Making it work

For classroom inclusion to be successful it is going to have to be a joint effort that includes teachers, administrators, students, and parents.  Classroom inclusion among special education students and general education students has so many dimensions that each part must be looked at carefully and all opinions and beliefs must be considered when implementing this process.  As a special education teacher, I am used to navigating my way through a classroom with students with special needs but I can’t expect general education teachers to find it as naturally as I do especially if they do not have the experience in educating students with disabilities.

I think the first step in classroom inclusion is to come together with general education teachers and discuss their perceptions on what inclusion could mean for them and the impact it will have on the classroom. There has been a mixed reaction to the implementation of inclusive practices in the classroom, with positive aspects of inclusion expressed by some researchers and reservations expressed by other researchers (Horne & Timmons, 2009). Some teachers have suggested that inclusion does not work, especially when students with disabilities in the general education setting do not receive necessary support services. Opponents of inclusion have stressed that regular classroom teachers in an inclusive setting may lack the appropriate support and assistance to adequately meet the needs of all their students (Horne & Timmons, 2009).

The article, “Making it work: teachers’ perspectives on inclusion” is a study focused on teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of children with special needs in the regular classroom and its impact on their daily working lives. It explored teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and concerns about inclusion in Prince Edward Island (PEI) elementary schools. There has been a substantial amount of research done on teachers’ concerns about inclusion and about the supports that teachers feel are necessary in the inclusive classroom (Horne & Timmons, 2009). There are several variables that affect the inclusive classroom. An inclusive classroom requires prior and on-going training for teachers, additional planning time, limitation of the number of special education students to three per class, provision for teacher aides, additional monetary resources, and support from principals and other staff (Horne & Timmons, 2009).

This study consisted of surveys and interviews of 20 teachers with experience ranging from 18 to 42 years in the school system.  Although, the sample size was small surprisingly there was positive feedback regarding the inclusion process within their school system.  The surveys consisted of in depth questions such as the feelings of other students in the class, the overall feelings of the experience, and whether or not they received support from administration and other staff.  The general consensus among those teachers was that inclusion was not necessarily a bad thing if everyone works together; if support can be provided classroom inclusion can be made to work.

I have heard both sides of the issue and I can relate to both the special education department and the general education department. I believe that to implement inclusion that the general education teachers are going to need the support of the special education department, administrators, and parents.  Classroom inclusion is just like any other policy that is implemented in the school systems, it needs support from everyone for it to be successful.

Horne, P. E. & Timmons, V. (2009). Making it work: teachers' perspectives on

inclusion." International Journal of Inclusive Education 13, no. 3: 273-286. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com