Inclusion in Education

Inclusion in Education

Some scholars have considered inclusion as an ideal system of education because it discourages discriminations. However, Inclusion is associated with some serious disadvantages. Initially, inclusion is not good because the system does not present effort of offering special attention to students who have disabilities (Margariţoiu 87). Students with disabilities demand unique attention because their disabilities may make them have poor learning skills and habits. Consequently, a system that is customized for the special interests presented by these students would be effective in delivering curriculum content. However, this is not the case with the regular because the program treats all students equally assuming that they have the same capability. This is disadvantageous to the disabled students because they face challenges when learning in an environment that is insensitive to their concerns. Furthermore, inclusion affects the learning of other able students because they must wait for the disabled students to grab the context of the subject before the teacher can introduce the next topic. Consequently, the able students are wasted as the educator consumes a lot of their time because they concentrate on students with disabilities (Margariţoiu 86).

Historical background

The idea of Inclusion in education has evolved over time, influenced by the federal regulations and the changing social and political ideologies. The main explication for the origin of inclusion is the need to provide for students who had a special need in modern schools with a less discriminative system. Initially, Schools mainly followed rigid systems, where each class of students moved from grade to grade and finally graduating as productive citizens prepared to join the workforce. These customary education systems failed to account for the diversity presented by the students. Furthermore, the systems lacked special classes and disabled students faced serious challenges while learning in the same classrooms with able students. Later, the special classes were established to serve students who failed to satisfy the standards and match with the learning pace of other students (Smith 20).

At around 1950s, special education plans were available in most school districts; however, the practice was associated with some unattractive consequences. Education evaluators established a consensus that isolated special classes failed to provide effective education environment for most students. Studies confirm that teaching students with special needs in isolated classes minimize their potential instead of maximizing their capability (Barnard, Aidan and David 62). This is because isolated classes fail to offer students effective challenges that would improve their learning skills (Lambe 987). Furthermore, Civil Rights Movements challenged the idea of isolated classes that seemed discriminative. Activities of these activists led to the establishment of regulation that was aimed at preventing discrimination against persons with special needs including the students in schools. The early 1970s landmark civil right regulation empowered disabled student with the right of receiving special education. This legislation demanded that children with special needs should receive free and public education. Furthermore, the regulation demanded the education system to offer these students equal opportunities of participating in all school activities (Smith 47).

The establishment of the individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997 provided a full support of the idea of inclusive procedures in the education system. The Act demand education systems to ensure that disabled students participate actively in the education curricula, examination practices and classrooms. Particularly, the Act encourages special education and other ordinary teachers to work together (Lambe 989). The concept of inclusion education was further promoted by the legislation of the “No Child Left Behind Act” in the year 2002. This legislation demanded disabled students to be removed from segregated classrooms and be provided with effective strategies and inclusive and teaching procedures that matched their unique needs. Presently, practices such as utilizing scientific research concepts in developing schemes for teaching students with special needs, use of extended parental options and extended local control and flexibly highlight the idea of inclusion in education (Barnard, Aidan and David 49).

Definition of inclusion

Inclusion is an educational approach that targets creating a fair system for all students in their respective schools. This is a significant approach because it allows both typical and disabled students to interact. The intensity of disabilities is major dependant on the choice of inclusion. Experts indicate that there are diversities between the notion of inclusion and mainstreaming or integrative approaches to education. Mainstreaming and integrative approaches focus on educational needs of special children (Barnard, Aidan and David 48). This is different from the focus of inclusion because of the various reasons. Initially, the system should value the right of children to be part of the programs in their respective schools. Schools that have registered exemplary success with inclusion confirm that the role of school administration is fundamental. This is because the management of respective schools creates policies that include children in the programs of their schools (Lambe 985).

Types of Inclusion

There are two categories of inclusion in the current education system. These categories include partial and full inclusion. Some experts suggest that partial inclusion is the most common type and is referred to as regular inclusion (Lambe 989). Regular inclusion entails the subsequent scenarios. Initially, the respective school administration ensures that special needs students attend regular classes. Teachers who undertake these inclusive courses maintain equal treatment for all students regardless of their abilities. Extra or special help is offered only when the students with disabilities are unable to handle essential activities. The special help that is granted to the disabled children is offered out of the classroom. This ensures that the students benefit from the inclusion program in achieving their respective educational goals (Barnard, Aidan and David 47).

In the full inclusion approach, no interaction is allowed between students. Those who have limited abilities have their own classes under teachers who understand the intensity of their educational needs. Recent reports indicate that this is the most beneficial approach of managing challenges emanating with the student’s diversities. There is also extreme and minimal full inclusion. In the latter category of inclusion, students eliminate any aspects of special education in schools (Lambe 983).

The Successful Dimensions of an Inclusive Classroom

An inclusive classroom should present four main dimensions that include active learning, relevance and connectedness, flexible assessment and customized curriculum. The learning and organization of these elements determine the successfulness of an inclusive classroom. Initially, an inclusive classroom establishes active learning in all participants. This includes constructive peer involvement, experimental learning and exhibition of student’s work. There is an extensive engagement between the student and the educator that facilitates the delivery of the curriculum materials. Through active interaction, the teacher can identify the challenges that are facing each student (Smith 36). Furthermore, students are able to overcome their problems by engaging in communal classroom activities. Relevance and connectedness entails employing a democratic classroom management plan. Educators utilize professional reflection in designing effective classroom control procedures that are fair to all students (Lambe 990). Dynamic assessment involves developing inclusive examination procedures that are sensitive to the concerns presented by the disabled students. Consequently, the educators ensure that they have self and peer assessment models that align with the nature of the classroom. These models are sensitive to the community of learners and have the capacity of quantifying the skills in curriculum context. Curriculum elements emphasize the need of building harmonious relationship between educators and students.  This aspect promotes collaborative procedures and regard students as partners (Barnard, Aidan and David 17).

