Philosophy of Inclusion

Megan Holmberg
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
EDU3093 Inclusion and Differentiated Instruction
November 21, 2013
Dr. Stephen Metcalfe
Philosophy of Inclusion
The concept of integrating children with mental disabilities and handicaps into a class
of mostly typical students is called inclusion. Inclusion provides some benefits for both
typical and for special needs children. Our educational system today is constantly changing,
along with inclusion programs, but that does not mean there is not a time and place for
inclusion programs to fit into the everyday classroom.
Special Education
Peter, like any child, experienced many typical difficulties throughout his childhood.
From learning to sit through class and finding peer acceptance as a small child in elementary
school to finding a job and getting ready for a dance as an adolescent in high school. Peter,
however, had one main difference. Peter was diagnosed with Down syndrome as a baby, and
was one of the very first children with special needs to be a part of an otherwise typical
classroom (Wurzburg, 1992). While many of the hardships he faced sound like those of any
child, Peter was under a unique set of circumstances that impacted his daily life and those
around him. Today inclusion is still being developed and tweaked, as teachers are still
learning what is best for their students. Purdue suggests that continuing research is best
practice because Disability studies can provide invaluable insights to the exclusion of
disabled children (2011, p. 44).
Inclusion has many benefits, such as educating typical students on acceptance of all
people and helping teach special needs students about how to interact with their peers. The
Southwest Educational Developmental Laboratory (SEDL) also lists several drastic statistics
that call for inclusion, including the fact that 43 percent of students in special education do
not graduate and less than half of all youth with disabilities are employed after having been
out of school one to two years (Fuchs, 2010). They believe that integrating a classroom
provides more opportunities to special needs children, expanding their potential. Young Peter
was lucky to be provided with a janitorial job while still in high school as a part of his
integrated education, preparing him for life outside the classroom. Peter did not officially
graduate, due to severe mental handicaps, but he was rewarded with a letter of attendance
showing his dedication as he strived for his many accomplishments and well-deserved
education, all thanks to inclusion (Wurzburg, 1992). Inclusion also helps make students more
socially aware and often gives them a well-rounded education because they are operating at
the same level as their typical peers.
Human Diversity
In any type of classroom setting the teacher is met with a variety of diverse needs
from race, ethnicity, and religion, to language, ability, and socioeconomic status. All students
are different, and as a teacher it will be in my best interest to get to know each of my
students. However, I will have to me mindful do more than look at the differences every one
has, instead focusing on what my students do have. By knowing my students, I can help stop
cultural misunderstandings that can lead to frustration, missed instructional times, or a
disconnection with one of my students. It is important to realize that the differences everyone
has are not a deficit.
Race can, at times, be a touchy subject, but it is better for an educator to celebrate students
of diverse backgrounds, rather than say they are colorblind. Colorblindness overlooks what
makes individuals unique, and what they pride themselves in. Race also reveals some
startling statisticsoften minority groups score lower on standardized tests. While, of
course, there are exceptions, this begins to make more sense with an understanding that 1/6
of students in public schools speak a language other than English at home. Language is a
critical issue, and I must be prepared to help students who may be English language learners,
holding all my students to a high academic rigor, and letting them know these expectations. A
teachers academic rigor is the strongest predictor of their students academic achievement.
To best meet the needs of my students, I can involve the parents. Teachers cannot just
assume they know what a students home life is like. A teachers mindset is important, and
can be changed by building relationships with their students and their families. Meeting with
a childs parents can give insight to their home life and how they interact at home. Teachers
can also show parents how they can be helping their students grow. Keeping communication
open, with both the parent and child, is a great way to meet diverse needs and allow learning
to occur. Sometimes, however, this requires the teacher to keep flexible scheduling hours.
Many parents work full-time jobs, and are extremely busy. As with anything, it is important
to remember that life happens, so it is good to remain open flexible with parents and students.
To overcome this, I may have to make myself available by attending community events and
interacting with my students and their families outside the classroom.
