Abstract
The research results of an ongoing pilot study will be presented indicating key components in the changing roles of the education of teachers as they learn to contribute to the successful development of more inclusive educational settings overcoming the pressures to exclude. Teachers take on roles as providers, demonstrators, learners, observers and responders where children and teachers establish partnerships in discovering each child's potential. Interest inventories are initiated early on to determine methods of personalizing educational experiences which are novel, inviting and offering real involvement through direct, purposeful experiences affording opportunities for children to connect and to relate previous experiences to existing events. Flexibility is key. Student input is essential via various modes of communication. The teacher acts as a participant implementing the use of contact talks as well as engaging in an attitude of an ongoing learner.
Upon this critical base of development, the methods presented introduce each child to an unfolding vocabulary where socialization and language skills are embraced. Supplemental materials will be shared with audience participants. Handouts and music samples are inclusive.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the significant variables identified as being an integral part of the educational process to cultivate a desire and an eagerness to learn in all children, especially those identified as learning disabled, language impaired, mild to moderately mentally challenged, and physically impaired in the general classroom setting. Following this overview, an extensive review of a Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) will be provided where the implementation of many of the significant variables mentioned herein has resulted in successful outcomes for special needs preschool-age children in inclusive educational settings.
To begin with, let us take a look at what is meant by the term, 'inclusion.' Basically, one of the main goals of inclusion is to provide a service delivery model where special education services are provided in a general education classroom. Inclusive settings are based upon the belief that all children should be a part of the school community. Being a part of the general education classroom offers an educational process of consistency. Children in general education classroom settings learn the same information at the same time in the same place. If special needs populations are to be a part of an inclusive environment, will they not be subjected to the ideals of this domain? How can general educators meet the needs of special education populations under a uniform system designed to educate within a mapped out time frame, a set curriculum subjected to specific state assessment standards? Are all children created equal? Does such a system meet the individual needs of all special education populations? Can all children learn the same information at the same pace within the same educational environment? Are we not functioning under time constraints of a 6-7 hour school day typified by 180 days per year? These are critical questions. The answers will vary depending upon numerous variables including the specific functional level of the child, the type of disability, degree of disability, the age of onset, the specific type of instructional methodology, the teachers, the parents, the impact of school-based management, and so on. Making schools accountable to ensure the educational success of all children, leaving no child behind, should include meeting the individual needs of each special needs child via a continuum of educational services in the least restrictive environment deemed most appropriate for each special needs child.
For the past five years, I have been a full-time faculty member at the University of Texas at San Antonio. During this time period I have observed many changes in the field of Special Education. The most critical being the full inclusion of special needs populations in regular classroom settings. My students and I have discussed the challenges associated with full-inclusion on behalf of special needs populations and the specific challenges they would face as regular educators in inclusive classroom settings. Being prepared to meet the individual needs of the students under 1. their jurisdiction prevailed as their number one concern. Inquiries resulting in questions similar to those posed above occurred. Thus, I wish to take this opportunity to address the changing roles of the education of teachers as they learn to contribute to the successful development of more inclusive educational type settings.
First and foremost, educators must adopt an internalized belief reflecting a personal philosophy that all children can learn and the school is responsible for serving them. They must truly believe they can and will make a difference choosing to build upon each child's strengths while acknowledging their weaknesses. Intensive, relentless instruction may be required of many special needs populations thus flexibility within the curricular demands of the general education setting must be reexamined and modified to meet individual needs. Dedicated service is a key component along with a system that emphasizes an ongoing need for inservice training, staff development and technical assistance. In addition, a committed responsiveness to families is needed where administrators and educators alike encourage active family involvement. Responsibility should not rest solely upon the educators, but upon the shoulders of all who are responsible for the child's education including administrators, parents and the community at large. The educational setting should not be the first priority in meeting the special education needs of the child. Decisions should initially rest upon the determination of identifiable strengths and weaknesses and then upon a continuum of services that will best meet the child's needs. Observations and reassessments must be ongoing to ensure the child's ultimate success.
Educators in today's schools need to reexamine their teaching roles to enable them to meet the individual needs of all children placed in their care. Such roles include teacher as providers, demonstrators, learners, observers and responders where children and teachers establish partnerships through parent-child and teacher-child interactions to determine methods of personalizing educational experiences which are inviting and offer real involvement through direct, purposeful experiences. Opportunities for children to connect and to relate previous experiences to existing events must be incorporated into daily activities. Positive responsiveness towards students' attempts at task completion should be given intermittently and not held back until final task completion. Scaffolding for success while a child attempts tasks completion nurtures successful outcomes. This can motivate a child and create an eagerness to learn.
