Hello to all! I am currantly majoring in Special Education and will be graudating in the spring and I have some questions about inclusion. Do teachers involved in inclusion usually collaborate? If so how and are the results usually positive or negative. Thank you for your time!
Re: Inclusion
Congratulations on picking special education. It’s a field where the paperwork is daunting, but the rewards of watching the children grow far outweigh the fluff. I am currently teaching in an inclusion setting with 3rd and 4th graders. I did the resource room and self contained setting as well. In the school where I currently work, we group for reading. I work with the lowest readers in a reading group, while the regular ed teacher works with the middle & high groups. They are flexible, and I don’t work ONLY with identified. In fact, on of my LD students has made such gains that he’s working with his peers in the reading group, while I have a group of 4 who are non identified and struggling to survive. For my math classes, we collaboratively teach, as well as break into small groups as needed. We pretest each math chapter, and formulate the groups as needed. One is a group, where they don’t know the material at all, while the ones who know the material already can do enrichmnet work on the day’s topic. Again, I don’t always have the identified kids in the main group. Many reading only children are often in the enrichment group. If you do end up in an inclusion setting upon graduation, keep in mind to keep an open mind. Not all teachers willingly want to participate in inclusion, either because they don’t understand what exactly they want to do or believe it is worthwhile. It’s your job as the special education teacher to not only instruct your children, but also be a resource for all teachers. You can help them, and they can teach you a lot too!
Good luck in your career. It’s a blast! ;o) Definitely one of the best on earth, (now if only something could be done about the pay…).
Re: Inclusion
I am a veteran teacher, teaching regular education 1st grade for 10 years, and now special education/early intervention for the last 4 years.
I love my new position!
I have been coteaching with the kindergarten inclusion teachers for 2 years now. They are cooperative with my ideas to modify activities, and to teach in small group setting after she introduces the concept to the whole group. We try to meet 30 minutes a week to collaborate ideas and the progress of each student—special needs’ children and regular education children’s effected by statements and actions given by the special needs’ children.
The administration has the problem of successfully implementing a good inclusion program. My principal does not understand the inclusion program, and does not want to cooperate. The supervisors are not clear either. They came by last week. They wanted to know what curriculm we were using. They were unclear to think that we could teach the same curriculum as the rest of kindergarten to special needs’ children. We do modify their instruction, using strategies for LD children, but we do follow the general kindergarten curriculum.
Good luck; and, don’t forget to call on the Lord for guidance.
Re: Inclusion
I am a first year special education teacher and all of the students I am responsible for are in the middle school inclusion program. One of the best things our school has in place for collaboration is bi-weekly planning times. Every 2 weeks I have either the entire morning or the entire afternoon to meet with the classroom teachers to discuss planning, modifications, and so on. It is wonderful and my personal feeling is that every person in inclusion should have this kind of time with the regular ed. teachers.
Re: Inclusion
Congratulations on picking special education. It’s a field where the paperwork is daunting, but the rewards of watching the children grow far outweigh the fluff. I am currently teaching in an inclusion setting with 3rd and 4th graders. I did the resource room and self contained setting as well. In the school where I currently work, we group for reading. I work with the lowest readers in a reading group, while the regular ed teacher works with the middle & high groups. They are flexible, and I don’t work ONLY with identified. In fact, on of my LD students has made such gains that he’s working with his peers in the reading group, while I have a group of 4 who are non identified and struggling to survive. For my math classes, we collaboratively teach, as well as break into small groups as needed. We pretest each math chapter, and formulate the groups as needed. One is a group, where they don’t know the material at all, while the ones who know the material already can do enrichmnet work on the day’s topic. Again, I don’t always have the identified kids in the main group. Many reading only children are often in the enrichment group. If you do end up in an inclusion setting upon graduation, keep in mind to keep an open mind. Not all teachers willingly want to participate in inclusion, either because they don’t understand what exactly they want to do or believe it is worthwhile. It’s your job as the special education teacher to not only instruct your children, but also be a resource for all teachers. You can help them, and they can teach you a lot too!
Good luck in your career. It’s a blast! ;o) Definitely one of the best on earth, (now if only something could be done about the pay…).
Re: Inclusion
I am a veteran teacher, teaching regular education 1st grade for 10 years, and now special education/early intervention for the last 4 years.
I love my new position!
I have been coteaching with the kindergarten inclusion teachers for 2 years now. They are cooperative with my ideas to modify activities, and to teach in small group setting after she introduces the concept to the whole group. We try to meet 30 minutes a week to collaborate ideas and the progress of each student—special needs’ children and regular education children’s effected by statements and actions given by the special needs’ children.
The administration has the problem of successfully implementing a good inclusion program. My principal does not understand the inclusion program, and does not want to cooperate. The supervisors are not clear either. They came by last week. They wanted to know what curriculm we were using. They were unclear to think that we could teach the same curriculum as the rest of kindergarten to special needs’ children. We do modify their instruction, using strategies for LD children, but we do follow the general kindergarten curriculum.
Good luck; and, don’t forget to call on the Lord for guidance.
I am a first year special education teacher and all of the students I am responsible for are in the middle school inclusion program. One of the best things our school has in place for collaboration is bi-weekly planning times. Every 2 weeks I have either the entire morning or the entire afternoon to meet with the classroom teachers to discuss planning, modifications, and so on. It is wonderful and my personal feeling is that every person in inclusion should have this kind of time with the regular ed. teachers.