As a teacher, I will need to deepen my cultural knowledge, reverse any deficit
mindsets or low expectations I may have, and deepen my family and community
connections. These are some of the best ways to engage students from all backgrounds and to
ensure that learning occurs. Although it isnt easy, it is important as an educator to go beyond
the wall of the classroom and work with students on their level.
Collaboration
Family influence is one of the biggest contributing factors in a childs academic
success. From reading with their child, to monitoring homework, parents can greatly impact
their childrens learning. The earlier a child begins rigorous learning, the better, especially for
children in areas of poverty or at a socioeconomic disadvantage. It has been found that
children in these situations who attend daycare are at an advantage over their peers who stay
at home, because they are provided more learning opportunities (Christian, 1998). However,
the family literacy environment proved to be the strongest predictor of a childs academic
success. It is amazing how much family literacy influences children and their ability to learn.
A parents involvement during the childs earliest years can greatly determine what the long-
term learning outcomes will be. Even things like socioeconomic standing can effect how a
child does in the classroom. Even daycare could be beneficial for a student who may not
receive the same sort of opportunities and attention at home. This shows how truly important
teachers are, especially in helping children right from the beginning. As a middle childhood
teacher, I will miss the early learning opportunities that are so vital to children. However, I
will feel the aftermath of what my students learned during these important years. Some
students will be well prepared for middle school, having gotten the attention at home and
learning opportunities that they needed. Some students, on the other hand, will be lacking in
academic skills because of various problems that occurred during their younger school years,
whether it be a problem with their home life, or otherwise. I will have to learn to adapt my
lessons to accommodate for these situations and bring these students up to par as best as I
can. It is also for these reasons that I will have to work so much with my students parents,
especially because they are so crucial in their childs learning.
One of the benefits of inclusion is more collaboration among the schools staff.
Sharing the students would bring greater bonding between the classroom teacher and the
intervention specialists, along with any helpers (Tomco, 2009). This would also allow for
greater feedback on how the students were progressing, giving multiple perspectives and
would give the child more places to go for help and support. In an inclusive setting, students
are given typical role models to model behavior and learning in the classroom. Those with
special needs often need to be provided with helpers to get them through the day and may
receive some of their instructional learning from an intervention specialist (Purdue, 2011, p.
43).
Commitment
I once read an article written by Todd Hayden and William Hunter, which looked at the effect
of the teacher on students success in the classroom (2011). The teacher used as an example,
a 7
th
grade health teacher, used two methods of questions and answers to evaluate student
understanding. The first method involved high praise and redirection from the teacher after a
student would answer a question, while the other method used almost no redirection or praise
for the students. After instruction the teacher would give the students opportunities to
respond, either by holding up an answer to the teacher or by responding verbally to a
question directed at them. Two students were used to evaluate the projectone a typically
achieving boy with a B average and the other, the test subject, a lower achieving student,
with a D average. Both students did better when the teacher praised them. The findings
showed that when a teacher is more positive and redirects a student to the correct answer the
student does better in class, regardless of whether or not they are a high achieving student,
simply average, or even a lower achiever. The journal comes to the conclusion that a teacher
is capable of controlling student understanding and can lessen the amount of time spent
teaching students again by keeping a positive attitude and using praise to help students in the
classroom (Hunter, 2011). I think of this attitude toward teaching to be somewhat of a
personal philosophy. Although not all students may want to learn, I believe that all students
can learn, and I do my best to hold them to that standard. I do my best to stay positive in the
classroom and give praise to all of my students, regardless of ability. I also give equal
learning opportunities to everyone, posing simple questions so that everyone can understand.
It is important as a teacher to be an upstanding role model for your students and keep
challenging them, while staying calm, but making the classroom environment fun.
