Foundations of Inclusive Teaching

Module 1: Foundations of Inclusive Teaching

Francesca Ceppetelli & Alyssa Nahigian

Overview:

§  “Inclusive schooling is an educational movement that stresses interdependence and independence, views all students as capable, and values a sense of community. Further, it supports civil rights and equity in the classroom” (Kluth, 2015). It is every student’s right to have access to the general education curriculum.

History of Inclusion:

§  An example we looked at of how people with disabilities were treated in the past was the Willowbrook insititution.

§  Society viewed people with disabilities as not being normal members of society and often would send them away to be hidden and kept together separate from the “normal people”. This happened in 1947 to 1987.

§  The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based on disabilties.

Characteristics of Inclusive Education:

• §            It is important to realize inclusion is for every student.
• §              Inclusion and individualization are synonymous.
• §               Collaboration is key for successful inclusion.
• §              There are three types of inclusion; physical, academic and social.
• §                 There should be equal access to the curriculum and the tools necessary to advance students as learners.

Communication:

§  Collaboration is key: all students belong to all the teachers.

§  There should be full communication between teachers, parents, and therapists need to plan time for collaboration and communication. Everyone should be kept updated and find out more about the education that students need.

§  Be aware of the students background and what they need going forward.

Design of Teaching:

§  It is important that everyone has a place and is participating in the classroom.

§  Everything that you do is differentiated to meet the needs of each and every student.

§  Each child has different needs. What can we ( as teachers) do differently with what we have? We need to implement the curriculum around the student by using UDL.

§  It is key that teachers have a positive attitude and believe that all students can excel.

Relationships Among Students:

§  Teachers and the principal need to create an atmosphere where everyone is accepted despite their differences.

§  It is crucial that students develop independence and find their own voice.

Accomodations:

§  Students gain more independence when there is an paraprofessional or teacher in the classroom that is available if needed but not specifically assigned to the student at all the times.

§  Assistive technology helps students to communicate and make their own decisions. It can also help all different kinds of learners access the general education curriculum.

Learn More:

§  At the Henderson School in Boston- This video talks about the concept of SWIFT which measn School wide Integrated Framework for Transformation. Viewers can see the direct result of this practice in an elementary school as well as listen to commentary from teachers who implement inclusion every day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRR67_osT-Q

§  Kluth - Is your school inclusive? – This is a blog that shows an insight into the different aspects of inclusion by showin how to implement it and why it is benefitial.  The site is set up like a blog so it is a great resource for teachers to use as a reference.

http://www.paulakluth.com/readings/inclusive-schooling/is-your-school-inclusive/

§  Characteristics of Inclusive Educators-This is a great summary video that shows the main points of inclusion and why it is important to practice inclusion.

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMYZLLLOmuk

	This web is to show some of the important components of successful inclusion. The five most important parts of successful inclusion are respect, implementing IEPs, acknowledging multiple intelligences, adapting the curriculum and creating a community of learners. The web is designed from a teacher’s perspective which shows that inclusion begins with the teacher.

References

Inclusion Project. (2011, September 3). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o__NMJuILM

Inclusive Learning: Everyone's In - Overview. (2012, September 25). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXtT05782Y

Kluth, P. (2015, January 1). Paula Kluth. Retrieved March 25, 2015.

Module 2: Collaboration and Community

Module 2: Collaboration and Community

Who needs to be there to contribute?

What needs to be kept in mind?
DOs and DONTs of collaboration

Types of Planning Time:

Common Planning Time- time that is scheduled for the same time every day or every week. Common planning time is reflected in the master schedule for the school and you and your partner will have the advantage of meeting together at the same time on the same days and in the same location week after week.  

Protected Planning time- time derived from one or more creative options for locating a reasonable block of time that may or may not be on a regular basis but can provide time that is set aside for you and your partner to plan together.   Both partners must be creative and flexible and committed to using the time you do have in the best way possible.

Make use of your planning time- because planning time can be so difficult to come by you want to make sure not to waste it. It can be helpful to set ground rules at the beginning so that everyone is on the same page, for example be on time, bring all your materials, turn phones off, etc. It may also be helpful to set an agenda focused on questions that you would like to answer in order to keep on task and make sure you accomplish everything that needs to get done.

(http://inclusiveschools.org/finding-time-for-collaboration-and-using-it-well/)

Benefits of Collaboration

-Stronger lessons

-Stronger classroom community

Tough parts of Collaboration

-Finding time

-Making sure everyone’s voice/opinion is acknowledged

Tips for successful Collaboration
- Listen carefully to others

-Take turns & give everyone a chance to speak

-Keep phones/distractions away

-Eliminate unrelated discussions and focus on the point

Types of Co-Teaching:

SERC(2007)

1. One Teach, One Observe. One of the advantages in co-teaching is that more detailed observation of students engaged in the learning process can occur. With this approach, for example, co-teachers can decide in advance what types of specific observational information to gather during instruction and can agree on a system for gathering the data. Afterward, the teachers should analyze the information together.

