Inclusion in education is an approach to educating students with special educational needs; under this model students with special needs spend most or all of their time with non-disabled students. Evidence from the last decade reveals that segregation of special needs students, as opposed to spending time with non-disabled students, is actually damaging to them both academically and socially. Segregating students placed in the special education category is a trend that has been vastly common in public schools, but in the last few years inclusion in general education settings is becoming a more credible option. Placing students in an inclusive classroom is effective in positively adjusting not only their academic performance, but also social and developmental skills needed throughout life. Despite concerns of successfulness and outlook, the inclusion of special needs students in general education classrooms within the public school arena proves to be beneficial for all aspects of education.
In contrast to the beneficial validities of inclusive education, there are also particular disputed concerns that are occasionally brought to light and require attention in inclusive classrooms. “Despite a move toward inclusion being the most significant trend across…countries…the academic consequences of educating students with special needs in inclusive rather than separate settings remain contested” (Canadian Council on Learning 2). One of the leading worries being noticed because of this growing trend is generally how attention will be divided in the classrooms among all types of learners. “The growing demand for inclusive practices within mainstream schools has resulted in classroom teachers having to take direct responsibility for the ...
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Roffman, Leslie, Todd Wanerman, and Cassandra Britton. Including One, Including All: A Guide to Relationship-Based Early Childhood Inclusion. St. Paul: Redleaf Press, 2011. 8. Print.
Roffman, Leslie, Todd Wanerman, and Cassandra Britton. Including One, Including All: A Guide to Relationship-Based Early Childhood Inclusion. St. Paul: Redleaf Press, 2011. 9. Print.
Schulz-Hamsa, Irene. Inclusion and Technology: A Marriage of Convenience for Educational Leaders. 1998. ERIC. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
Yuen, Mantak, Westwood, and Wong. “Meeting the Needs of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties in the Mainstream Education System: Data From Primary School Teachers in Hong Kong.” International Journal of Special Education 20.1 (2005): 67-68 ERIC. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.
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Hedges, Helen. ""You Don't Leave Babies on Their Own": Children's Interests in Early Childhood Education." Early Education. Ed. Janet B. Mottely and Anne R. Randall. New York: Nova Science, 2009. N. pag. Print.
What do we do with children with disabilities in the public school? Do we include them in the general education class with the “regular” learning population or do we separate them to learn in a special environment more suited to their needs? The problem is many people have argued what is most effective, full inclusion where students with all ranges of disabilities are included in regular education classes for the entire day, or partial inclusion where children spend part of their day in a regular education setting and the rest of the day in a special education or resource class for the opportunity to work in a smaller group setting on specific needs. The need for care for children with identified disabilities both physical and learning continues to grow and the controversy continues.
Morrison, G. S. (1976). Chapter 6: Early Childhood Programs APPLYING THEORIES TO PRACTICE. In Early childhood education today (10th ed., pp. 5-31). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
Decades of research proves partnerships between schools and families not only enhance children’s learning and achievement, it is also mutually beneficial to the families and educators. As an early childhood educator, my philosophy is rooted in establishing and maintaining a strong and effective partnership with families and communities that can help children and their families thrive. My approach focuses on effective communication between family and school, respect for diversity, and promoting learning at home.
Klein, M. D., Cook, R. E., & Richardson-Gibbs, A. M. (2001). Strategies for Including Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood Settings. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Full Inclusion is sparking a huge debate in classrooms all across the United States. Many states are trying to make a giant leap into full inclusion classrooms. Full inclusion allows the dismantling of the special education classroom and moving all students with disabilities into general education courses at schools. For many students, special education classrooms offer something they can’t get anywhere else. Special education teachers and general education teachers believe full inclusion will cause more damage than success for lower functioning students. Yes, inclusion can be great in some settings, but instead of academic inclusion, schools should focus on social inclusion of students with disabilities. Full inclusion limits
Inclusion of all students in classrooms has been an ongoing issue for the past twenty-five years (Noll, 2013). The controversy is should special education students be placed in an inclusion setting or should they be placed in a special education classroom? If the answer is yes to all special education students being placed in inclusion, then how should the inclusion model look? Every students is to receive a free an appropriate education. According to the Individual Education Act (IDEA), all students should be placed in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment (Noll, 2013).
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Kennedy, E. (1999) Special Needs in Schools. Wellington Newspaper Limited. Retrieved October 7, 2008 from Academic Search/EBSCO database.
In first being able to define inclusive education, it is necessary to understand the diversity of the student population. Disability comes in my varying forms and can be physical, sensory, intellectual, mental health and emotional, developmental, and non-visible (e.g. asthma). If disability was the only agent to consider in the diversity scenario things would be easier for teachers but there are a number of other classifications of students to consider: Gifted or talented; English as a second language (ESL); Indigenous students; and many other classifications which fall under the societal/family/personal heading (Ashman & Elkin, 2012).
Inclusion has become increasingly important in education in recent years, with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act being passed in 2004 to ensure equality in our system. In summary, inclusion is the idea of there being no child...
Loreman (2007) argues that majority of educators understand inclusion, however they choose to be politically pragmatic and practice whatever they happen to be engaged in; ‘Inclusive or not’ (p43). Shaddock (2006) identified that inclusive practices in Australia were hindered with the response from teachers being lack of time, difficulty in individualising within a group, lack of school support, and inadequate training and resources Shaddock
“Family involvement and engagement should be built into early childhood program curriculum and pedagogy. Early childhood educators can complement and influences home environments and families”. (C. Gestwicki, J. Ber...
Research suggests that the integration and inclusion of students with special educational needs can be beneficial to not only the student, but also to the parents, teachers and peers of the student (Stainback, Stainback & Jackson, 1992). It is also suggested that integration and inclusion is also beneficial to students in areas of learning other than academic, including that of emotional and social development.