Advantages and disadvantages of inclusion

Initially, an inclusive system fosters friendships because each student feels safe, loved and cared. Studies have identified that students with special needs and the able ones are likely to create long-lasting friendships when they learn together (Lambe 980). Learning together has the potential of developing caring companionship, developing social cognition and self-concept and establishing constructive personal principles. This does not mean that all students within an inclusive classroom become close friends. However, studies highlight that the attribute is beneficial even if the friendship developed remains at the category of “classmate” or family acquaintance (Barnard, Aidan and David 12).

Furthermore, inclusive systems favor the development of social skills because students without special needs mainly become sensitive of the needs of others. These children primarily become tolerate and appreciative as they understand and interact with the behaviors of their friends who have special needs. Consequently, such students develop personal values and ethical morals becoming advocates of their colleagues who have special needs. This promotes inclusion in the future environment because such students continue caring for the disabled even while outside the school surroundings (Smith 39).

Inclusive systems also lead to increased participation of parents and school staffs while making families become integrated into community interventions. These children get effective attention while at the homes because their parents values the need of caring for them. The same happens at the school environment and in the community level. This provides a comprehensive approach of managing the problems that are associated with children who demand special attention. This promotes equity because individuals avoid discriminative actions after understanding the dilemma of the children who have disabilities (Lambe 978).

The significant disadvantage of inclusion includes the intensity of resources for running the program. For example, the system demands highly qualified teachers to help the special children. Some students have more special needs than others do. This suggests that they must have more time with specialties such as therapists. This affects the schedules of the respective classes and in turn compromises the quality of educational output (Smith 53).

Another significant disadvantage of inclusion is the absence of suitable measures to identify students for inclusion. There seems to be no agreement on the appropriate category of students who are fit for inclusion programs in their respective schools. The idea of establishing students who needs special attention appears vague because each student may demand special attention in different contexts. Even establishing individuals for inclusion on bases of disabilities is challenging because of differences in physical and psychological abilities among various persons (Barnard, Aidan and David 32).

The Perceptions of Parents, Teachers and School Administrators towards Inclusion

Studies highlight that parents, teachers and school administrators mainly present supportive attitudes towards inclusion procedures. Parents support the practice because they feel that the education system is sensitive and concerned about the problems characterizing their children. Furthermore, parents feel contented when they realize that the education system does not discriminate against their children because of their condition. According to Lambe (978), most teachers and school administers support the idea of inclusion because the practice provides them with an effected approach of managing challenges that are presented by students who have disabilities.

Recognition of the need of developing inclusive system has led to the establishment of effective planning and moral and financial support that have enhanced the activities of the teachers and school administrators. Inclusive systems emphasize the need of effective formulation of the class size and composition, investing enough resources, time and the significance of professional development (Smith 12). The class size and composition determine the amount of time that the teacher can offer to each student in the classroom. An inclusive class comprise of a manageable number of students to ensure that the teacher has enough time for responding to concerns for each student. Often, the nature of the special needs that students demands may determine the educator’s effort towards each student. This necessitates that an effective analytical approach should be utilized when determining the size of the classroom in situations where students with special needs are included in regular classrooms. Consequently, teachers and administrators are in favor of the practice because it has enabled them get essential support from the society and the government (Lambe 976). However, some teachers and school administrators are not contented with the inclusive plan because they feel that the system has undermining the quality of education by holding back regular students from learning (Margariţoiu82).

Students with disabilities and the promises from inclusion system

It is evident that students have diverse differences that are hard to manage. This prompted the need of effort of considering various categories of students within the education system. Initially, the concept of inclusion attempted to protect the most vulnerable students in schools. This phenomenon emerged because of the rejection of private schools. Experts indicated that the creation of private schools were extremely discriminatory (Smith 89). Development of inclusive systems has minimized the degree of such discriminations. However, an inclusive education system is not sensitive about the concern presented by students who have special needs. This highlights that the system does not respond fully to the promises that were made to the disabled students.

The future of inclusion

Conclusively, it is apparent that students with disabilities present serious concerns within the education system because the system must find an appropriate approach of accommodating them. Although inclusion has minimized inclusion within the education systems, the idea is associated by detrimental consequences. The regular system does not account for the special interests presented by the students with disabilities. An inclusive system treats disabled students as regular students. It is apparent that disabilities may substantially affect the learning processing meaning that providing regular and disable students with the same learning environment is not justified. This is disadvantageous to the disabled students who are made to struggle in order to fit within the high learning pace of the able students. Furthermore, inclusion is not good because it holds back regular students from learning

Works Cited

Barnard, Judith, Aidan Prior, and David Potter. Inclusion and Autism: Is It Working? : 1,000 Examples of Inclusion in Education and Adult Life from the National Autistic Society’s Members. London: National Autistic Society, 2000. Print.

Lambe, Jackie. “Pre-Service Education And Attitudes Towards Inclusion: The Role Of The Teacher Educator Within A Permeated Teaching Model.” International Journal of Inclusive Education 15.9 (2011): 975-999. Professional Development Collection. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

Margariţoiu, Alina. “Inclusive Education – Key Aspects, Dilemmas And Controversies.” Petroleum – Gas University Of Ploiesti Bulletin, Educational Sciences Series 62.1B (2010): 81-86. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Nov. 2012

Smith, Phil. Whatever Happened to Inclusion?: The Place of Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Education. New York: Peter Lang, 2010. Print.

 

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