Including Children with
Special Needs in Your Classroom
Ed
Clement
Nobody has been able to come up
with a blue print for success when it comes to including
special children in regular classrooms. Each situation
presents unique challenges. I've found that as the
proportion of inclusive children in my classes increased
or when support services were inadequate, my success
with traditional teaching techniques diminished.
I now:
Rely more heavily on group
activities; inclusive children are less obviously
different when working within a group.
Incorporate more activities
that allow my students to progress at their own
rates as opposed to trying to get the class,
as a whole, to achieve linearly; I also find
that allowing students to progress independently
seems to reduce the average time most of the
students in the class need to complete the lesson.
Do less pre-lesson board work
in favor of short intervals of class discussion
when the need arises; it always bothered me that
by the time I had finally finished teaching the
last steps necessary to perform an academic task,
my students had forgotten most of what I had
presented initially.
Develop several versions of
each lesson so students with different capabilities
will not be excluded from participating; changing
the vocabulary level(“12” instead “twelve” or “make
longer” instead of “extend”),
reducing the number of tasks required and illustrating
difficult concept (instead of “open Microsoft
Word” I would insert a picture of the Microsoft
Word icon with the words “double click
this picture” above it.) are some of the
ways I alter lessons.
Use more compensating technology;
modern technologies like calculators, talking
dictionaries, computer screen readers and voice
input technology can level the playing field
for many inclusive children.
In conclusion, I would like to
add that whenever I become concerned with my class's
achievement I read a little passage I have written
on a piece of paper in my wallet. It says "If
you always do what you did, you'll always get what
you got."
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