Inclusive Classrooms Today...Did you know?
Every student, regardless if they have a disability or if
their family has been affected by the changes in our society, deserves a solid
education. They deserve to have their
needs understood and met. “In the United
States, economic changes have had a profound effect on children and the urban,
rural, and suburban schools they attend. Sadly, children represent the fastest-
growing poverty group, with poverty affecting nearly 20% of U. S. children”
(Salend, 2011). “Schools need to respond
to these societal changes and meet the needs of increasingly diverse groups of
students who challenge the school structure.
Inclusive educational practices have focused on students with disabilities,
but it is important to remember that inclusion programs seek to restructure
schools so that they address the needs of and benefit all students” (Salend,
2011).
In regards to the concerns about having students, affected
by our changing society, has truly a two-part answer. We would want to be able to find out as much
as possible about the student to determine if they should be in a special
education program or not. The concern
would be, not having any history or correct information about the student. It would be important to have this
information and plan before the school year started, because many of the lesson
plans might need to be worked around specific students. Our readings stated, “when designing programs
targeting the academic, social, and behavioral needs of students from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, you need to build on
students’ strengths and be aware of the cultural, religious, linguistic,
experiential, and economic factors that affect these students” (Salend,
2011).
It would be wonderful for students to experience different
cultures, backgrounds, and languages through the wide variety of students in a
classroom. However, a concern would be
truly determining the students who really needed additional help through a
special education program and those students that did not because of different,
cultural learning styles. “Because
cultural differences also affect the way individuals process, organize, and
learn material, you need to observe students and adjust your teaching behaviors
to identify and match their diverse learning styles. Many students from nondominant cultures use a
learning style based on variation, movement, divergent thinking, inductive
reasoning, and an emphasis on people” (Salend, 2011).
Our research then moved to children in poverty, homeless
children, and suburban poverty. The
concern with those students would be the fear of a high dropout rate. “Children of poor families are up to six
times more likely to drop out than wealthy children” (Dosomething.org, 2011).
Additional challenges and or concerns would
be where these students are academically against the schools benchmarks. Most of the research says they are typically
behind from the start. “Poverty is the
single biggest predictor for a child’s failure in school. Poor children may know only one or two
letters when entering kindergarten while middle-class children will know all
26. Studies showed the vocabulary of
first-graders from high-income families was double that of those from
low-income homes. The average
middle-class child has been exposed to as many as 1,700 hours of one-on-one
reading while the average low-income child has been exposed to 25 hours” (Zeitlin, 2010).
The concern for a teacher, in these cases, would be understanding the
level of each of the students and determining if they qualify for special
education services. The teacher may also
have to adjust her lesson plans to support each child and bring in an intervention
specialist to help depending on the number of students that need
assistance.
Overall,
it would be very rewarding to see these students grow, learn, and become
successful. However, it would take the
complete support of the school district, the teachers, the families, the
students, and the communities to make it happen.
What are the educational challenges of each student?
Carl
Carl’s family is homeless.
He has bad hygiene, loses his materials, and does not complete his
homework. His teacher has to deal with
his learning, behavioral, and social issues in the classroom.
Carl’s educational challenges
Carl is homeless, so he would not have a good place to study
or the ability to buy the proper school supplies. If Carl is behind with his homework then he
will be behind in class with the lesson plans.
He will not be able to participate like the other children, and chances
are he will be made fun of by his peers and in turn lose his own
self-confidence. As Carl loses
self-confidence, he will lose any motivation he originally had and start
causing trouble in class. In his mind,
what does he have to lose, and he is embarrassed and wants to stand up for
himself. Our research stated, “students
who are homeless may perform poorly in school and be in need of special
education services, may be separated from their families for extended periods
of time, and are often held over. Because they may lack washing facilities and
adequate clothing, homeless students may have health care needs and may be
ridiculed by peers” (Salend, 2011).
Zoltan
Zoltan arrived in the United States after escaping a war in
his own country. He lives with his
Uncle’s family. He has learning
problems, does not complete his work, and understands very little English. His teacher is not sure, if he really has a
learning disability or if his problems are due to his second-language
issues.
Zoltan’s educational challenges
It would seem that Zoltan’s main educational issue is he
does not understand very much English.
He has not learned the language or had the opportunity to be exposed to
it. He is also worried about his parents
and frustrated with the language barrier.
In order for Zoltan to gain confidence, it would be important for him to
spend some time learning the English language.
His time may have to be spent out of the general classroom, but it could
help him excel and be able to participate more in his classroom. As he learns the language, it will make it
easier on him to complete his work and not be so frustrated. At that point, it would be easier for his
teachers to determine if he really did have a learning disability that needed
to be addressed.
Our research stated, “some immigrant students may be
students with interrupted formal education ( SIFE), which means they have
encountered circumstances that caused them to have limited, erratic, or
nonexistent access to schooling. These
students usually enter school in the United States after grade 2, perform at
least 2 years below their expected grade levels in reading and math, and may
not be literate in their native language, which can hinder their content
knowledge and their ability to learn English” (Salend, 2011).
Julia
Julia’s parents separated, and they are living in different
houses. Julia has erratic and angry
behavior. Julia pretends to be sick so
she can see the parent she is not with that week. She does not complete her homework because
she claims she left it at the other parent’s house.
Julia’s educational challenges
Julia is dealing with the emotional chaos that happens
during a separation or divorce. She does
not have structure, she is in-between two different houses, and her father has
introduced a new girlfriend into the picture.