As a teacher I will have to be very aware of how my students learn in different ways,
and how a childs mind might process differently than my own. This awareness will help me
decide on the best way to introduce and teach different concepts. This is vital so that I can
help insure that my students will actually learn. My hope would be that I would be able to
use my techniques learned through research on information processing to help my students
retain information for the long run, rather than memorizing everything for the test and
forgetting everything immediately after. There is no true black or white to psychology, so
there is no one way to do things; however there are many valid theories out there on the best
ways to operate while teaching. As a teacher I will have to consider all the things that impact
my students. I must be inclusive in my classroom to create a safe and fair environment.
Awareness of information processing will help me to do that.
In todays society there is continual collection of data and statistics on learning that
occurs in the classroom that brings new theories to light. With the constant changes I will
have to remain aware and understand that I will have to make adjustments for each of my
students, using many different learning techniques to help reach everyone. As a teacher I will
have to constantly be willing to learn.
Inclusive Classrooms
Peter is a perfect example of what a truly inclusive classroom looks like, and it is not
an easy look into the realities of teaching. Often those with special needs, like Peter, can have
outbursts or struggle to keep up with the class. Sitting through long classes can be difficult
and unnerving for someone with a more extreme disability, such as Down syndrome. Peter
easily became frustrated and would take his anger out on fellow students by biting them or
pulling their hair (Wurzburg, 1992). This proved dangerous for Peters peers. For difficult
situations and problems like that of Peters outbursts, the teacher would have to take more
time to work with that particular student, stealing valuable learning time from the rest of the
class.
As a future teacher, I realize that the potential for challenging situations, like a child
who has daily outbursts, is a reality. My classroom will be filled with many individual needs
and learning abilities, even in a typical classroom with students who come from similar
backgrounds. I must be sensitive to student needs and must know my students well so that I
can provide each student the means they need to learn to their maximum potential. To get
students in their zone of proximal development I must use differentiation. One way I can do
this is by using flexible grouping. By constantly assessing my students and their abilities, I
can better place them in groups and understand what they need to achieve the next level.
In the average classroom, it is not unusual for a class to have 3- to 5-year ability
differences among students. This emphasizes the huge importance of differentiation. With
flexible grouping students are divided up into groups based on their learning needs. In this
style of grouping students are assessed continuously, allowing students to be regrouped to
keep them in their zone of proximal development. In flexible grouping emphasis is put on
high expectations. Another style of flexible grouping involves age blending, where students
in different grades could be placed together. This works well, as long as no students stick out
(like one fifth grader set apart in a reading group with only 2
nd
graders).
Conclusion
Inclusion in the classroom has some benefits, such as providing good social exposure
for the students, both typical and non-typical. Because inclusion is still a relatively new
concept, there are constant changes and new or better methods discovered. As a future
teacher I will have to do my best to prepare for whatever may come my way by
collaborating, being committed to my students, and learning what I can about diverse needs
and backgrounds.
References
Christian, K., Morrison, F. J., & Bryant, F. B. (1998). Predicting kindergarten
academic skills: Interactions among child care, maternal education, and family
literacy environments. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 13(3), Retrieved from
http://www.cckm.ca/ChildCare/pdf/Christian1998.pdf
Issues in education: Full inclusion. (1999). (n.d.) Retrieved from Pennsylvania State
University Website:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/kem5079/MTHED%20427%20Random/EdPeter%5
B1%5D.pdf
Fuchs, W.W. (2010). Examining teachers perceived barriers associated with inclusion.
Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues43/concerns.html
Hunter, W & Hayden, T. (2011). The effects of two types of teacher questioning on
teacher behavior and student performance: A case study. Education and Treatment of
Children [Electronic Version], 34(2), 229-245. Retrieved from OhioLINK.
Purdue, K., Gordon-Burns, D., Rarere-Briggs, B., Stark, R., & Turnock, K. (2011).
The exclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood education in New
Zealand: Issues and implications for inclusion. Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 36(2), 95-103.
Tomco, C. (2009). What is inclusion? Retrieved from Kids together, Inc. website:
http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion.htm.
Wurzburg, G. (1992). Educating Peter. [Video]. Producer Thomas Goodwin.