ALTERNATE 3-PART INCLUSION ASSIGNMENT
Alternate 3-Part Inclusion Assignment
Alexandria Councilman
EDUC 521
Liberty University
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RUNNING HEAD: ALTERNATE 3-PART INCLUSION ASSIGNMENT
Textbook Synopsis
Feeling Excluded: Inclusion Teacher’s Guide reads as a wonderful guide for teachers,
giving accurate and relatable examples of situations that could happen in the classroom. In
addition to this, there are valuable strategies for successfully including students with all different
types of disabilities into the general education classroom. Each chapter of the book gives
excellent information about inclusion teaching from someone who has first-hand knowledge.
I have learned valuable information and strategies for how I can be a successful inclusion
teachers. To do this, it takes a lot of collaboration with teachers, parents, and professionals from
all different places. It is the responsibility of the teacher to be open to different points of view,
opinions, and teaching styles. We need to all work together and “be cohesive with our peers so
together we can accomplish that goal” of an inclusive classroom (Landrum, p 10-3). Inclusion
teaching is a learning process for teachers too—our students cannot learn and grow if we are not
learning and growing along with them.
This learning never stops—there are new techniques and strategies to know every day.
The book talks about a few, such as: differentiated instruction, modeling, and observation. There
are a lot of different ways to teach students and “the key to this way—and only way—of
instructing is to teach so students of all learning styles can learn” (Landrum, p 2-1).
I really enjoyed the material in this book and found it to be a valuable tool for my future
endeavors because it was so raw and real. It is a sad reality that not all teachers fight for
inclusion and try their best to make each and every student feel welcomed and loved. However, it
is the responsibility of the teachers who truly want to implement an inclusive classroom to
continuously learn, grow, and become the best teacher they can be, for all of their students: “If
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we want to see students, succeed, we must begin by each decision we make that will keep us on
the path to attaining this goal” (Landrum, chp. 1).
Case Study Number 4
Clark is a 6th grade student with a Selective Learning Disability (SLD). He has very bad
outbursts during classroom activities and lectures. He has no filter, will offend/disrespect
classmates and teachers, and make inappropriate statements. Clark is not confident in his
academic abilities and will lash out when he feels he cannot complete an assignment. His
behavior easily distracts other students and disrupts his teachers lectures. His parents are not
good role models and do not care about his academic success; thus, Clark thinks school is
pointless and does not see the meaning in his life.
Self-monitoring strategies are a good way to help Clark take notes on his specific
behaviors and outbursts every time they occur. In addition, using a rewards based system could
help with improving his behavior. Rewards and positive feedback to certain behaviors and
actions may give him something to look forward to and help reinforce these good behaviors
when there is a reward for them. If he limits his bad behavior, then he will more likely do better
in school.
I believe the most prominent aspect of Clark’s behavior that needs to change are his
relationships. Clark needs structured interactions, where “teachers set high standards, clear
expectations, and reasonable limits for students’ behaviors and performance and consistently
follow through on their demands” (Furrer, et al, 2014, p 105). Ignoring his behavior is not a good
strategy—he will keep acting out until you pay attention to him. Clark is not receiving this
attention at home, so he goes to school and lashes out there. Because of this, he needs autonomy
support—”When teachers are dependable sources of emotional and instrumental support in
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difficult times, students feel connected to their teachers and safe at school” (Furrer, et al, 2014, p
105).
Moving forward, I believe that Clark needs a lot of one-on-one support and attention
from his teacher. His teacher needs to work with him and gain his trust because “teachers have a
special responsibility to support student motivation and learning through the provision of warmth
and involvement” (Furrer, et al, 2014, p 111). His teacher needs to observe and assess the
underlying issues for what makes Clark lash out and unmotivated. After this, she can accurately
more forward with a plan to help build his motivation and confidence.
Case Study From Personal Experience
Since I have already written about the only personal experience I have had observing
students with disabilities in the classroom setting, I am using the textbook as a guide for my
case-study.
Background:
Olivia, upcoming 9th grader, has been recently diagnosed with severe dysgraphia, which basically
means “that the connection between the brain and the hand is not efficient” (Kirk, et al, 2015, p
6-5c). Her parents are very involved in her academics and have attempted to help with her
assignments, as well as trying different tutors.
Problem:
Olivia struggles with reading and written expression. Her independent reading level is four years
behind her classmates. The reason she is so far behind is because students with dysgraphia “have
to ‘draw’ their letters and form them into words. This process is very taxing and cannot be
sustained for general work” (Kirk, et al, 2015, p 6-5c). Throughout middle school, her academic
performance noticeably declined as schoolwork became harder and more demanding. She hates
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to read or write—when given these types of assignments, she will become very anxious and her
work will usually be messy and illegible. She cannot accurately organize her thoughts and has
trouble with basic writing conventions.
Strategies:
Olivia needs to increase her written expression skills. Because of this, she would likely benefit
from an assistive technology which helps her organize her thoughts and assists her in applying
basic writing conventions to produce legible and quality written documents. I would recommend
that Olivia used assistive technology like text-to-voice readers and voice-activated software. If
Olivia was struggling with a written text, she could use the text-to-voice software to listen to the
written text, instead of reading it. In addition to this, she could use voice-activated software to
minimize written assignments. If Olivia is given written assignments, it is essential to provide
her with an adequate amount of time to complete her work. Her teacher can also print out notes
from a lesson or allow her to take audio recordings of a lecture to review later.
Moving Forward:
As Olivia prepares for high school, it is essential that the IEP team, her parents, and teachers find
assistive technology solutions that best work for her. In high school, writing will become a more
demanding and necessary tool for notetaking and assessments. Teachers will need to make
accommodations and modifications to lessons and tests to best help Olivia succeed in reading
and writing.
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References
Furrer, C. J., Skinner, E. A., & Pitzer, J. R. (2014). The Influence of Teacher and Peer
Relationships on Students’ Classroom Engagement and Everyday Motivational Resilience.
https://www.pdx.edu/psy/sites/www.pdx.edu.psy/files/2014-Furrer.Skinner.Pitzer
%20(1).pdf.
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Colemen, M. R. (2015). Educating Exceptional Children. Stamford,
CT: Cengage Learning.
Landrum, J. Feeling Excluded: Inclusion Teacher’s Guide.