Everything is completely changed and turned upside down in Julia’s
life. Julia will continue to have issues
in school until her life becomes more structured again and when she receives
the support, she needs. It would be
important for Julia to see a counselor in school and possibly out of
school. At that point, her teacher and
her parents could determine if she needs any other additional assistance in
school.
One expert said, “Do not confuse divorce issues with
learning disabilities. Help your child with counseling and proper academic
placement. Ask your school for counseling referrals, if necessary. Take the
lead in planning your child's education. Except for maybe their other parent,
no one else will be as motivated as you are” (St. Clair, 2011).
Maria
Maria has had to operate in two languages and cultures, in
her home, for her entire life. Maria is
becoming defiant, is doing poorly in class, and will sometimes only speak
Spanish with her second-language speaking peers.
Maria’s educational challenges
This case was very challenging to figure out. It would first be important for Maria’s
teacher to sit down and speak to her alone.
She needs to find out why Maria is suddenly starting to act this way.
Possibly Maria is having trouble at home or maybe she is not challenged enough
in school. Her teacher obviously does
not want this to continue and affect her educational growth. If her teachers discover that she is not
challenged enough in class, maybe she could incorporate Maria’s multiple
cultures into her lesson and ask Maria to help.
Teachers in these situations must remember that “it is
important for you to maintain and communicate high expectations for all of your
students and understand their different backgrounds, and respect and accommodate
their similarities and differences. You can do this by using culturally
responsive teaching so that your instructional strategies and curricula reflect
the different cultures, experiences, and languages of your students” (Salend,
2011).
Sun
Sun has qualified for the gifted and talented program. Her parents expect a very high level of
progress and success from her. Her
father has an important and high-powered job, and her mother stays home with
her. Sun is involved in many extracurricular
activities outside of school. Her
parents question everything her teacher does and have very high
expectations. Sun has shown signs of
being a perfectionist and cannot handle any mistakes. She also seems to have a lot of stress
blanketing her.
Sun’s educational challenges
This is a classic case of the “helicopter parent”. Parents who hover over the teacher or the
school and analyze every choice they make and everything they do. Most of the time, those types of parents do
that to their child too. They expect
perfection in everything Sun does.
Making mistakes is not an option for them. Sun is involved in a program, that will
challenge her, and it could require more homework than her peers would
have. However, Sun is expected to tackle
this new program and all of her other outside activities. Not only is she expected to handle the extra
work and the multiple outside activities, she also has to be successful at
everything she tries. Her parents and
her not wanting to let them down are putting the stress on her. In order for Sun to get the most out of her
education and her new program, there should be a discussion with her parents
about the teacher’s concerns. The
teacher would also want to talk to Sun and determine how she is feeling and work
on a plan together. The research on this
topic stated, “Every parent wants their child to do well in school. It is
important that parents are active in the schooling process, and are part of
school activities, to a point. Your child needs to find his/her own path. Allow
that to happen without pushing him/her to the brink” (Hawkins, 2009).
Describe the kind of inclusive
classroom that you would design to meet the needs of all of these students
It would be important to understand the needs of every child
in the classroom. As with the cases
above, the teacher would need to uncover as much background information as
possible on these students. It might be
a good idea to have a conference with each family before the school year
started. They could discuss their
struggles as a family and the needs of their child. Of course, the teacher should use much
discretion and let the families decide how much information they are willing to
give out.
We uncovered some research about creating inclusive
classrooms for the types of students, we mentioned, in the cases above. They offered many tips for teachers. They said, “Regulate language. Teachers
should work to ensure that language used in the classroom reflects a commitment
to and respect for diversity. Terms that disparage the poor should be added to
no tolerance policies already in place for minorities. Clothing with similarly
offensive content should be banned as well.
Mix it up. Encourage interaction and provide ample opportunities for
children and their families to get to know each other across class
boundaries. Be direct. Don’t be afraid to engage in conversations
with students about social class. We have too few opportunities to talk
explicitly about the relative challenges and advantages that have more to do
with the social class into which we are born than our individual talents and
efforts” (MacTavish, 2009).
It
would also be important to have a relevant curriculum. Incorporate the variety of cultures and have
students participate in the lessons. Finally,
many of the families are in need of help outside of school. Recognizing those needs and acting on those
needs would be very important. “Help
students and their families complete forms, such as those necessary for the
student to receive school breakfast and school lunch and to participate in extracurricular
activities and to go on field trips. Collaborate
and communicate with others in your school and personnel from community
agencies to offer a range of integrated, comprehensive services addressing the
holistic needs of students and families at school buildings and within
community settings” (Salend, 2011).
References
Dosomething.org. (2011). 11 facts about education and poverty
in America. Dosomething.org. Retrieved from http://www.dosomething.org
Hawkins, D. (2009). Parenting: Helicopter parenting and
its effects on children. Yahoo Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.associatedcontent.com
Salend, S. (2011). Understanding inclusion. In Creating inclusive classrooms:
Effective and reflective practices, seventh edition. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
MacTavish, K. (2009). Creating inclusive classrooms and
communities for rural poor. Education.com. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com
St.Clair, J. (2011). The effects of divorce on children
and education. Divorcewizards. Retrieved from http://www.divorcewizards.com
Zeitlin, J. (2010). Poverty hinders education.
news-press.com. Retrieved from http://www.news-press.com
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