Furthermore, student input is essential via various modes of communication. The educator's role includes acting as a participant, implementing the use of contact talks as well as engaging in an attitude of an ongoing learner. Let us now examine each of these specific roles ( including teacher as provider, demonstrator, learner, observer and responder) and discover the characteristics of a contact talk.
To sense one's purpose in structuring an environment to ensure successful outcomes portrays the role of the 'provider.' Of course, teachers formulate a plan to implement the curriculum at hand. Within their planned framework should be opportunities for a range of experiences pending the specific developmental levels encompassed within their entrusted population. Full support, no risk environment, with meaningful and purposeful, hands-on involvement, depict the goals of the 'provider' role.
The role of demonstrator is a most powerful role to enact. Here we can teach through example. We can model our enthusiasm for learning and our eagerness to learn. We can model acceptance and teach our students to be supportive and to truly listen to what another person has to say. We can demonstrate the fact that we are not afraid to make mistakes but it is through our mistakes that learning emerges.
Being an educator can sometimes cause one to feel they must be 'all-knowing' to their students. 'Teacher-as-learner' is indeed a unique perspective to adopt but it is probably one of the most important roles to undertake for we have much to learn from the children we teach and we must always afford time and opportunities to allow them to show us what they know and what they can do.
The power of observation should be emphasized within the domain of every teacher training program. It should be considered a vital skill needing to be developed in an ongoing, nurturing fashion. It must be fostered through a variety of teacher-training activities for it is through making observations that we come to recognize and to perceive what the children in our care are trying to do so that we may in turn appropriately respond and meet their needs.
With respect to special needs populations, being a 'teacher as responder' is most significant. It calls educators to reexamine the situation or circumstances at hand to decipher what the child is attempting to do at any given moment. Thus, a teacher might wish to offer help, to generate a statement that will guide a child to reach their own conclusion or to offer suggestions to appropriately guide a child towards task completion. The teacher might sense the need to encourage a child at any given moment. These are all examples of responsive teaching.
If we were to go back over each of the aforementioned teacher roles, we could note the emphasis placed upon components of the communication process. Indeed, communication is of the utmost importance. Contact talks afford opportunities for teachers and parents in particular to gain insight into their child's world and to become more in tune with the child's interests, thoughts and feelings. Therefore, to make learning significant and meaningful to the child resulting in an eagerness to discover and a curiosity to learn, general education classroom teachers must incorporate the usage of contact talks into their daily activities to foster successful inclusive environments.
What is a contact talk? A contact talk is a conversation between two individuals in which you really listen to the other and respond in a caring manner. Contact talks only need to be a few minutes in length, but if it occurs regularly, it is good for children's self concepts. It tells children they are important enough to be listened to and understood. It provides a model for other children to emulate in accepting the special needs child into the regular classroom. If the general classroom teacher makes an effort to have contact talks with all of the children in the classroom, the seeds of acceptance will be planted. To have contact talks on a regular basis with each child in a general inclusive classroom setting is essential. Important ingredients must be present for contact talks to occur. They include: The adult makes a decision to take time for the conversation to occur. The adult listens, attempts to follow the child's lead or train of thought in the conversation, and communicates in ways that tell the child, the adult understands. This may be accomplished through eye contact by getting down on the child's level and appearing to listen. The adult doesn't lecture or judge. Many times contact talks occur while the child and adult are doing an activity together. A good indication that a contact talk is taking place is when the child is doing most of the talking, placing a major emphasis upon following the child's lead by specifically listening to what the child has to say. It is important for teachers to practice contact talks on a regular basis with children. This may be accomplished during play times, sharing times, lunch times, and arrival and departure times. To help facilitate the usage of contact talks and to ensure success in doing so with each child in the classroom, teachers may construct a chart of each child in their room graphed against the days in a one or two week period. They may then follow the chart and have an intentional contact talk with three to five children on a daily basis. If at all possible, teachers should have a planned contact talk with each child at least every two weeks but preferably every week. Parents should also be encouraged to have regular contact talks with their children. Teachers should make parents aware of the tremendous importance of contact talks making suggestions to them for possible times during the day when they might have a contact talk. An exceptionally good time might be while reading a bed time story.
