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| Yes | 45% | 50 votes | Total: 112 votes | |
| No | 55% | 62 votes |
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Add to FavoritesHistory teaches us that segregation is not productive for the human race. It is not only my opinion that inclusion works but the facts bear this out. Standardized testing is the measure of our schools at this point. Classrooms that are inclusive consistently have better scores than those which are not inclusive.
Many strategies that help children with disabilities also work for children that have developed typically. In fact, there are many variations among children's learning needs regardless of them having a diagnosis or not.
Inclusion is not a product of "political correctness" it is a product of recognizing an injustice and correcting it. Many call it inclusion. We call it going to school. Inclusion is supposed to be the norm. Reasons to EXCLUDE children have to be justified that it is for the benefit of the child being excluded. Unfortunately, people do get creative with this and many children are forced into segregated classrooms reminiscent of the 1950s.
Shortfalls in education are not the fault of the child being present in the room. The teacher would rarely focus on one child all day. If this occurs the teacher should act on behalf of the child and request a paraprofessional for the child. This is a protected right of the teacher to make such a request.
Low educational expectations may stem from textbooks being rewritten, grading systems changed, parents not wanting their children to have homework, etc, etc. But it is not from having other children present in the classroom.
Most children with disabilities do not require much adaptation to their lessons than the teacher would do for any other child. While some teachers may fear the "vast" changes to their teaching styles, this has not been the case. Some simple changes have included a slant top clipboard to sit on the child's desk for ease of writing, allowing the child to type instead of write when beneficial, or simply moving the child to the front of the class.
The key to inclusion is for the administration to be supportive and put the extra funding into the classroom where the child is so they can support the teacher. The teacher and resource teacher should have a good working relationship as well as respecting the opinion of the paraprofessionals. The professionals and the parents must constantly maintain a relationship that focuses on the child's needs and not the adult's needs or desires.
Learn more about this author, Jennifer Terry.
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No
The only way this setup benefits everyone in the classroom is having all the kids together with people their own age. But the children are at many different levels in terms of learning, and special needs students need special attention in a different setting.
If a third grade student who reads at a first grade level is in a Reading class with his/her classmates, the attempt at full inclusion will create one of two things.
1. The special needs student will be completely lost and gain nothing as the class moves at its regular pace. That could lead to frustration or worse.
2. The special needs student will get a significant amount of attention from the teacher to help them follow along. Meanwhile, the rest of the students in the class will become bored with the situation and not gain what they would have in a regular setting.
Considering these two scenarios, there is no way to say that full inclusion benefits everyone. The justification just isn't there.
By contrast, if the special needs student is separated from the rest of the Reading class, it is likely that all of the students involved would benefit.
The regular class would move at a faster pace, and students would not be required to sit and wait for long periods while one of their classmates received special attention. They would be able to cover more material during the school year and they would all benefit.
Meanwhile, the special needs student would have one-on-one attention from a teacher who could focus on his/her concerns and answer questions directly. The class could move slower and there would be no danger of the student getting lost or left behind.
This same formula could be used to benefit all of the students in classes such as Math, Spelling/Phonics, Science, and Handwriting as well. They would not be together, but they would all be getting what they need.
The full inclusion part would still be necessary at some point, however. The special needs students need the social benefits of spending time with their peers, so recess would make a good time for that. Classes such as Physical Education and Art would provide the necessary social interaction as well.
Since the question posed here included the word everyone, it is important to look at this situation from the teacher's perspective as well.
With full inclusion, the teacher must concentrate on bringing all of the students through the lessons as successfully as possible. As mentioned above, that is likely to include extra time with the special needs student.
If the rest of the class is finished with the given assignment but one student is struggling, does the teacher hand out busy work for everyone else to allow time to work with the special needs student? Or does the teacher stay after school to work with the student? Either way it provides an increased workload.
Whereas, if the special needs student goes to a separate class and spends time with an instructor trained to work with such students, the classroom teacher can carry on with the regular plan for the Reading class and meet with the special needs teacher periodically to check on progress to make sure the student is having success outside the regular classroom.
Regardless of the viewpoint taken in this situation, the way that everyone benefits in the case of a special needs student is for that student to get specialized attention in a more focused setting away from the regular classroom. There are enough times during the day when the student can spend time with his/her classmates to improve his social skills.
Learn more about this author, Ryan Gray.
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