Re: Inclusion

[hala odeh]

You are definately in the right direction interms of your opinion because i actually share them.

 

For students of LD to suceed in mainstream classes, those with moderate to severe disabiliies need multipstep instruction, along with pedagogies to promote their learning. They also need a special educator, paraprofessional to aid the class teacher. However these students arent required to work at grade level. This is the key word, why should they. The social interaction with other students is the skill they need to adapt to the into the world, to share friends and even to get married. I had a young girl with CP and she was finally tranferred from a self contained class to the first grade. The girl literally blossomed,I saw her  transform from an introverted withdrawn girl into a social butterfly. She tried to keep up with the demands of the grade level, and made a huge progress yet still she couldn't cope.

 

Now getting back to your issue, most school philosphies revolve around academic excellence and a rigourous curriculum,  leaving no room for a LD student especially with  vast discrepency between their inerpersonal skills and cognitive abilities,unless s/he can cope with class demands.

From experience i feel they lose important reading, writing and math foundations, because they end up muddling through class activities and tests waiting for break time or PE. Administration doesnt realise that one LD equals three students with average IQs and abilities. Teachers arent provided with the necessary ongoing guidance and assistance from school psychologist, therapists and principles. It's all left in the teacher's hand who is bombarded with parents,reports, and..... after school concerts!

 

The bottom line I'm a firm believer in Inclusion but i feel class teachers arent equipped with necessary support to implement it, and as Nada put it doesnt reach out to the "cultulary diverse class of abilities".

 

hala

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[Nithit Singhsachthep]

Dear All,

Thanks for sharing your views and ideas on inclusion. I enjoyed reading every one of them, and I very much agree with Russ and Hana on the subject.
As the world becomes smaller, human beings must adapt to live with the differences of various cultures and individuality. However, in a world that largely idealises the mainstream culture, many people who are "different" are indirectly and or directly caste aside. This is mainly because a lot of people have not been taught from a young age to accept and appreciate diversity. As teachers, I believe we all have the responsibility towards developing students who can thrive in and appreciate the world they live in. This can be a difficult task, as like every other human being on this planet, we all carry our own deep rooted prejudices. Nonetheless, we have to begin to change that attitude, and where better to begin than in our very own lives and classrooms. Who we are and what we believe in will most definately reflect in our actions and how we manage/teach our students.

Peace,
Tej.
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[Nithit Singhsachthep]

Correction to my previous message....

I very much agree with Russ and Hala (not Hana) on the subject.

and

in a world that largely idolizes (not idealises) the mainstream culture...