Final Project

Kaur, Satwinder
Ivy Tech Community College

Classroom Space

Kindergarten classroom at
Douglas MacArthur
Elementary in Alexandria,
VA

Building an Inclusive
Classroom

Expanding Disabled Children`s

Programs in Nepal

Classroom Space
cont`d
Kindergarten classroom in Alexandria( Picture on the left)
Teachers need appropriate training and support to effectively teach a
class of diverse learners. Learning the needs and unique abilities of
special needs students can take time. Research shows it takes
administrative leadership, a multi-tiered system of support, family and
community partnerships, an integrated educational framework, and
inclusive policies and practices to effectively meet the needs of ALL
students, including students with disabilities and those with the most
extensive needs (Wallace, 2015).

Classroom Space
Cont`d
Expanding Disabled Children`s Program in
Nepal(Picture at the bottom)
Poverty and ignorance keep these unfortunate children
hidden in homes as misfits of society. Teacher Daya Ram
Thapa and his colleagues, realize the need to educate,
rehabilitate, and hence, improve the perception of
society towards these children. Hopefully, giving them
the place in Nepalese culture that they deserve.

Exceptionali
ties

Intellectual disability
Learners with Blindness or Low Vision
Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Intellectual
disability
Research by Hallahan, Kauffman& Pullen (2016) supports:
The most commonly used definition specifies that an individual
who has low intellectual functioning and low adaptive skills is
considered to be an intellectually disabled.
Accomodations for students with intellectual disabilities on
standardized tests can include modifications in:
scheduling(e.g., extended or unlimited time)
Presentation format(e.g., reading directions to the student)
Response format (e.g., a student may dictate responses or use a
word processor)

Intellectual
disability cont`d
Benefits to Students: alternate assessments should measure
authentic skills, cover a variety of domains, and include multiple
measures across time. These assessments can include direct
observations of specific behaviors, checklists, rating scales, and
curriculum-based measures. Several domains should be covered, for
example, functional literacy, communication, leisure-recreation skills,
domestic skills, and vocational skills (Hallahan, Kauffman& Pullen,
2016, p. 102).
Teachers scaling: If inclusion is going to be successful, teachers will
need adequate support and resources to do the job. Fear is a barrier
to inclusion identified by teachers; the fear of responsibility,
additional burdens, and the obligation to ensure that all students
learn. Some teachers worry that medical, behavioral, and legal
problems are going to cause additional trauma to an already taxed
framework of education(Vaughn, Schumm& Forgan, 2016).

Learners with Blindness or Low

Vision
Research by Hallahan, Kauffman& Pullen (2016) supports:
Blindness is primarily an adult disability.
Fewer than .04% students from age 6 to 17 are identified as visually
impaired
Testing Accommodations: Among the most common accommodations
for students with blindness and low vision are presentation
accommodations(e.g., test in braille, test in regular print with
magnification, large-print test) and response accommodations (e.g., use
of brailler).
Benefits: These accommodations help professionals assess the progress
of students with visual impairments in academic and functional skills.

Learners with Blindness or Low

Vision
Teaching Scale:If a teacher can follow all the specific
modifications that is listed in the Individualized Education
Plan(IEP), it wont hurt a teacher to teach a low vision
student in a regular classroom.

Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research by Wright (2001)supports:
ASD is characterized by clinically significant deficits in social
communication and by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior,
interests, and activities.
Accomodations: Provide activities to teach and support
social/emotional skills. Social skill development should be a priority for
the student from the first day he or she enters the educational system.
Benefits: Social skills help students in all aspects of their daily life,
from childhood through adulthood, and should be actively taught in the
school environment.
Allow staff preparation time. Because of the structure and consistency
required for students with autism, staff members require additional
prep time.

Classroom
Management
Research by Voltz, Sims& Nelson (2016) supports:
Educational outcomes can be enhanced by maximizing
opportunities for students with and without disabilities to be
educated together
Educational outcomes can be enhanced by embracing
student diversity
These approaches include differentiated instruction,
universal design, sheltered instruction, and multicultural
education. If I can include all these instructional practices,
then students with exceptional needs would not feel isolated
and the regular students will also learn how to cooperate
with students includingEnglish language learners, students
with disabilities, and students from minority groups.

Classroom Mangement cont`d

Figure I.2. Elements of Instruction in Inclusive, Standards-Based Classrooms

Teacher Support
Use Data to Make Decisions: Effective teaching is
demonstrated through successful learning. To ensure
that students learn, effective teachers make use of a
wide variety of demonstrably effective teaching
strategies and methods of assessments, and they base
their instructional decisions on these data. Furthermore,
teachers gather, analyze, and use the data from student
performance (both informal and formal) to make
instructional and curricular decisions(Student Teacher
Roles and Responsibilities).

Teacher Support cont`d

Use Technology to Enhance Instruction: Our world
is largely driven by the use of technology to garner
information. Effective teachers must make consistent
and appropriate use of technology to support the
educational goals they have for themselves and their
students. Whether it is through the use of wikis and
blogs to facilitate discussions, or using a smart board to
locate countries around the world, teachers and
students benefit from the purposeful use of technology
for educational objectives. It is an important part of
education today, and it will play an increasingly
important role in supporting teaching and learning the
future( Student Teacher Roles and Responsibilities).

Summary
Today's schools are becoming increasingly diverse.
Many teachers find that their classrooms are populated
by English language learners, gifted students, students
with disabilities, and students who are culturally
diverse.Peers with disabilities, gifted and talented
students also are integrated into general education
classrooms. All of these differences make teaching more
interesting and exciting as well as more complex. But
teachers need a lot of support, resources ,training, and
additional prep time to educate all the students in
general classroom. Some teachers think that it will alter
a general classroom by putting all the students with or
without disabilities together.

Summary cont`d
In your student teaching experience, take advantage of
the professional learning opportunities afforded you via
the school and district, professional associations, and
community-based organizations. Seek specific advice
from your cooperating teacher and his/her colleagues;
join them in professional conversations, both formal and
informal.You should also keep track of your students
progress, most importantly, what they have learned in
your class. This will allow you to better understand the
different needs of the children in your class and
continuously improve your practice.

Reference
Expanding Disabled Children's programs in Nepal. Retrieved from
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/expanding-disabled-children-s-programs-in
nepal/
Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2015). Exceptional learners: An
introduction to special education. Boston ; Munich: Pearson Education.

Student Teacher Roles & Responsibilities. Retrieved from

https://sites.temple.edu/edresources/ofp/student-teaching/student-teachers/roles
Vaughn, Schumm, Forgan, S. (2016). Instructing Students With High-Incidence
Disabilities in the General Education Classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/curriculum_handbook/413/chapters/Instructing
_Students_With_HighIncidence_Disabilities_in_the_General_Education_Class
room.aspx responsibilities/
Wallace, M. R. (2015). Bright. Retrieved from https://brightreads.com/