2. One Teach, One Assist. In a second approach to co-teaching, one person would keep primary responsibility for teaching while the other professional circulated through the room providing unobtrusive assistance to students as needed.

3. Parallel Teaching. On occasion, student learning would be greatly facilitated if they just had more supervision by the teacher or more opportunity to respond. In parallel teaching, the teachers are both covering the same information, but they divide the class into two groups and teach simultaneously.

4. Station Teaching. In this co-teaching approach, teachers divide content and students. Each teacher then teaches the content to one group and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group. If appropriate, a third station could give students an opportunity to work independently.

5. Alternative Teaching: In most class groups, occasions arise in which several students need specialized attention. In alternative teaching, one teacher takes responsibility for the large group while the other works with a smaller group.

6. Team Teaching: In team teaching, both teachers are delivering the same instruction at the same time. Some teachers refer to this as having one brain in two bodies. Others call it tag team teaching. Most co-teachers consider this approach the most complex but satisfying way to co-teach, but the approach that is most dependent on teachers' styles.

(http://www.ctserc.org/initiatives/teachandlearn/coteach.shtml)

Effective Co-Teaching

-Utilize both or all teachers in the room throughout the lesson whenever possible

Ineffective Co-Teaching

-Switching between teachers where one or more teachers isn’t doing anything

-Two teachers doing two completely unrelated tasks

Remember our classroom activity- In this module we split up into groups of co-teachers. Two groups had the chance to meet and discuss their lessons prior to teaching and two did not. We noticed major differences in the performances of the two types of groups. The teachers who had a chance had one cohesive lesson t that considered the goals of all the children as well as the student with an IEP, focusing on blending “Polly’s” goals into the lesson. Unless otherwise stated, it was also difficult to establish who was the general education teacher and who was the special education teacher because they shared roles. The groups who did not have a chance to meet had two different ideas for how this lesson will go. The general education teacher had a plan for the entire class to be doing, and the special education teacher had activities for polly to do if she could not participate within the whole class instruction. They were not two teachers co-teaching, but two separate teachers with their own ideas.

(Example IEPs can be found at https://www.dropbox.com/home/IEPs )

Resources:

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ847470.pdf

http://inclusiveschools.org/finding-time-for-collaboration-and-using-it-well/

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByXaQi5UORuhOGZuZkRzVTh2QWs

http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/11034/Cheatham_six%20things%20to%20never.pdf;jsessionid=1BE5C14BA19E8A6FB83EC39F0AA4A707?sequence=1

http://mrshsresourceroom.blogspot.com/2013/09/co-teaching-brochure-freebie.html

http://www.ctserc.org/initiatives/teachandlearn/coteach.shtml

Assistive Technology in the Classroom

What is Assistive Technology? Assistive technology (AT) is any device or service that helps a student with a disability to meet his or her individualized education program (IEP) goals and to participate in the general education setting to the greatest possible extent. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 defines an assistive technology device as “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child and specifically excludes a medical device that is surgically implanted or the replacement of such device" (IDEA ’04).

Three classifications of assistive technologies:

No tech: Assistive tool that does not use technology. It is very simple, for example: a sheet with pictures to communicate, large print text, walking cane, or a pencil with a rubber grip.

Low tech: Assistive tools that don't require much training, may be less expensive and do not have complex or mechanical features. For example electronic organizer Closed Caption Televisions (CCTV's), sound amplifiers, or books on tape.

High tech: Refers to the most complex devices or equipment, that have digital or electronic components, may be computerized, will likely require training and effort to learn how to use and cost the most. Some examples are power wheelchairs and scooters, digital hearing aids, computers with specialized software such as voice, and iPad like devices.

To get assistive technologies for your students, you need to prove that they need it. This means that you need have documented reasons why your student would benefit from AT and reasons why they need it.

The SETT Frameworks can help educators put together "useable" tools for the students and evaluate their needs.

What is SETT Frameworks and what do they accomplish?

