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. In addition, current resources available on the
World Wide Web will be explored and utilized.
Online Delivery
Participants will access professional literature and research
at the course site. Students will use a bulletin board system,
called the Forum, to receive and report on assignments; participate
in group activities and dialogues; and receive personal feedback
from the instructor. The Forum is an asynchronous bulletin board
system. Students will be posting and dialoging in individual
forums specific to each module. Teachers will experience the
power of the Internet to connect and network teachers from across
the country, and they will enjoy the benefits that connection
and support can bring.
Objectives
• Learn the definition, concept, purpose, and methods of
inclusion
Utilize resources found on the Internet and the World Wide Web
• Develop a learning community with other educators from
across the country participating in the online course
• Understand how society views individuals with disabilities
Express thoughts and feelings about educating children with
disabilities in public school settings and/or regular education
classes
• Set personal learning goals
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 society's 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 for or against inclusion
• Select articles from print and Internet resources for
review and interpretation
• Understand the impact of changes in education due to
the inclusion movement
• Identify the major concerns for regular education teachers
to help their students understand disabilities
• Acquire a basic knowledge of the existing body of research
dealing with inclusion and the effect of inclusion in the teaching
and learning process
• Acquire a basic knowledge of instructional theories and
models concerning inclusion and the influence of these models
in the classroom
• Evaluate the course
Time Requirements
Inclusion is a 13 week 3 credit graduate level or sixty hour
professional development course taught online. Modules
1 - 8 will be completed one per week. Modules 9 and 10 will
be completed over a four-week period so students will have time
to revise and complete the final project.
Hardware & Computer
Skills Requirements
Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows
95 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing
skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account.
Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how
to use a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft
Internet Explorer or America Online's (AOL) browser. To download
a browser at no cost, visit one of the following Web sites –
Netscape.com;
Microsoft.com
and AOL.com.
Course Materials
The required textbook for this course is Including Students
with Severe and Multiple Disabilities in Typical Classrooms
by June E. Downing, Ph.D. (ISBN 1-55766-239-8). The textbook,
course materials, and an extensive Recommended Reading List
will be provided for all students. In addition, online readings
and Web site reviews (including journal articles and best practices
from the body of educational research) will be assigned during
the course to enhance learning. These readings will be presented
as annotated Web sites within the course content.
Session Outline
Module 1: Introduction
Objective: Student will
demonstrate the ability to use the Forum by posting a paragraph
in the correct Forum as outlined in the assignment. Students
will develop learning objectives for the course. Students will
be able to explain when inclusion is a verb and when inclusion
is a noun.
Contents:
1. Introduction
• Overview of
Inclusion
• Personal Introductions
in the Forum
2. Purpose Statement
• "An attitude
that celebrates diversity . . ."
• Achieving Inclusion
through collaboration
• Forum Discussion
3. Personal Learning Objectives and Learning Contracts
• Identify Personal
Learning Objectives
• The Learning
Community
• Importance
of Each Participant's Commitment
4. Recall Experience
• Contact with
Disabled Persons and Students
• Identify Common
Feelings Regarding the Disabled
• "A Disability
is a Diversity . . ."
Culminating Assignment:
Students will post an introduction paragraph in the Forum, reply
to another posting, and dialogue with their colleagues.
Module 2: The Need for Inclusion
Objective: Students will
develop a historical perspective of Inclusion, analyze a classroom
system, begin identifying barriers to Inclusion, review important
research related to instruction, learn definitions of disabilities,
and construct a prototype of an ideal classroom. Students will
also identify Web resources for teachers, parents, and students.
Contents:
1. Disability vs. Diversity
• Historical
Perspective
• Societal Trends
• Defining the
Classroom and Classroom Systems
2. Research Related to Instruction
• Conclusions
by Researchers Regarding Instruction
• The Ideal Classroom
• Forum Discussion
3. Disabilities
• Disabilities
Which Qualify Students for Services under IDEA
• Major Characteristics
of Each Defined Disability
• Opinion Essay
4. Web Resources
• Resources for
Teachers
• Resources for
Parents
• Resources for
Students
Culminating Assignments:
Students will analyze a classroom using a simple version of
systems theory, identifying types of input, process, and output.
Students will also read and review research abstracts that report
on an aspect of the social context of a classroom. Students
will develop an ideal classroom. Students will also write a
one to two page opinion essay on the power of classroom context
to block inclusion. Students will identify and utilize Web resources
appropriate for teachers, parents, and students with disabilities.
