Inclusion

Course Description
This course is designed to focus on inclusion as it relates to children with disabilities and how to include them into public education. Current issues and trends, parent/professional relationships, legislation and legal rights, and other related topics will be covered.

Objectives
• To learn the definition, concept, purpose, and methods of Inclusion
• To begin to get to know each other better
• Understand how society views individuals with disabilities and handicaps
• To be clear about course requirements
• To express your thoughts and feelings about educating children with disabilities in public school settings and/or regular education classes
• To set personal goals for the course
• Understand the historical and educational evolution of school programs for children with disabilities
• Demonstrate knowledge of terms and categories of disabilities
• Demonstrate an understanding of the various classifications of mental retardation
• Identify the major medical etiologies and primary and secondary conditions causing mental retardation and cerebral palsy
• Understand how prejudice has influenced societies development of laws and policies
• Demonstrate knowledge of legal and legislative issues dealing with inclusion
• Knowledge of terms related to special education law
• Understand the difference between inclusion and mainstreaming
• Identify and defend a position pro/con inclusion
• Select articles for review and interpretation
• Identify what parents want for their children with disabilities
• Develop and defend a position for or against inclusion
• Understand the impact of changes in education due to the inclusion movement
• Identify the major concerns regular education teachers have with full or partial inclusion
• Identify resources for regular education teachers to help their students understand disabilities
• Evaluate your own personal objectives
• Passing grade on final exam
• Evaluate the course

Curriculum Design
Inclusion is a is a 3 credit graduate level or forty-five hour professional development course taught on weekends or over five full days. The following methodologies will be used during the course: lectures, video tapes, readings of professional journals, group and individual discussions.

A variety of other books and readings will be referenced throughout the course. Other supplemental readings will be provided.

Course Materials
Text - Including Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities in Typical Classrooms, June E. Downing, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2002, and the Inclusion Participant Workbook.

Session Outline
Module 1
Contents:
  1. Introduction
  2. Overview of Inclusion
  3. Purpose Statement
  4. "An attitude that celebrates diversity..."
  5. Achieving Inclusion through collaboration
  6. Personal Learning Objectives and Learning Contracts
  7. Recall Experience
  8. Identify Common Feelings Regarding the Disabled
  9. "A Disability is a Diversity..."

Module 2
Contents:
  1. Disability vs. Diversity
  2. Historical Perspective
  3. Societal Trends
  4. Defining the Classroom and Classroom Systems
  5. Research Related to Instruction
  6. Disabilities Which Qualify Students for Services under IDEA
  7. Major Characteristics of Each Defined Disability
  8. Opinion Essay

Module 3
Contents:
  1. Understanding the Law
  2. Federal Legislation: PL 94-142; PL 99-457; PL 101-476 (1990 Amendments); PL 105-17
  3. Reauthorization of IDEA 97
  4. Specific Legislation and Classroom Practice
  5. Least Restrictive Environment
  6. Placement Options
  7. Court Cases: Important Concepts
  8. Implications for How Schools Provide Services
  9. How Districts Implement These Decisions

Module 4
Contents:
  1. Learning: Time Needed vs. Time Allowed
  2. Mastery Learning: Generic and Specific Skills
  3. School as a Means to Achieve Aspirations
  4. Criteria for Selecting Accommodations
  5. Continuum Development
  6. Central Tendencies of Behavioral Attributes
  7. Criteria for Selecting Accommodations
  8. Continuum Development

Module 5
Contents:
  1. Specific Accommodations for Specific Disabilities
  2. Research on Teaching
  3. Barriers to Effective Accommodations
  4. Current Classroom Status
  5. Desired Classroom Status
  6. Solutions
  7. Refining Individual Continuums
  8. Evaluate Continuums

Module 6
Contents:
  1. Mainstreaming vs. Inclusion
  2. The Proud Parent
  3. Understanding Parents' Feelings
  4. Interacting with Parents: Active Listening; Demonstrate Understanding; Listening Codes
  5. Parents - Then and Now: Past Services; Current Services
  6. What do Parents Want?
  7. Strategies for Effective Communication
  8. Discrepancies Between Parents' Wants and Current Practice
  9. Article Reviews

Module 7
Contents:
  1. Pros and Cons: What the Research Says
  2. Arguments for Inclusion
  3. Arguments Against Inclusion
  4. The Changing Classroom
  5. Common Concerns
  6. New Accommodations
  7. Revising the Continuum
  8. How Regular Education Teachers Feel
  9. Attitudes, Perceptions and Fears
  10. Strategies for Addressing Fears

Module 8
Contents:
  1. Disability Awareness for Regular Education
  2. Classroom Activities
  3. Circle of Friends
  4. Isolation of Students with Disabilities
  5. IEP's
  6. Accessing Appropriate Education Services
  7. Modifying Goals and Objectives
  8. Inconsistencies or Gaps in Services
  9. Developing an IEP

Module 9
Contents:
  1. Technology to Assist Students with Disabilities
  2. Types of Technology
  3. Impact of Technology on Teaching
  4. Accessing Assistive Technology Resources
  5. What is AAC?
  6. Communication Disorders
  7. Augmentative and Alternative Communication
  8. Communication Devices
  9. Technology to Resolve Barriers
  10. Technology as an Accommodation

Module 10
Contents:

1. Personal Position Paper Requirements (Final Exam)

• Introduction

• State Position on Inclusion

• Provide Supportive Information

• What You Will do When Teaching

• Summary and Conclusions

2. Design Action Plan

• Goals-Objectives-Outcomes

• Barriers

• Solutions

Grading

Assignment Points Grading Scale

Group and Classroom Participation 20    100 – 93 A

Article Reviews 40     92 – 85 B

Final Exam 40     84 – 77 C

Total Points 100

Student Requirements

1. Attendance at all classes.

2. Completion of article reviews.

3. Students should be prepared to lead the discussion about a predetermined issue during specified class.

4. Pass final exam.

5. Three article reviews.

Article Reviews
Article reviews are important to graduate study. Select articles that address the topic of inclusion and write a two-page review for each article selected. Three articles should be selected for review.

Select your articles from any professional journal in print or online. Many professional journals focus on education, psychology, rehabilitation, or early childhood. These are excellent resources. Include the following points in your review:

  1. Identify the journal or online resource and the author.
  2. Identify the problem statement (what is the author trying to describe or prove?)
  3. What other articles or books does the author reference?
  4. What is the target population, who is being researched or studied?
  5. Where was the research being conducted? (location, geographic area)
  6. What types of methods were used in the study? (observation, statistical analysis)
  7. What about validity or reliability?
  8. Describe the results.
  9. How relevant is the study for current educational practice?
  10. Be prepared to discuss your articles. (date to be determined)

Student Academic Integrity
Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register
To register to take TEI's Inclusion classroom graduate course, go to the Course Registration page.