Up to this point, an overview has been presented of numerous, significant variables to consider and to implement for successful inclusive settings to emerge. Now, let us take a look at an established preschool program which incorporates a number of these variables resulting in successful outcomes.
The following detailed information describes the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) in Judson Independent School District, San Antonio Texas. The main purpose in sharing this information is to offer a foundation of information illustrating a successful inclusion program at the preschool level. It is our desire to impact further programing at this level and at higher levels to meet the developmental needs of preschool and school-age children with identified disabilities in inclusive settings worldwide.
Since the onset of inclusion in Judson Independent School District, special education students in the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes have been included with typically developing four and five year olds. Prior to this time, the PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) students were served in self-contained classrooms with little or no integration with non-disabled peers. The school district did not serve three year old students with disabilities to be included with same age non disabled peers. The practice of including three year olds with older peers concerned those professionals who had seen benefits of age-appropriate settings for the four and five year olds.
The special education director, the campus principal, and the PPCD teachers, along with speech therapists sought the involvement of the community by contacting local Child Development Centers (CDC). The practice was designed for three year old students with identified disabilities to include but not to be limited to learning disabled, speech/language impaired, mentally challenged, and orthopediacally impaired.
This program now serves PPCD three year old students within six classes. The school district provides personnel, equipment and supplies and the CDC's provide a developmentally appropriate environment and staff. Teachers and paraeducators from the district work side by side with the CDC staff to support each child's instructional goals. Speech therapy and related services, (including occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and others determined by student need) are provided by CDC. The district personnel and CDC staff make no distinction between the children from the district and those from the CDC. This practice is a collaboration of shared resources with clearly defined agreements, staff training based on needs and parental involvement. Criteria for Validation
The Goals of the practice are:
* To fully include PPCD three year
olds in an inclusive community setting with same age typically developing peers
*To show gains in all developmental areas
*To foster parental
involvement in the educational process of their child
*To foster public
school and community partnerships
*To provide opportunities for parents of
children with disabilities to have quality care options
*To allow for a
smooth transition from an Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program to the
public school setting
Steps and Process Initial Development: Prior to the implementation of the program the campus principal and special education director contacted two child care providers in the district closest to the elementary campus to share information regarding the proposed community inclusion program. A plan for the program was discussed and a tentative commitment from the directors was received. The campus principal, special education director, CDC director and interested PPCD personnel visited a current CDC inclusion program in a nearby district.
The campus principal and special education director met with CDC directors to discuss the inclusion project and how it could be implemented in the Judson Independent School District. A proposal of the community inclusion project was presented to the school district superintendent and accepted. Interested PPCD teachers, paraeducators, and speech therapists were recruited from the district to participate in the CDC inclusion project.
Processes That Occur Annually:
*A screening is conducted during the
first week of June to identify students who qualify for PPCD services for the
upcoming school year.
*ECI programs are contacted and informed of the
summer screening and invited to participate.
*Parents are given the option
to visit the CDC's prior to the Annual/Review/Dismissal (ARD) meeting.
*As
the ARD process is implemented, parents are informed of the continuum of
services that are available for their child.
*Newly identified PPCD
students are enrolled into the community inclusion program as determined by the
ARD committee.
*PPCD personnel meet with the director of special education
transportation to plan bus routes for the upcoming year. The students attend
the CDC closest to their home or the CDC requested by parent due to current
enrollment in a CDC.
*During initial school inservice days the CDC
directors and teachers are required to meet with the campus principal, commuity
inclusion project coordinator and PPCD personnel to review and sign a written
agreement, review roles and responsibilities of staff, and service delivery
models. Tentative class lists are established.
*Each class is staffed with
a PPCD teacher, a PPCD paraeducator and a CDC teacher.
*Generally the PPCD
students are in attendance 3 hours daily or as determined by the ARD committee.
*Speech/Language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and
services to the students with auditory or visually impairments are delivered on
site as determined by the ARD committee.
*To help CDC staff fulfill state
mandates, staff development sessions are presented on a monthly basis by the
ISD personnel for the CDC staff. Topics are determined through a needs
assessment conducted at the beginning of the school year.
*Goals,
objectives and modifications from the student's IEP (Individual Education Plan)
are shared and explained to the CDC teachers. Supplemental and/or modified
materials are provided by the district as necessary.
