How to successfully collaborate while co-teaching

There are many barriers to successful communication among teachers and staff who are practicing inclusion. There is a lack of staff training for teachers and all other staff who are involved in assisting disabled students through inclusion. It is unrealistic and unfair to expect general education teacher’s to creatively and productively educate and include students with disabilities in their classrooms in the absence of adequate training. General education teachers must be provided with the training they need in order to meet the special learning and behavioral needs of students. It is also vital that general education teachers have frequent opportunities for collaborative planning with other teachers, especially special educators, and have ready access to the disability network and inclusion specialist who can address specific questions educators might have (Schultz, 2001).
There is a lack structure and support for collaboration. Collaboration between teachers and all stakeholders and participants is seen as the key to successful inclusion of all students in a regular class and involves a nonhierarchical relationship in which all team members are seen as equal contributors, each adding their own expertise or experience to the problem solving process. Collaboration needs to occur all along the path of inclusion: during the initial planning stages, during implementation, between home and school, between all members of the student’s individual planning team, and between teachers and administrators. It is especially important that the time be built into teachers’ schedules to allow for collaboration. It is very difficult for inclusion to be successful if full collaboration is not taking place.

Schultz, K. (2001). Research on Inclusion. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from
http://www.lrecoalition.org/04_benefitsOfLRE/index.htm

Using reading strategies to enhance learning

Educators are seeking ways to enhance the education of all students including those with disabilities. Fuchs, Fuchs, Mathes & Simmons (1997) conducted a study to determine the effects of peer tutoring on the academic achievement of different learner types in the regular classroom. Although there have been studies done on peer tutoring in regular classes, rarely have any of them included students with disabilities. Primarily, the study was implemented to explore the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning strategies, by comparing the reading progress of three learner types-low achieving students with and without disabilities and average-achieving pupils- to corresponding controls. Findings indicate that learning disabled students in PALS classrooms made significantly greater progress than their counterparts in No-PALS classrooms across the three-reading measures. The differences in PALS scores compares favorably with that of cooperative learning. Teacher’s written responses to a questionnaire administered in the last 2 weeks of the 15-week treatment stated that teachers believed PALS had positive affected their lower performing students’ reading achievement and social skills. PALS is just one of the various reading strategies that are being implemented in classrooms to enhance the education of all students. Please refer to the journal below for more detailed information.

Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L., Mathes, P. & Simmons, D. (1997). Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies: Making Classrooms More Responsive to Diversity. Journal of American Educational Research Journal, vol.34 (1), pg. 174-206.

What types of classroom accomodations should teachers make for students with disabilities?

If a students are having problems with organizational skills some accommodations to help the student would be: Be sure student has daily, weekly and/or monthly assignment sheets; list of materials needed daily; and consistent format for papers. Have a consistent way for students to turn in and receive back papers; reduce distractions. Give reward points for notebook checks and proper paper format.Provide clear copies of worksheets and handouts and consistent format for worksheets.Establish a daily routine; provide models for what you want the student to do.Arrange for a peer who will help him with organization.Teach student to keep materials in a specific place (e.g. pencils and pens in pouch).Be willing to repeat expectations.
For classroom grouping give the student a responsible job team captain, score keeping, etc. Having the student in close proximity of teacher is also very effective
(Mastergeorge, A. & Miyoshi, J., 1999).

Instructional materials accommodation or modifications to instructional materials may vary defending on the student’s disability. Some of the suggestions would be to have prompts available on tape, increase spacing between items or reduce items per page or line; formatting reading passages with one complete sentence per line; omit questions that cannot be revised, prorate credit; rephrase prompt; have the computer read paper to students. All of the accommodations are based upon what’s available at each school.
Instructional methods
Small group administration, highlight key words, phrases or verbs in direction, by bold print, highlighter, or underlining. Read directions to student, reread directions for each page; simplify/clarify language; provide cues such as arrows and stop signs; provide additional examples ( Mastergeorge, A. & Miyoshi, J, 1999).

Identify the communications skills necessary for successful collaboration.
For successful collaboration among teachers education al leadership, time and motivation is needed. Educational Leadership is needed among school leaders. They must genuinely support and encourage collaboration in order to foster a positive learning environment for teachers. Educational Leaders should share with teachers a disciplined curiosity about teaching and join with them in mastering and advancing collaboration.
Time is important because schools should not always expect the quantity of work to increase with the quality of work. The focus should be on enhancing the quality of teaching in order to encourage reciprocal learning.

Mastergeorge, A. & Miyoshi, J. (1999). Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.
Retrieved November 2, 2007 from http://www.cse.ucla.edu/reports/tech508.pdf

Do the presence of students with disabilities in the general education classroom affect students without disabilities

Research shows that the benefits of inclusive classrooms reach beyond academics. An environment that encourages young children’s social and emotional development will stimulate all aspects of their learning. Children in inclusive classrooms demonstrates increased acceptance and appreciation of diversity; develop better communication and social skills; slow greater development in moral and ethical principles; create warm and caring friendship; and demonstrate increased self-esteem ( National, 1997). Inclusion improves learning for both classified and non-classified students. When young children who have learning disabilities are included in regular classrooms without disabilities often do better academically. Teachers usually break instruction into small groups and repeat the directions to the benefit of both the disabled peers. Children learn to accept individual differences by having disabled students and non-disabled students interact with one another, which is a way that students overcome their misconceptions about their disabled peers (University, 2000). Children also develop new friendships; children with disabilities who are included in regular classrooms now have an opportunity to develop friendships with non disabled peers in their community. Parent participation of disabled students also improves when their children are integrated into regular classrooms because they are provided more opportunities to participate in their school and community. The benefits of inclusion go beyond the classroom. Both students benefit from their new relationships with one another. Additionally, parental involvement helps improve the quality of education for all students.

University of Michigan. (2000). Benefits of Inclusion. Retrieved Novemeber 1,2007, from
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.nadelson/benefits_of_inclusion


National association for the Education of Young Children. (1997). The Benefits of an Inclusive Education: Making It Work. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://kidsource.com/content3/inclusion.p.k.1.2.3.html

Should students with disabilities be included in the regular classroom

Students with disabilities should be placed in their least restrictive environment. The least restrictive environment may be in a full inclusion classroom or the regular classroom. The least restrictive environment is defined as the educational setting where a child with disabilities can receive a free appropriate public education designed to meet his or her education needs while being educated with peers without disabilities in the regular educational environment t the maximum extent appropriate ( Rennaissance, n.d). The definition of LRE in the Individuals with Disabilities Act is: To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children who are not disabled and special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature of severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily ( Rennaissance, n.d). Learning in less restrictive environments benefits students with and without disabilities in so much as all children are more likely to improve their academic performance, and increase their communication and socialization skills. A student’s LRE is the setting where the student can receive an appropriate education, based on his or her needs, while still being educated with non disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, Depending on the student’s educational needs, the least restrictive environment could be, for example, the general education classroom, with or without supplementary aids and services; a separate special education program for part of the day with the remainder of the day being spent in general education classes or in activities with students who do not have disabilities; a special education class within the student’s child’s neighbor hood school; or even a separate school specializing in the needs of a certain type of disability ( Renaissance, n.d).