This is the framework that is used to determine what tools will be best to assist a students in the classroom

First you must consider the Student:

1. What is (are) the functional area(s) of concern? What does the student need to be able to do that is difficult or impossible to do independently at this time?
2. Special needs (related to the area of concern)
3. Current abilities (related to the area of concern
4. Expectations and concerns
5. Interests and preferences

Next you must consider the Environment and how that may be affecting the student:

1. Arrangement (instructional, physical)
2. Support (available to to both the student and the staff)
3. Materials and Equipment ( commonly used by other in the environments)
4. Access Issues ( technological, physical, instructional)
5. Attitudes and Expectations (staff, family, other)

The Tasks

1. What SPECIFIC tasks occur in the students natural environment that enable progress towards mastery of IEP goals and objectives?
2. What SPECIFIC tasks are required for active involvement in identified environment? (related to communication, instruction, participation, productivity, environmental control)

From here the team can consider technologies or Tools that could benefit the students learning.

SETT's questions are designed to generate thoughts and discussion. They're intentionally broad in order to catch all ideas and possible solutions. The team will need to sort out the data that is pertinent and most helpful. The worksheet on the side will guide the process by helping you to find out what you know about the student, the environment, task and tools and what information you may need to find out to make the best decisions. This process can be used to identify any useful intervention, not only AT.

Click here for the SETT collaboration and data collection document

For more teacher resources and articles check out think website!

Tatum Schladenhauffen, Ashley Mitchell, Annalyse Portelli

Inclusive Education

Spring Semester 2015

-Module Three Notes-

Module 4: Inclusive Multilevel Instruction Through UDL

In this module we discussed compared and contrasted differentiation and UDL. Both differentiation and UDL are conducive to planning inclusive lessons. We also began to develop inclusive lessons that have varied learning goals. The picture below is taken from Paula Kluth's blog.

Paula Kluth’s (2015) article on her blog provided some basics on how to be inclusive in your lesson design. These tips included:

·      Make sure that the curriculum resonates with students and include them in the planning process

·      Give all students a variety of ways to learn and interact in the classroom. This was clearly shown in this video from Edutopia

·      Use a variety of instructional materials

·      View standards as flexible – students can meet standards in a variety of way. Stay tight on the goals and standards and loose on the means students achieve those goals and standards

·      Keep high expectations for all students. It is best to assume competence instead of hold negative assumptions about learning potential

Differentiation comes from Carol Ann Tomlinson (2000) and is based on the belief that educators are more successful when students are taught at their readiness level, interest level, and learning profile. The four elements of differentiation are:

·      Process – varying how curriculum is presented and how students engage with it

·      Content – varying the learning challenges for different abilities, varying the topic based on students’ interests

·      Products – varying the types of products the students produce and how they are assessed

·      Learning Environment – varying the environments and making them more accessible

This excellent visual on differentiation is taken from the ASCD website.

Accommodations and Modifications

The Pacer Center’s Information sheet on accommodations and modifications provided a clear definition of how changing what we do as teachers can help students to be successful in school. A modification is “an adjustment to an assignment or test that changes the standard or what the test or assignment supposed to measure.” An accommodation is when a student completes “the same assignment or test as other students, but with a change in the timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response and/or presentation.” The picture below of accommodations and modifications is taken from the Pacer Center.

But…..How do we do this in our lesson plans?

The Peterson & Hittie (2010) Inclusive Teaching PowerPoint provided us with the steps for planning lessons. In this module we focused on the first three steps. The last two were focused on module 5. The slides below are taken from the whole schooling.net website:

As a class we discussed how UDL and being “smart from the start” only strengthens this process. Here are the other steps in more detail:

Advanced UDL

The UDL Exchange helped us to see inclusive lessons that were smart from the start. We analyzed this lesson from last year. Notice how the lesson has an authentic and interesting theme that is focused on the real world – Survival Training. In addition the lesson is multi-disciplinary as it includes ELA, Math and Social Studies. The lesson has an overall goal and successful learning levels for all the students.

This lesson could be improved by adding adapted or additional learning goals based on students’ IEPs. The lesson assesses what students will learn but not how they best learn or how much effort they put into learning. Here is another example of an inclusive unit. Notice how this teacher has an interesting theme, interdisciplinary goals, and many different activities related to the achievement of her goals. The picture below is taken from the UDL Exchange.

And lets not forget our UDL Guidelines 3.0!

Notice the new focus on the Expert Learner and the checkpoints that we often overlook. The picture below is taken from the National Center on UDL.

Still not convinced we need all this variability in our lessons? Then watch these to videos:

The Myth of Average: Todd Rose at TEDXSonomaCounty

Todd Rose: Variability Matters at Cyberlearning Research Summit

Key References

Meyer, A., Rose, D.H., & Gordon, D. (2014) Universal design for learning: Theory and practice, Wakefield MA: CAST.

Peterson, M.J. & Hittie, M.M. (2010). Strategies for students with differing academic abilities. Inclusive teaching: The journey towards effective schools for all learners (2nd Ed.), Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.