Reflection

As I reflect on this journey that this blog has taken me on, I’ve learned much about myself as well as being able to understand both sides of the different issues of classroom inclusion. Being a special education teacher for 14 years, it’s easy to become biased. My goals have changed tremendously since taking this course. I can honestly say that I’m more aware of my approach in the inclusion classroom in regards to the students and other teachers who may need my support through this process. Many think that teaching is so easy, but that isn’t always true. Depending on the children within your school, teaching can be challenging. The main focus is to keep pushing through and remaining positive whether the kids are self contained or being co taught. When I was first given this project to create a blog, I was rather frazzled. I have read many blogs but never actually created my own. At first, I was focusing on choosing a topic and gathering information through different sources such as the library and other online resources. This type of research typically is what I’m accustomed too.

Writing this blog has been an intellectual and emotional journey for me. Special education has been a passion of mine since the beginning of my teaching career so naturally classroom inclusion is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  I think that by researching the different components that surround inclusion it has changed my perspective on quite a few things. When it comes to particular issues and debates, there are always two sides and it helps to be able to understand the opposite side and not just your own so you can develop an informed opinion about the issue.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this project; it has been fun and interesting. The blog has allowed me to not only provide facts about inclusion within the schools, but I have been able to actually give personal input. As a teacher, I come across these issues every day so it has been an outlet to be able to express my opinion and thoughts on the topic. This has been a new learning experience for me in that this project wasn’t a typical research paper in the format of a document but rather a fun environment in which to post research facts and personal thoughts. By using a blog format it allows a person to represent their ideas in a different format and you can learn much about your topic and yourself in this non-traditional format. Also, using visual rhetoric to represent your research and thoughts allows others that are viewing your blog to think in different ways about your topic.

Visual Rhetoric II

The persuasive appeal of pathos is an appeal to an audiences sense of identity and emotions. Pathos is the rhetoric style that is evident in the illustration that I chose. The picture shows a student walking to his class, which is titled” Remedial Reading of Rights”. The picture can be interpreted several different ways. The picture makes you assume that the child is either low functioning in Reading or maybe in special education classes. Hr appears to be late and hesitant to enter the room. Since e sign says “Remedial Reading of Right”, we assume that his reading level is also very low. As a special education teacher, this picture can be disturbing or cause great emotion. We as the reader understand and realize how the character is feeling. In this illustration, the character appears to feel a sense of fear and shame.

            Citation:

             Image Retrieved May 9, 2011 from 

http://www.cartoonstock.com.

Visual Rhetoric I

One of the central problems of argumentation is to project an impression to the reader that you are someone worth listening to, as well as someone who is likable and worthy of respect. In my opinion, the rhetoric style that is evident from the illustration is ethos. Ethos means convincing by the character of the author. We tend to believe people whom we respect. According to the cartoon, the family has received a letter from the PTA of the child’s school. They seem to be very upset and ashamed. It almost seems as though the father and son knew that they were at fault about an issue. The mother however, finally received the letter in the mail. This cartoon can be interpreted a couple of different ways. It also seems as though the dad was hiding this letter from the mom and it finally backfired. Now, since the title mentions the word subpoena, they could mean that they owe money to the school and need to show up in court, or it could be a sarcastic title to catch the readers eye and attention. I feel bad because the son seems to be caught in the middle. I feel that the mother is the head of this household. She holds the rank and makes the decisions.

                  Citation
                   Image Retrieved May 9, 2011 from
http://www.cartoonstock.com

 

Future Trends

Thirty-five years ago, special education was seen more as a “solution to” rather than a “problem of” social justice in education, but not for everyone and not for long (Florian, 2008). Sociological critiques of special education showed the injustices that can occur in systems with separate forms of provision for learners who deviate from what is considered to be the norm (Florian, 2008).  In today’s society, a designated special education program may not necessarily meet all the needs of these particular students.  We live in an inclusive world where people are not separated by their differences so we need to prepare children with special needs to be able to cope and adjust to an environment that they may or may not be used to dealing with. For example, it’s not unlikely to think a special needs child will go on to college after high school and colleges are not equipped with designated special programs that will cater to their specific needs. Inclusive classrooms will better prepare special needs children for the college environment and beyond.  I think that by putting special needs children into inclusive classrooms it will allow them to gain the skills they need to learn in different settings. 

It is often argued that a lack of knowledge on the part of classroom teachers, attributed to a lack of training, is one of the main barriers to inclusion (Florian, 2008). Evidence on teaching practice and pedagogy in special and mainstream education suggests that the teaching strategies used in mainstream education can be adapted to assist students who have been identified as having special educational needs (Florian, 2008). It is suggested that teaching strategies should be arranged along a continuum from high to low intensity, rather than being arranged according to their association with a particular type of special educational need. The emphasis seems to be on the use of a strategy rather than apparently different teaching approaches. This is important because it challenges the notion that mainstream classroom teachers do not recognize or know how to implement effective teaching practices for pupils with special needs. A central challenge for teachers who wish to develop inclusive practice is to consider the way they think about the problem of inclusion. Individual teachers may not be able to change the organizational structure of schooling, but their work can be informed by the knowledge that it is possible to support the learning of all students (Florian, 2008).

Inclusive education is based on the principle that local schools should provide for all children, regardless of any perceived difference, disability or other social, emotional, cultural or linguistic difference. The debate over inclusive education is a double edge sword for some because it leads to the question as to what would be the role of specialist teachers and what should be the nature of their expertise if all special needs children were now included with general education teachers. As a special education teacher I feel that there will always be a need for special teachers in the education system because I think the catalyst to making inclusive classrooms work is for specialist teachers to co-teach alongside general education teachers.    

