Strategies and Models for Inclusive Education in Regular Classrooms
Ted is an elementary school student who suffers from autism and spina bifida. Although Ted requires a wheel chair and more efforts because of his difficulties in learning, his previous teachers have noted that Ted displays appropriate behavior, and he manages to perform his tasks with support from teachers and his family. On the other hand, Ted’s new teacher suggests that Ted would be better suited at a special school for children with disabilities than at a regular school. However, Ted’s social and academic integration are at stake once he joins a specialized school, so allowing Ted to attend regular classes and providing him individualized support and adaptations is a better approach for his social and psychological development. Furthermore, contemporary education standards require creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. The teacher’s request violates both Ted’s needs and education standards, so it is not possible to exclude Ted from regular schooling. Instead, the teacher should learn the principles of collaborative learning environments and adjust teaching strategies to accommodate Ted into the regular classroom environment.
It is possible to notice that the teacher’s concern is based on a limited understanding of educational strategies that include all students despite their disabilities. The teacher’s attitude against Ted’s inclusion is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy that will potentially act as an obstacle to creating a supporting environment for Ted (Simpson, DeBoer-Ott, & Smith-Myles, 2003). With that in mind, it is important to assess both the teacher’s position on inclusive education and Ted’s ability to maintain the standards for social and academic achievement in the regular classroom. Rather than giving in to the teacher’s request and failing to promote a fair and supportive environment, the first step in solving the issue is to create a school policy that will require all teachers to become familiar with the concepts of inclusive education. One of the objectives is to assure the teacher that all staff members at the school are responsible for decision-making and that all staff members will assist because maintaining inclusive standards in education is a joint responsibility. That approach will alleviate some of the teacher’s concern as the only responsible person for Ted’s education, and it could result in a positive transformation of the teacher’s attitude towards Ted attending the regular school.
Furthermore, parental involvement in schooling children has become a crucial factor during the early 21st century. Although certain obstacles, such as religious and cultural backgrounds, can impair parental involvement, Ted’s mother is apparently willing to provide adequate support in Ted’s education. Parent training for providing educational interventions to students with autism has been empirically studied, and the results indicate that the collaboration between parents and teachers increases gains in academic achievements, social skills, appropriate behavioral patterns, and long-term skill maintenance (Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2006). Parental involvement through teacher-parent collaboration models improves school-related behavior and attitudes, provides positive reinforcement to learners, and they allow parents to engage in direct instructions with their children (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1995). Because parental involvement with autistic students is crucial for their progress and maintenance, Ted’s mother should be frequently informed about her child’s progress and instructed how to act to reinforce his progress or solve potential issues that Ted might encounter during his education. By implementing that strategy both the school and Ted’s mother will share their responsibility for Ted’s development, and it is possible to expect more positive outcomes in Ted’s education through this approach.
A possible objection to promoting equality among learners is that institutions are designed to accommodate large groups of learners, and that it is impossible to adjust the learning environment to every individual’s needs. Classroom sizes in contemporary education institutions are often too large, and one teacher cannot make individualized rules that will suit every student. However, it is easy to overcome that objection because several people are capable of social and academic integration without additional support. The inclusion models for disabled students do not interfere with the education of nondisabled students, so it is possible to implement those strategies without harming anybody’s development. Furthermore, inclusive teaching is useful for all students because it promotes peer interactions and self-management in academic expectations and social progress, so all students are expected to benefit from that approach. If both disabled and nondisabled students benefit from inclusive strategies, they should be implemented to increase the quality of education for all students.
For example, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Inclusion Collaboration Model (ASDICM) is designed to promote collaboration in the classroom under the assumption that disabled and nondisabled students will both benefit from mutual social contacts. The ASDICM addresses five major components in creating a suitable and inclusive environment in the classroom, and those components include: environmental and curricular modifications, social support and attitudes, coordinated teamwork, recurrent observation and evaluation, and home-school collaboration (Simpson et al., 2003). The best approach that will allow Ted to keep up with the requirement of regular schooling is to address all five components. However, it is possible to notice that autism is a spectrum disorder, so it is not possible to create one generic model for all disabled students. Instead, the first step in creating additional requirements and supporting environments is to identify Ted’s current condition and applicable areas of intervention.
