Who are We? Lobos!!
When I earned my teaching credential in special education,
the trend was beginning to move toward including students
with special needs in general education classrooms.
the trend was beginning to move toward including students
with special needs in general education classrooms.
Yet, teachers at El Monte are still not always used to having students with a wide range of abilities in their classes. However, we are now moving closer to the equitable classrooms I had hoped for and the Special Ops team is here to help.
For this first entry, I want to discuss ways to make your general education
classroom socially and emotionally welcoming to students with learning disabilities.
classroom socially and emotionally welcoming to students with learning disabilities.
Necessary Underlying Beliefs for Inclusion:
Each student in the building belongs to every teacher in the building. I constantly reiterate that these children are OUR students and we are a team. The teachers I work with in the Co-Teach model accept this premise and ALL the kids succeed in their classrooms as a result.
Teachers must adapt the curriculum to make it accessible to ALL students.
This means making accommodations so that ALL children can understand
the material. ALL students deserve a challenging curriculum. Teach your classes as if your students are all gifted with learning disabilities, because they are.
One of the biggest injustices I witness is watching students on my caseload
being held back because they have difficulty spelling or memorizing math facts.
They are stuck at the drill and kill level of work and not seen as capable of tackling more difficult concepts.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In all honesty, one of the greatest gifts of a child who has a learning difference is that they learn differently. This allows for creativity and intellectual risk-taking that we as educators must take advantage of.
A child with a learning disability is not lazy or unmotivated. For most students
who learn differently, they are working to the top of their ability. If they are not
understanding a concept, it is generally not because they are refusing to
work hard.
They just are not able to catch on in the way it has been explained
to this point. And just because memorization is often a tough skill, it does not mean that they are unable to think critically and at a high level. They must not be relegated to rote, boring tasks while others are allowed to explore and create.
To the greatest extent possible, children must be able to do things for themselves.
Every time we rush in to save a child who is struggling or allow them to give up,
we are sending them the message that we do not think they can do it or
that we do not have the patience to let them engage in productive struggle.
We do not want to foster learned helplessness. Instead, we must design instruction so that it is accessible to ALL. We can teach them strategies for attacking a problem so that they persevere a little longer.
Appreciate that ALL students possess unique gifts and strengths.
The best educators I know take a strengths-based approach to teaching
and capitalize on the interests and talents of the children in the room before them.
Accommodating a student with a learning disability is not “cheating.”
You are not leaving them unprepared for the real working world or higher education.
I will address this particular issue in a future post on accommodations.
Each student in the building belongs to every teacher in the building. I constantly reiterate that these children are OUR students and we are a team. The teachers I work with in the Co-Teach model accept this premise and ALL the kids succeed in their classrooms as a result.
Teachers must adapt the curriculum to make it accessible to ALL students.
This means making accommodations so that ALL children can understand
the material. ALL students deserve a challenging curriculum. Teach your classes as if your students are all gifted with learning disabilities, because they are.
One of the biggest injustices I witness is watching students on my caseload
being held back because they have difficulty spelling or memorizing math facts.
They are stuck at the drill and kill level of work and not seen as capable of tackling more difficult concepts.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In all honesty, one of the greatest gifts of a child who has a learning difference is that they learn differently. This allows for creativity and intellectual risk-taking that we as educators must take advantage of.
A child with a learning disability is not lazy or unmotivated. For most students
who learn differently, they are working to the top of their ability. If they are not
understanding a concept, it is generally not because they are refusing to
work hard.
They just are not able to catch on in the way it has been explained
to this point. And just because memorization is often a tough skill, it does not mean that they are unable to think critically and at a high level. They must not be relegated to rote, boring tasks while others are allowed to explore and create.
To the greatest extent possible, children must be able to do things for themselves.
Every time we rush in to save a child who is struggling or allow them to give up,
we are sending them the message that we do not think they can do it or
that we do not have the patience to let them engage in productive struggle.
We do not want to foster learned helplessness. Instead, we must design instruction so that it is accessible to ALL. We can teach them strategies for attacking a problem so that they persevere a little longer.
Appreciate that ALL students possess unique gifts and strengths.
The best educators I know take a strengths-based approach to teaching
and capitalize on the interests and talents of the children in the room before them.
Accommodating a student with a learning disability is not “cheating.”
You are not leaving them unprepared for the real working world or higher education.
I will address this particular issue in a future post on accommodations.
Hallmarks of Inclusive Teaching:
- Give assignments that everyone can complete, either with or without teacher assistance.
- Make students feel included and valued.
- Address each student by their name and pronounce it correctly.
- Use every technique to maximize class participation.
- Encourage collaboration, not competition.
- Arrange the classroom to reflect warmth and belonging.
- Create a culturally responsive classroom.
- Give assignments that everyone can complete, either with or without teacher assistance.
- Make students feel included and valued.
- Address each student by their name and pronounce it correctly.
- Use every technique to maximize class participation.
- Encourage collaboration, not competition.
- Arrange the classroom to reflect warmth and belonging.
- Create a culturally responsive classroom.
Once the classroom feels like it belongs to both the teacher and the students and everyone is comfortable using their voice, it is time to incorporate specific strategies to maximize the learning for ALL involved.
Thank you for ALL you do!
- Mr. Wendell
#bethechange