Florian, L.(2008). Special or inclusive education: future trends. British Journal of Special Education, 35 (4), 202-208. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from the Academic One Source Database.

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

An Era of Inclusion

I’m a firm believer that all teachers have the necessary skills to teach students with special needs but it takes training and specialized support to be successful. Inclusion has given me new insight on the challenges that general education teachers may feel in regards to classroom inclusion. Being a special education teacher throughout my entire teaching career, I am used to the normal challenges that may arise in educating students with disabilities. Although, I find it more rewarding to teach children with special needs I have to understand that not all teachers may feel the same way.  In an effort to overcome the challenges that I face in my school, I am dedicated to offering support to the general education teachers whose classrooms are changing to now include some of the students that I teach.

It amazes me how so many general education teachers are resistant to the inclusion process. The issue is and will always be behavior and how disruptive those children are to the learning environment. The special education department teachers “push in” with the children to provide assistance to the general education teachers in the classroom but it is still a challenge to get the general education teachers to work with these students and be supportive. I believe that as a teacher, an educator should be supportive of all types of students, whether they have disabilities or not, and should maintain a positive attitude towards teaching in the classroom.

The article I reviewed is titled “Special education in an era of inclusion: The end of special education or a new beginning?” The author discusses the change of a once separate system of education being integrated into one education system to service all students.  There is a growing recognition that traditional models of special needs education, based on forms of provision that are ‘different from’ or ‘additional to’ that which is provided for others of similar age, are unjust because they lead to segregation and perpetuate discrimination (Florian, 2010). The myriad problems of special education are well documented and include such wide ranging issues as identification and classification, differential treatment based on social class, over-representation of ethnic minorities, institutional bias and the structure of schooling (Florian, 2010).  I find much of this to be true; over the years I have noticed that there are many students that are mis-classified as being students with disabilities but the extent of the problem may be more of a behavioral issue rather than a true disability.  I have also noticed that the abundance of special education classrooms is mostly comprised of ethnic minorities.

I found that the possible dilemma with classroom inclusion is that by doing away with the separate system for students with special needs, it may cause more harm than good. There is good historical evidence that without special treatment (e.g. anti-discrimination legislation, provision of specialist support), students with disabilities, are denied equal opportunity for full and meaningful inclusion in the activities that typify everyday life, because impairment, by definition, is something that limits functioning, unless it is mediated in some way (Florian, 2010). Thus we are faced with the dilemma of difference where special intervention is both a remedy for and a perpetuation of the stigma of difference (Florian, 201). Since the 1990s many countries, have been working toward improving access to mainstream education for students with disabilities and others identified as having with special educational needs but progress has been slow and uneven.

I co-teach with several general education teachers; I am present in the classrooms that include my students to be a source of support and knowledge if issues arise. I make an effort to meet with the general education teachers on a weekly basis to discuss their thoughts or issues with the students and I will continue to do so to show my support and understanding throughout the inclusion process.

Strategies used by teachers of students with special educational needs are not different to the strategies used by classroom teachers (and vice versa), although the application may be different. Therefore, the argument that classroom teachers do not have the necessary skills to teach students who have been identified as having special educational needs, a frequently cited reason for excluding students with special educational needs from mainstream classrooms can, and should be challenged (Florian, 2010). 

Florian, L. (2010). Special education in an era of inclusion: The end of special education  or a new beginning?. Psychology of Education Review, 34(2), 22-29. Retrieved April 3, 2011 from EBSCOhost.

Mainstreaming

There are many elements that come into play when mainstreaming special education students into regular education settings.  Teachers will need to educate themselves so they can learn different strategies to teach two diverse groups, exceptional students and "regular" students, in the same classroom. The inclusive classroom is different in that the individualized styles of learning and needs of the students fall outside the normal parameter. Sometimes it is not only the teacher that is resistant but the exceptional students as well are resistant to the change in educational setting because they are used to being separated from the mainstream of school life. This is where teamwork will become important between the school, the students, and the teachers.  The inclusive classroom is a different dynamic so everyone will have to adjust but the transition will be easier with cooperation from everyone.

I read an article on a particular student named Jonas, a previous special education high school student, and his experience in a college setting. Jonas is presently a special education assistant or para-professional in a urban high school and he is taking the undergraduate course, Critical Issues in School, to complete his degree. The article is written from the professor's perspective and he writes about his experience in teaching Jonas and some of the issues that he felt Jonas dealt with in the class.  In the article, the professor describes the first day of class and how Jonas asked him if there would be a paper required for the course in which the professor responded that was how the previous course was taught and that he would solicit the thoughts of the class and he noticed how Jonas' demeanor changed with his answer.  He also notes in the article the classroom's reaction to Jonas' demeanor (slow to articulate his words, delay in making his meaning understanding) and how there is a clearly defined moment where the classroom establishes that Jonas is "different".  The professor realizes in that instance that this is a moment for himself and the classroom to accept and engage Jonas and somehow help him navigate his way throughout the course and the classroom.  It is a juggling act for teachers in inclusive classrooms to handle the needs of so many different students but it is well worth the reward.



Fleischer, L.E. (2005). Exceptional Youth Cultures: A Framework for Instructional Strategies of Inclusion Classrooms.  Taboo, 9, 97-104.  Retrieved April 3, 2011 from Google Books Database.