Researchers have found different results concerning students with autism in regular classrooms because they all have different levels of autism that impairs their social and academic integration, so that proves that all disabled students have different social skills and they require different priorities in defining suitable strategies that encourage their development (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001). Autism is a spectrum disorder, and Ted’s current condition indicates that he suffers from a moderate form of autism, so it is possible that he will show adequate social and academic achievements under proper tuition and support. He is apparently capable to comprehend his assignments and perform well when learning in a supportive environment, so he can manage to keep up with most of the regular school’s requirements. Although people with autism tend to display difficulties in learning communication skills or lack empathy for successful social integration, Ted did not receive any criticism from his previous teachers on those accounts, but implementing new strategies should include social skills development because all students will benefit from those approaches. Furthermore, autism patients often display behavior issues that can be considered unusual or difficult. However, according to his previous teachers, Ted does not disrupt the classroom and apparently understands the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Although smaller classroom sizes are beneficial for autistic students and their development, changing classroom sizes is not a cost-effective solution, so it is better to implement coordinated teamwork strategies that will utilize peer-mediated interventions. Some of the most effective peer-mediated interventions include peer tutoring, peer support, and cooperative learning because they increase the autistic student’s social responses and participation in the classroom (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001). Peer tutoring will have a higher priority than peer support because it will decrease Ted’s difficulties in learning, and the teacher should frequently pair the students in groups of two, so all students will work in groups on the same assignments to promote collaboration in the classroom. Peer support is not relevant in Ted’s case because it is similar to tutoring, but it focuses mainly on increasing social skills. Because Ted does not display unacceptable behavior, peer support is not the highest priority in teaching strategies. However, it is useful to implement it occasionally to maintain Ted’s existing behavior and social skills.
Cooperative learning should be the highest priority because it aims at both social skills and academic learning. By organizing collaborative learning groups, teachers will have to avoid direct supervision of the group’s activity and act only as a supporter for student learning (Rau & Heyl, 1990). However, most research suggest that the student’s academic expectations and performance will increase because they will form supportive groups that will teach them teamwork and self-reliance rather than relying on authority in defining their academic expectations (Rau & Heyl, 1990). Most importantly, that system will create long-term benefits for all students, so it should become a part of standard education despite the inclusion of disabled students in the classroom. Everybody finds a supportive and collaborative environment more inspiring, so the willingness to learn and assist others will increase among the students, and the change in the learning environment will reflect on Ted’s participation and involvement.
Because the teacher did not complain about Ted’s physical disorder, it is possible to conclude that spina bifida does not have any significant effects on Ted’s mental capabilities and learning in classrooms. However, long-term planning is essential because involvement in curricular and extracurricular activities is directly linked to learning and student satisfaction in the educational institution (Rau & Heyl, 1990). The school staff and peers should encourage Ted’s participation in activities that he is capable of performing. That approach will increase his self-esteem and social skills. Although there are no models that directly influence the student’s interests in particular activities, the collaborative learning strategies already create a learning environments in which students will be able to express and mutually support their desires for social and academic achievements. That is why collaborative learning strategies are beneficial for both disabled and nondisabled students.
Finally, curriculum planning for students with autism depends on the teacher’s sensitivity and understanding the individual learning styles of disabled students. For example, it is not always reasonable to demand the same level of academic achievement and set the same evaluation standards for all students, so detailed curriculum planning should be based on constant evaluations of the student’s progress in the classroom (Zager, 1999). In certain situations, it is acceptable to slightly lower the expectations for students with autism to create a fair environment for them and preserve their social integration and self esteem. Furthermore, it is possible to modify examinations in compliance with the student’s progress and accept differences in their learning styles when assessing their examinations (Zager, 1999). Although a fair environment is often associated with equal treatments, the teacher should be advised to set different standards for Ted when it comes to academic progress evaluation because the same expectations in that case are unrealistic because of his mental handicap.
Once inclusive education strategies are implemented, and the teacher, school staff, parents, and peers become involved in creating a supportive environment, recurrent evaluation is required to maintain and optimize those practices. The main issues evaluators have to focus on are the progress of the students with individual needs, so the teacher would be responsible to record and evaluate Ted’s academic progress, behavioral patterns, classroom participation, and social involvement (Simpson et al., 2003). With that data, it will be possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing strategies, and it will be possible to make reasonable and productive adjustment to those strategies.
Educational strategies that rely on collaboration among students and between students and teachers create a supportive learning environment that will enable all students with the opportunity to achieve their social and academic goals. From an ethical viewpoint, all learners should have equal rights in gaining education, and educational institutions are required to make necessary adaptations to provide all learners with equal opportunities for effective social and academic integration. Most importantly, models that promote the rights and integration of disabled students create a positive environment that will reflect on the other students within the classroom. Ted should continue his education in the regular classroom setting because he is expected to reach a reasonable level of social and academic integration after implementing learning strategies that will be beneficial to him and other students in the classroom.
References
Harrower, J. K., & Dunlap, G. (2001). Including children with autism in general education classrooms: A review of effective strategies. Behavior Modification, 25(5), 762-784.
Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (1995). Parental involvement in children’s education: Why does it make a difference? Teachers College Record, 97(2), 311-331.
Ingersoll, B., & Dvortcsak, A. (2006). Including parent training in the early childhood special education curriculum for children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(2), 79-87.
Rau, W., & Heyl, B. S. (1990). Humanizing the college classroom: Collaborative learning and social organization among students. Teaching Sociology, 18(2), 141-155.
Simpson, R. L., DeBoer-Ott, S. R., & Smith-Myles, B. (2003). Inclusion of learners with autism spectrum disorders in general education settings. Topics in Language Disorders, 23(2), 116-133.
Zager, D. B. (Ed.). (1999). Autism: Identification, education, and treatment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