Module 3: It's the Law/Courts
Objective: Students will
demonstrate knowledge of legislation dealing with inclusion
(PL 94-142 through 105-17 IDEA 97) and gain a more functional
understanding of why this legislation was enacted. Students
will demonstrate knowledge of terms related to special education
law. Students will understand the concept of a continuum of
educational placements and demonstrate knowledge of legal issues
that result from inclusion legislation. Students will consider
the issue of prejudice. Students will understand how the legal
decisions have impacted on the provision of services for children
with disabilities. Students will utilize the Web for research
to locate current information about the reauthorization of IDEA.
Contents:
1. Understanding the Law
• Federal Legislation
1.
PL 94-142
2.
PL 99-457
3.
PL 101-476 (1990 Amendments)
4.
PL 105-17
5.
Reauthorization of IDEA 97
• Specific Legislation
and Classroom Practice
• Legislation
as a Means to Change Education
• Web Resources
for Keeping Up-to-Date
2. Understanding the Continuum
• Educational
Environments
• Least Restrictive
Environment
• Most Restrictive
Environment
• Placement Options
3. The Courts
• Court Cases:
Important Concepts
• Implications
for How Schools Provide Services
• How Districts
Implement These Decisions
• Web Resources
4. A World of Prejudice
• The Relationship
Between Prejudice and Legislation
• Issues Associated
with Prejudice
• Guilt and Prejudice
Culminating Assignments:
In the Forum students will discuss placement options for their
individual school districts. Students will read summaries of
significant court cases and determine important concepts decided
by the case, implications for how schools provide services for
disabled children as a result of the case, and how their own
district has implemented these decisions. Students will locate
Web resources for IDEA and other federal legislation. Students
will write a reflection on the required reading, assigned Web
sites, research article, or best practice focusing on what is
learned. The reflection should discuss new ideas and significant
insights about inclusion.
Module 4: A Continuum for Effective
Inclusion
Objective: Students will
demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of disabilities
that qualify children and youth for special education services
under IDEA. Students will identify learning needs of students
with disabilities based on research. Students will determine
specific curriculum accommodations by reflecting on their own
classroom situations. Students will incorporate new specific
curriculum accommodations into their classroom setting based
on what is learned in this module. Students will report on the
impact of the accommodation in the Forum. Students will identify
central tendencies of behavioral attributes and the manifested
needs associated with disabilities. Students will utilize the
Web for research to locate current information about the learning
theory and software that supports learning for students with
disabilities.
Contents:
1. Learning
• Time Needed
vs. Time Allowed
1.
Accommodations for Pacing
• Mastery Learning
1.
Generic and Specific Skills
• School as a
Means to Achieve Aspirations
1.
Needs Satisfaction
• Non-Threatening
2. Criteria for Selecting Accommodations
• Curriculum
1.
Identification
2.
Implementation
3.
Reflection
• Computer Software/Technology
• Forum Discussion
3. Continuum Development
• Definition
• Central Tendencies
of Behavioral Attributes
• Manifested
Needs
• Instructional
Accommodations
4. Web Resources
• Research on
Learning
• Curriculum
Resources
• Other Support
Culminating Assignments:
The students will develop a continuum placing each defined disability
on the continuum in terms of increasing severity. Students will
identify the learning needs as a result of the disability, and
identify instructional accommodations for the identified needs.
Students will implement at least one instructional accommodation
and reflect on the results in the Forum. Students will write
a reflection on the required reading, assigned Web sites, research
article, or best practice focusing on what is learned. The reflection
should discuss new ideas and significant insights about inclusion.
Module 5: Continuum/Barriers
Objective: Students will
refine their individual continuums. Students will reflect on
their own classrooms and identify barriers to effective accommodations.
Students will prepare a barrier analysis sheet. Students will
evaluate continuums in assigned small groups in the Forum or
via e-mail.
Contents:
1. Accommodations
• Specific Accommodations
for Specific Disabilities
1.
Research on Teaching
2.
Disability Manifested Needs
3.
Feasibility
4.
Cost/Resources/Equipment
5.
Essential Training and/or Experience
2. Barriers to Effective Accommodations
• Current Classroom
Status
• Desired Classroom
Status
• Inclusion
1.
Requires Adjustments in the Classroom
2.
Identify what you Need
3.