*The PPCD teacher and
the CDC teacher meet weekly to plan appropriate activities, provide
opportunities for PPCD students to meet their IEP objectives and update/review
student progress/concerns.
*CDC personnel are invited to attend the
Annual/Review/Dismissal (ARD) meetings.
*Surveys are distributed to parents
in late spring to evaluate the effectiveness of the inclusion project.
*A
program evaluation survey is also completed by the CDC directors and CDC
teachers involved in the program.
*At the end of the year a luncheon is
held to recognize the efforts of the school personnel and the CDC staff. The
results of the completed surveys (parent, director, and CDC teacher) are
shared, the year in review is discussed and suggestions are made for the
upcoming school year.
*Extended Year Services are available within the CDC
as determined by the ARD Committee.
*The school district and the ECI
program meet every 120 days to discuss/share information on students who will
be three years old and possibly entering the school district within the next
three months.
Specific Roles and Responsibilities:
*The PPCD teacher is
responsible for completing the necessary paper work for the ARD meeting and
attending ARD meetings on children PPCD placed in the CDC. The PPCD teacher
provides direct service at the CDC sites daily. The teacher is intended to
supplement the existing program and staff and not to replace it. The PPCD
teacher helps coordinate and/or present staff developments for instructional
assistants and CDC staff as needed. The PPCD teacher plans and writes lesson
plans with the CDC teacher and shares the lesson plan with the paraeducator.
The lesson plans are submitted to the principal, coordinator and the CDC
director on a weekly basis. The teacher is responsible for securing materials,
equipment and supplies to meet the needs of the PPCD students. The PPCD teacher
is responsible for carrying out the individualized educational plans (IEP) of
the students. The PPCD teacher evaluates the students every six weeks and sends
progress reports home to the parents.
*The Speech/Language Therapists are responsible for delivering
speech/language services on site as determined by the student's IEP. The
therapists are responsible for evaluating the student's progress every six
weeks and communicating the information with the parent through progress
reports. The therapists collaborate with the PPCD teacher regarding lesson
plans and student progress. They are also invited to attend monthly staff
development meetings and ARD meetings.
*The Paraeducator is responsible for
being at the CDC for a minimum of four hours daily. The paraeducator works with
the PPCD teacher to develop modifications and follows through with them. The
paraeducator is responsible for following lesson plans provided by the PPCD
teacher, calls in attendance to the district campus daily, and maintaining
attendance records on site. The paraeducator is responsible for writing down
any concerns of data required to perform extra duties as assigned by the CDC as
related to the PPCD students (ex., serving breakfast, clearing tables, changing
diapers...). The paraeducator is evaluated collaboratively by the CDC teacher
and the CDC director and the PPCD teacher.
*The CDC teachers are responsible for providing a safe and nurturing environment where children feel successful. The environment should allow for the children to develop new skills at different rates, realizing that children require a variety of instructional strategies to develop new skills. The CDC teachers are invited to attend ARD meetings. They plan with the PPCD teacher on a weekly basis to develop lesson plans and activities to meet the IEP objectives of the PPCD student and secure appropriate materials within the CDC site. The CDC teachers are invited to attend monthly staff developments provided by the school district.
*The parent is responsible for visiting the CDC's prior to placement, for attending ARD meetings for their child, and participating in the decision of the education of their child, parent conferences, and family/home activities. The parents are also responsible for completing and turning in a parent survey at the end of the year.
Expected Results:
*PPCD student's would make significant gains in
all developmental areas.
*Rapport and good working relationships would be
made between the CDC's and the school district.
*Parents would be involved
in their child's education by attending ARD's, participating in family/home
activities, and attending planned school events.
*Natural friendships among
children would develop without regard to disability.
*CDC directors would
be more willing to serve children with impairments at their site.
*The
district would provide education services to PPCD 3 year olds within the
community child care centers.
*Networking would continue with a nearby ISD
implementing a similar program.
Actual Results:
*PPCD students showed gains in all developmental
areas and significant gains in language and social skills.
*Rapport and
good working relationships were established between the CDC's and the school
district.
*Parents were provided an opportunity to visit placement options
prior to ARD meetings, extend their child's learning by participating in
family/home activities, receiving weekly newsletters and progress notes,
attending parent conferences and planned school events and ongoing informal
parent contact.
*Parents were receptive and supportive of the placement of
their child in the CDC's.
*A smooth transition occurred for the PPCD
students from the ECI program into the PPCD program and later into a Pre-K
setting on their home campus.
