I will be teaching K-5 resource students next year. Most of my students receive reading, language, and math services in a pull-out model. My principal expects me to spend at least one hour each day next year in a regular classroom. I can be in any K-5 grade for any class during the day. I can provide support in the regular classroom and be in the room with the students for whom I provide services. A student who receives math services from me this year in a pull-out model will be able to spend time in the regular classroom and I will be modifying assignments for the student. I would appreciate some ideas about a good way to get started. Thanks.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
I am an LD-Resource teacher and last year I had grades K-5 with a caseload of 20+ LD students. I would suggest to things:
(1) work with your principal to see if you can have LD students clustered into the same regular education classroom. (Be careful though…more than 3 LD-students in one class can be a strain on the classroom teacher and your school probably want to keep the classes heterogenously grouped.) This will make your scheduling easier. Since you are working with 6 different grade levels, that is automatically 6 different teachers’ schedules you will need to work around.
(2) If the IEP schedule page states that…let’s say… 3 times a week for fifty minutes, then I would suggest push-in (mainstream) one fifty-minute block and pullout the other 2 times. It’s a nice comprimes! Also, you will be better aware of what the classroom teacher is covering, allowing you to help the student carry-over skills.
Good luck…it’s a tough task…
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Dee-Choose a class with a teacher you will be able to work with. It’s good to determine where you have the most needs, but if you’re just starting out don’t do that to yourself. Choose a class/teacher with whom you have respect and have similar educational views~even if you only have x2 target students in that class. Team teach with the reg ed teacher in an identified subject area that you and the reg ed teacher can agree on.
Make it enjoyable and a learning experience for both students and teachers. Many teachers are very happy to have a consistent partner to team teach with ev day! You don’t have to choose reading/writing/math, you can team in other subject areas and incorporate your target goals within a science/social curriculum.
You’ll find yourself looking forward to this part of your day and other students will get to know your role well within the school. Your role will be whatever you and the reg ed teacher decide-developing curriculum, adapting/modifying material, etc. Use the first half of the yr to experiment and review your effectivenss before xmas break. Maybe you will change classes halfways through the school yr or continue on in the same room. Just remember to document your progress so you can review your work objectively.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Dee,
It’s best to find a regular ed. teacher whose teaching style matches the L.D. students learning style. (It’s also nice to find someone who welcomes the child and understands why you need to support that student.) They need to be somewhat organized with a schedule, so you are able to be in the classroom almost everyday, when you are scheduled to be there. The teacher’s that I work best with are flexible and willing to use alternative strategies for all students to benefit from. The two teachers I team with are excited about trying alternative strategies and have seen how they benefit many unlabeled students in the classroom. Both inclusive classrooms have teachers that model almost everything and heavily use the overhead and teaching posters. They are willing to use charts to tape on “all” students desks (high frequency spelling lists, touchpoints, cursive charts, multiplication charts, etc.)
It’s nice to bring in some technology that reg. ed. may not have such as Franklin Spellers, books on tape and Alpha-Smarts that could benefit all students. The longer you are in the room, you will find ways to modify the lessons and again many things you make for “your” students usually can benefit many nonlabled students as well. Remember the first year may be tough, but the second year will be fun, because you’ll know what to expect and you’ll see more ways to utilize your expertise.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Hello Dee,
My first suggestion to you is to make sure that you put forth every effort to collaborate and plan lessons with the Regular education instructors. It is really up to you to inform these teachers of how important it is for your students with learning disabilities to receive their appropriate education in a LRE classroom setting. Regardless if the idea of inclusion is well accepted by others or not; it is up to you to provide modifications, recommendations, be aware of the lessons for the day in advance of class. It is also your responsibility to offer the proper accomodations for your students to feel comfortable, fit in, and adjust appropriately. An area of referral is theFinal Regulations- 34 CFR parts 300 and 303 March 12, 1999 Federal Register Sections 300.555, 300.522, 300.24, and 300.552. If you do not have a copy of the Federal Register, it can be ordered through the following website from the US Dpt of Education:
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
It’s a hard question to answer at this point but in what classroom(s) will your students be at the greatest risk? If you can determine that, that’s where I’d spend my hour.
Some regular classrooms and their teachers are yet “safe” places for identified children to be. Some teachers are better than others at “casting the wide net” and they embrace the presence of the identified students in their classroom.