Identify the Degrees of Freedom and Restrictions
• Barriers that
Prevent a Desired Classroom Status
3. Solutions
• Staffings
• Schedule
• Limits
• Costs
• Training
• Board-based
Participation
Culminating Assignments:
Students will participate in discussions using the Forum. Students
will implement at least one strategy to remove a classroom barrier
and report on results in the Forum. The students will revise
their continuums using information derived from the development
of their Barriers Analysis Sheet and reflection on the implementation
of the instructional accommodations and removal of a barrier
as practiced in their classroom. Students will write a reflection
on the required reading, assigned Web sites, research article,
or best practice focusing on what is learned. The reflection
should discuss new ideas and significant insights about inclusion.
Module 6: Parents
Objective: Students will
understand the difference between inclusion and mainstreaming.
Students will develop sensitivity for parents' feelings about
having a child with a disability. Students will understand some
of the struggles parents of children with disabilities have
had to endure. Students will identify what parents want for
their children with disabilities. Students will develop a philosophy
for how to interact with parents who have children with disabilities.
Students will identify Web resources that support parents with
children with disabilities. Students will continue to revise
their continuums based on new information presented.
Contents:
1. Mainstreaming vs. Inclusion
• Identifying
the Difference
• District Status
2. The Proud Parent
• The Child of
Your Dreams
• The Impact
of Children
• The Dream vs.
Reality
• Understanding
Parents' Feelings
1.
Forum Discussion
3. Interacting with Parents
• Active Listeningv
• Demonstrate
Understanding
• Listening Codes
4. Parents - Then and Now
• Past Services
• Current Services
5. What do Parents Want?
• Strategies
for Effective Communication
• Discrepancies
Between Parents' Wants and Current Practice
Culminating Assignments:
Students will implement at least one strategy for active listening
with a parent. Students will reflect on the experience and participate
in discussion using the Forum. The students will locate articles
on inclusion both in print and on the Internet to review. Students
will utilize the articles to support their position about inclusion.
Students will continue to revise their continuums based on their
experience with implementing active listening techniques. Students
will write a reflection on the required reading, assigned Web
sites, research article, or best practice focusing on what is
learned. The reflection should discuss new ideas and significant
insights about inclusion.
Module 7: Staff Needs
Objective: Students will
understand the impact of changes in education due to the inclusion
movement. Students will identify the major concerns regular
education teachers have with full or partial inclusion. Students
will identify and evaluate pros and cons to inclusion as supported
by current research. Students will understand how classrooms
have changed and what that means for teaching children with
diverse need.
Contents:
1. Pros and Cons: What the Research Says
• Arguments for
Inclusion
• Arguments Against
Inclusion
2. The Changing Classroom
• Classrooms
15 to 20 Years Ago
• Classrooms
Today
• The Impact
of Change
3. Common Concerns
• New Accommodations
• Revising the
Continuum
4. How Regular Education Teachers Feel
• Changes in
Attitudes
• Attitudes,
Perceptions and Fears
• Strategies
for Addressing Fear
Culminating Assignments:
Students will participate in discussion using the Forum. The
students will revise their continuums. The students will locate
articles on inclusion both in print and on the Internet to support
their position. Students will develop a strategy for addressing
the fears and concerns of classroom teachers about inclusion.
Students will implement that strategy on at least one teacher,
administrator, or district personnel and report on the results
in the Forum. Students will revise their strategy based on this
experience and discussion. Students will write a reflection
on the required reading, assigned Web sites, research article,
or best practice focusing on what is learned. The reflection
should discuss new ideas and significant insights about inclusion.
Module 8: IEP's/Student Awareness
Objective: Students will
identify Internet and other resources to increase awareness
of disabilities for k-12 students. Students will create activities
to teach disability awareness to k-12 students. Students will
identify the steps in the IEP process.
Contents:
1. Disability Awareness for Regular Education
• Classroom Activities
• Internet Activities
• Forum Discussion
2. Circle of Friends
• What is a Friend?
• Activity
• Isolation of
Students with Disabilities
3. IEP's
• Accessing Appropriate
Education Services
• Modifying Goals
and Objectives
• Inconsistencies
or Gaps in Services
• Developing
an IEP
Culminating Assignments:
Students will participate in discussion using the Forum. The
students will write an IEP based on their continuums that could
be used for a student in their class. In addition, the students
will identify Internet activities/Web sites that can be used
for their students, parents, and school. Students will write
a reflection on the required reading, assigned Web sites, research
article, or best practice focusing on what is learned. The reflection
should discuss new ideas and significant insights about inclusion.