*Natural friendships developed between the
student's without regard to disability.
*CDC directors were willing to
serve children with impairments on their sites.
*Networking continued
between another area school district implementing a similar CDC program.
*The CDC staff grew professionally due to the staff development and
modeling provided by the District PPCD teachers.
Unexpected Results:
*The directors of the CDC's became advocates for
the students with impairments.
*Several school districts and Regional
Educational Service Centers expressed an interest in the program and sent
personnel to visit.
*Information about the program was shared at regional
and state conferences.
*The district's Regional Education Service Center
supported the program by providing funds for collaboration, staff developments,
and substitutes as well as encouraging other districts and ESC's to visit and
implement a similar program in their district.
*The program was showcased
on T-Star Network sponsored by the Texas Education Agency.
*A transition
plan developed between ECI and the school district.
*Many parents of the
typically developing children stated they were pleased their child had the
opportunity to participate in the project.
Results of the Data:
*IEP records indicate that 71% of the students
mastered 50% or more of their objectives.
*According to the parent survey,
85% of parents who returned the survey gave the best possible rating on items
pertaining to skill acquisition. Parents noted the most growth in the areas of
communication, socialization and self-help skills.
*100% of the PPCD
parents agreed to the placement of their child on CDC sites as evidenced by
their signature at the ARD meeting. According to the parent survey, 85% of the
parents who returned the survey gave the highest possible rating on items
pertaining to satisifaction of the program.
*100% of the parents who
returned the survey gave the highest possible rating on items pertaining to
transition into Pre-K class.
*70% of parents who returned the survey gave
the highest possible rating on items pertaining to home/school. communication.
*20 of the 21 eligible students in the CDC inclusion project attended
pre-kindergarten on their home campus as evidenced by attendance records and
their IEP.
*Teacher observations reported natural friendships had developed
without regard to disabilities.
*100% of the program evaluations completed
by CDC teachers indicated that good rapport and working relationships were
developed.
*CDC directors were comfortable having children with
disabilities on their site as evidenced by 100% of the participating sites
agreed to continue the inclusion project the following year. CDC sites offered
extended day care for the PPCD students at a reduced rate. Many students in the
program have continued to receive childcare services at the sites while
attending public school.
In conclusion, it must be pointed out that although this program has accounted for successful outcomes with respect to implementing a full inclusion type program at the preschool level, specific variables must be taken into account when the child reaches school-age instruction. At the school-age level, determination of placement becomes much more significant due to the curricular demands placed upon the child. The correct sequence of an individual education plan (IEP) where evaluation and identification establishes a need for special education, followed by the determination of an appropriate and individualized program lending itself to the determination of placement truly must be followed. All too often, the sequence is evaluation and identification, placement, and determination of an appropriate program. At the school-age level of instruction the focus must remain with early evaluation and identification, determination of an appropriate and individualized program and then and only then should one consider a determination of placement. To meet the individual needs of the exceptional child, we must be careful not to lean towards using the inclusion model as the only model pushing the inclusion model over all other options. This is acceptable only when the students' needs are truly being met. To help facilitate this process, it is essential to revisit and review the many variables presented early on within the context of this paper. There are no easy answers just a lot questions demanding hard work and dedicated service to ensure successful outcomes on the part of the special needs child.
We would like to close with one final thought. During our careers as educators, we have witnessed many changes in the educational system both in special education and in general education. However, there is one belief that has always remained constant as illustrated in the following excerpt:
It was early morning. The sun was beginning to rise above the horizon offering a tranquil display of translucent watercolors across the ocean patterns reaching the shore. A very aged man stood by the shore, his actions requiring an explanation to the young observer walking by. The young boy asked inquisitively, "Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" The old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. "But there are thousands of beaches and millions of starfish!" exclaimed the young boy. "How can you make any difference?" The old man looked at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw it to the safety of the sea, he said, " I make a difference to this one." The world may be different because I was important to the life of a child.
For further information, please contact Professor Judith S. Amatangelo, Professor of Early Childhood/Exceptional Student Education; Speech/Language/Hearing Science at amatangelo@prodigy.net or you may correspond with me at my permanent address: 4518 Wild Dunes Court, Austin, Texas 78747 and/or by dialing 512-292-8552 and adding the country code accordingly. Cheryl Roitsch, Educational Specialist may be reached at caroitsch@hotmail.com and/or by dialing 361-573-0731 and adding the country code accordingly.
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