of several supports for his behaviors. One of the tools we created for him is a simple ring of PEC style pictures and labels for some of the simplest needs. These include, "I'm hungry," "I'm thirsty," "I'm tired," and "I need a squeeze." We prompt the student to use these when he appears frustrated. We also reinforce the skills that he is learning with his Speech and Language Pathologist. Our hope is that if we can create ways for the student to communicate with us that are socially acceptable, he will see, through our quick and respectful responses, that this new way of communicating is more effective than his previous behaviors.
We created these cards for a student who struggles to communicate verbally. We wanted to provide a quick and easy way for him to express his needs.
The communication cards are clipped to the student's work chart. He also picks a break option that is available to him as soon as he completes his work and "earns" his stars.
Utilizes positive classroom management strategies, including the resources of time, space, and attention, effectively.
When the school year first started, the intention of the school was to be as inclusive as possible. Additional Special Education support staff were hired and all the teaching teams were given instruction on the many ways that they could co-teach with their member of the Special Education team. While all of the school personnel were ambitious and committed to an inclusive school, their were students who came to the school who were not ready to be successful in an inclusive classroom. After 6 weeks of trying every possible way to support these students in the inclusive general education classrooms, we all reached the conclusion that an intervention space needed to be developed to better support these students. The space would need to respond to the student's sensory, behavioral, and academic needs. It would also need to be a shared classroom where Speech and Language Pathologists, Physical therapists, and Occupational Therapists could have their sessions with the students in the school. The mindful use of space would be imperative if all of the purposes of the one room were to be met. My assistants and I collaborated closely with the therapists and the Early Childhood teachers to create a space where everyone's needs are met. I have included pictures of the classroom, including a space we developed to support one of our students with strong behaviors. The classroom continues to adapt to the needs of the students. The schedule does as well. We have moved around our daily schedule, especially our sensory breaks, to better meet the needs of our students. We observed that one student would begin to climb on shelves or clear shelves of their materials at a certain time of day. We concluded that his behavior was a communication to us that he needed some gross motor activity at the beginning of the morning, instead of later in the day as we had it scheduled. We noticed that when we made this change, and had the student physically active before he resorted to undesirable behavior, the student was better able to be successful throughout the day.