There are yet other teachers whose teaching practices are very unfriendly to the learning needs of identified students.
You might figure out where your kids need you most and go there mindful always that some teachers with unfriendly teaching practices can also be unfriendly to the resource room teacher as well.
Good luck.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
I am an LD-Resource teacher and last year I had grades K-5 with a caseload of 20+ LD students. I would suggest to things:
(1) work with your principal to see if you can have LD students clustered into the same regular education classroom. (Be careful though…more than 3 LD-students in one class can be a strain on the classroom teacher and your school probably want to keep the classes heterogenously grouped.) This will make your scheduling easier. Since you are working with 6 different grade levels, that is automatically 6 different teachers’ schedules you will need to work around.
(2) If the IEP schedule page states that…let’s say… 3 times a week for fifty minutes, then I would suggest push-in (mainstream) one fifty-minute block and pullout the other 2 times. It’s a nice comprimes! Also, you will be better aware of what the classroom teacher is covering, allowing you to help the student carry-over skills.
Good luck…it’s a tough task…
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Dee-Choose a class with a teacher you will be able to work with. It’s good to determine where you have the most needs, but if you’re just starting out don’t do that to yourself. Choose a class/teacher with whom you have respect and have similar educational views~even if you only have x2 target students in that class. Team teach with the reg ed teacher in an identified subject area that you and the reg ed teacher can agree on.
Make it enjoyable and a learning experience for both students and teachers. Many teachers are very happy to have a consistent partner to team teach with ev day! You don’t have to choose reading/writing/math, you can team in other subject areas and incorporate your target goals within a science/social curriculum.
You’ll find yourself looking forward to this part of your day and other students will get to know your role well within the school. Your role will be whatever you and the reg ed teacher decide-developing curriculum, adapting/modifying material, etc. Use the first half of the yr to experiment and review your effectivenss before xmas break. Maybe you will change classes halfways through the school yr or continue on in the same room. Just remember to document your progress so you can review your work objectively.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Dee,
It’s best to find a regular ed. teacher whose teaching style matches the L.D. students learning style. (It’s also nice to find someone who welcomes the child and understands why you need to support that student.) They need to be somewhat organized with a schedule, so you are able to be in the classroom almost everyday, when you are scheduled to be there. The teacher’s that I work best with are flexible and willing to use alternative strategies for all students to benefit from. The two teachers I team with are excited about trying alternative strategies and have seen how they benefit many unlabeled students in the classroom. Both inclusive classrooms have teachers that model almost everything and heavily use the overhead and teaching posters. They are willing to use charts to tape on “all” students desks (high frequency spelling lists, touchpoints, cursive charts, multiplication charts, etc.)
It’s nice to bring in some technology that reg. ed. may not have such as Franklin Spellers, books on tape and Alpha-Smarts that could benefit all students. The longer you are in the room, you will find ways to modify the lessons and again many things you make for “your” students usually can benefit many nonlabled students as well. Remember the first year may be tough, but the second year will be fun, because you’ll know what to expect and you’ll see more ways to utilize your expertise.
Re: need inclusion suggestions
Hello Dee,
My first suggestion to you is to make sure that you put forth every effort to collaborate and plan lessons with the Regular education instructors. It is really up to you to inform these teachers of how important it is for your students with learning disabilities to receive their appropriate education in a LRE classroom setting. Regardless if the idea of inclusion is well accepted by others or not; it is up to you to provide modifications, recommendations, be aware of the lessons for the day in advance of class. It is also your responsibility to offer the proper accomodations for your students to feel comfortable, fit in, and adjust appropriately. An area of referral is theFinal Regulations- 34 CFR parts 300 and 303 March 12, 1999 Federal Register Sections 300.555, 300.522, 300.24, and 300.552. If you do not have a copy of the Federal Register, it can be ordered through the following website from the US Dpt of Education:
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
It’s a hard question to answer at this point but in what classroom(s) will your students be at the greatest risk? If you can determine that, that’s where I’d spend my hour.
Some regular classrooms and their teachers are yet “safe” places for identified children to be. Some teachers are better than others at “casting the wide net” and they embrace the presence of the identified students in their classroom.
There are yet other teachers whose teaching practices are very unfriendly to the learning needs of identified students.
You might figure out where your kids need you most and go there mindful always that some teachers with unfriendly teaching practices can also be unfriendly to the resource room teacher as well.
Good luck.