SAPON_SHAVIN: CHAPTER 4

SAPON_SHAVIN: CHAPTER 4

PLACES WHERE WE ALL BELONG

THE VISION:

DEFINITIONS OF INCLUSION:

SPECIAL EDUCATIONS’:

FROM THE SPED PERSPECTIVE, AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM CAN BE DESCRIBED AS ONE IN WHICH ALL CHILDREN, REGARDLESS OF PERFORMANCE LEVEL, ARE EDUCATED WITH THEIR CHRONOLOGICAL PEERS IN A "TYPICAL" CLASSROOM. THAT IS, CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED IN "THIRD GRADE" (8-YR-OLDS) EVEN THOUGH THEY DO NOT READ "AT THE 3RD-GRADE LEVEL, " AND INDIVIDUALIZED OR SPECIALIZED SERVICES THAT MAY BE NEEDED ARE PROVIDED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM.
MARA’S MORE EXPANSIVE DEFINITION:

"REFERS TO WELCOMING AND ACCOMMODATING MANY KINDS OF STUDENT DIFFERENCES, NOT JUST THOSE TYPICALLY LABELED AS "DISABILITIES." ADDRESSING STUDENT DIFFERENCES RELATED TO RACE, CLASS, GENDER, ETHNICITY, LANGUAGE, FAMILY BACKGROUND, AND RELIGION.

A BROADER DEFINITION OF INCLUSION REFERES TO A CLASSROOM IN WHICH ALL CHILDREN ARE PART OF A SHARED COMMUNITY AND THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS ARE PRESENT:

OPEN DISCUSSION OF THE WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT AND THE KINDS OF SUPPORT AND HELP THEY NEED AND WANT
A COMMITMENT TO MEETING CHILDREN’S INDIVIDUAL NEEDS WITHIN A CONTEXT OF SHARED COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION
EXPLICIT ATTENTION TO THE WAYS IN WHICH STUDENTS’ DIFFERENCES CAN BECOME THE BASIS FOR DISCRIMINATION AND OPPRESSION AND TO TEACHING STUDENTS TO BE ALLIES TO ONE ANOTHER

CHALLENGES TO THE VISION:

MYTHS ABOUT ABILITY GROUPING

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS ABILITY
STUDENTS LEARN BETTER IN HOMOGENEOUS GROUPS
TEACHING IS EASIER IN HOMOGENEOUS GROUPS

MYTHS ABOUT INCLUSION

INCLUSION MEANS DUMPING ALL STUDENTS BACK INTO REGULAR CLASSROOMS
IT TAKES A SPECIAL PERSON TO WORK WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN - THOSE WHO HAVE DISABILITIES AND THOSE WHO ARE GIFTED
INCLUSION IS BEYOND THE REACH OF THE ALREADY OVERBURDENED GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER
THE CURRICULUM OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM WILL GET WATERED DOWN AND DISTORTED
INCLUSION IS A FAVOR WE ARE DOING FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

MYTHS ABOUT TEACHING ABOUT DIFFERENCES

IF WE DO NOT MENTION DIFFERENCES, STUDENTS WILL NOT NOTICE THEM
MENTIONING DIFFERENCES CALLS NEGATIVE ATTENTION TO THEM AND MAKES THINGS WORSE
PEOPLE ARE NATURALLY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE "JUST LIKE THEM."
CHILDREN ARE CRUEL AND CANNOT ACCEPT DIFFERENCES

IS THIS WORKING:

DO STUDENTS INTERACT WITH A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER STUDENTS?

DO STUDENTS HAVE REPERTOIRES FOR INCLUDING ALL CLASSMATES IN ACADEMIC AND PLAY ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THOSE WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS AND DIVERSE LEARNING ABILITIES?

DO STUDENTS KNOW ABOUT ONE ANOTHER’S UNIQUENESSES AND CALL ATTENTION TO THESE IN POSITIVE AND THOUGHTFUL WAYS?

DO STUDENTS ENGAGE IN "INCLUSIVE THINKING" (EG., "HOW WILL WE GET CATHERINE’S WHEELCHAIR ON THE BUS TO GO ON THE FIELD TRIP?"

DO STUDENTS ACTIVELY TAKE ON AN ADVOCACY ROLE WHEN CONFRONTED BY EXAMPLES OF EXCLUSION IN THEIR LIVES