Module 9: Accommodations/Technology
Objective: Students will
identify technology that assists students with disabilities.
Students will define AAC. Students will understand what types
of accommodations need to be made for students with disabilities.
Students will begin creating their Action Plan.
Contents:
1. Technology to Assist Students with Disabilities
• Types of Technology
• Impact of Technology
on Teaching
• Technology
with Regular Education Students
• Technology
for Students with Disabilities
• Accessing Assistive
Technology Resources
2. What is AAC?
• Communication
Disorders
• Augmentative
and Alternative Communication
• Communication
Devices
3. Technology to Resolve Barriers
• Technology
as an Accommodation
• Assistive Technology
• Customized
Commercial Products
• On-going Evaluation
4. Action Plans
• Determine current
levels of inclusion at your school and in your school district
1.
Interview your principal and district Special Education Coordinator
to determine
• Begin developing
your action plan and reflect on how your plan will fit in with
your school and
district policies
Culminating Assignments:
Students will revise their continuums to include technology
as an accommodation. In addition, the students will identify
Internet resources for locating information about assistive
technology. Students will begin developing their Action Plans.
Module 10: Action Plan
Objective: Students will
develop a personal position on inclusion. They will support
their position with the information from the course (discussions,
readings, research material, and personal experiences). Students
will complete their action plan for their final project for
this course and include Internet resources in their plan.
Contents:
1. Personal Position Paper Requirements
• 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
• Making it Work
in Your School and in Your District
Culminating Assignments:
Students will submit their revised continuums. In addition,
the students will write a four to six page typed paper developing
a personal position on inclusion. Students will also develop
an action plan based on their current school district's status
in terms of inclusion and how they could support inclusion in
their own classroom. The action plan will include strategies
for implementation and reflection on how the plan will fit in
with the school and school district's current inclusion plans.
Mail the final integration project to the Instructor. Reflect
on your experiences in this course by completing the Course
Evaluation Form.
Grading
| |
|
Assignment |
Points |
|
|
Grading
Scale |
|
|
| |
|
Forum
Discussions |
27
|
|
|
100
– 93 |
A
|
|
| |
|
Reflections |
24
|
|
|
92
– 85 |
B
|
|
| |
|
Article
Reviews |
9
|
|
|
84
– 77 |
C
|
|
| |
|
Action
Plan |
20
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Personal
Position Paper |
20
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Total
Points |
100
|
|
|
|
|
|
Student
Requirements
| |
1. |
Participate
in assigned online discussions. |
| |
2. |
Complete
reflections as outlined in the modules. |
| |
3. |
Complete
article reviews. |
| |
4. |
Complete
Inclusion Action Plan. |
| |
5. |
Complete
Personal Position paper. |
Online
Discussions
Students will interact and dialogue in the course Forum. Forum
discussions are worth 27 points.
Reflections
Most modules present a topic and ask you to reflect on what
you are learning. Your reflections are outlined in each module.
Type your reflections single space with an extra blank line
between paragraphs. Use spell checker and proofread your work.
Send all reflections to the course instructor in the body
of an e-mail message (not as e-mail attachments) on or before
the assigned due date. Please place the Module # and the word
Reflection in the subject line of your reflection e-mail messages,
for example - Module 1 Reflection. One technique is to create
and save your reflections in word processing and then copy/paste
the reflection into an e-mail message. Reflections and postings
should be written in the first person. Please include your
name at the top of each reflection. You will receive feedback
on each reflection. Reflections are worth 24 points.
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 (at least one article has to be from an online
resource). Students may submit their article reviews at any
time throughout the course. Reviews may also be submitted
at the end of the course with the Personal Postion paper and
Action Plan. They must be postmarked by the last day of the
course to receive credit. Article reviews are worth 9 points.
Select your articles from any professional journal in print
or online (online resources will be presented throughout the
course). 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? |
Action
Plan
Develop
a personal action plan for the classroom. Specific requirements
will be provided in Module 9 and Module 10. The Action Plan
is worth 20 points.
Personal Position Paper
Write
a personal position paper that discusses your position on
inclusion. Support your position with information from the
course and from current research.
The paper should be four to six pages, typed, following the
standard format, i.e., double-spaced with no more than 1.25-inch
margins, with a bibliography at the end of the paper. Specific
requirements will be given in Module 10. The paper is worth
20 points.
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 online graduate course,
go to the Course
Registration page.
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