Improving Instruction in Inclusive Environments
By Tim Gruber

A quick glance around the room made it clear that the teacher’s verbal directions were not being understood. In unison, the students turned to each other for clarification, and finding each was in the same predicament, it was time to ask the teacher for a repeat performance. After a review of the assignment directions the number of students who got it, wasn’t significantly changed from her first attempt. Then, an aide stood up and wrote the directions on the blackboard and what was verbally delivered was now understood by the majority.

What this situation pointed out was a lack of understanding on the teacher’s part as to how children learn. More importantly, utilizing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic cues from the outset could have eliminated the ten additional minutes it took to get the exercise understood and underway. From this situation I came up with a few basic fundamentals that will assist in the delivery of lesson plans:

1. Use verbal, visual, and kinesthetic cues for each exercise. Tell them, show them, involve them is the model most effective for true learning to occur. The research for simply telling them suggests no more than 10 percent will understand. When you show them, retention jumps up 20-30 percent. When you do all three in unison it jumps exponentially to 75-85 percent understanding. With regard to special needs children neglecting visual and kinesthetic involvement, is akin to speaking a foreign language to English taught, hearing impaired students. It simply will not work.

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2. Design your optimal learning situation beforehand. Understand who is in your class and the strengths and weaknesses of each student. Involve your ‘Gifted’ learners in the teaching process. Peer-to-peer learning at any age engages the learners more readily and has long-term effects on classroom success.

3. Design and modify curriculum with the student’s best interest at heart. If Johnny can’t read, then asking Johnny to read a prompt and complete an exercise has no value. Johnny will pull back into his shell and may never return. Build a model that takes into account your gifted and your special needs learners. By setting up your classroom in ‘small learning teams’ with each team consisting of a complement of abilities, you will see achievement throughout your student body.

4. Students learn best when they are most active mentally. Build enough fun into your classroom so your students are high-spirited and active. Think of non-traditional methodology to do daily work to break up the routine. The change will invigorate most of your students and be a welcome relief to daily math, English, and history lessons.

Considering your classroom, particularly those of you teaching in inclusive or modified inclusion environments, will have a dramatic impact on your special needs students. By considering the gifts and talents of all your students your teaching abilities will improve in direct proportion to the learning environment in your classes.