For the first episode of the podcast we spent a cup of coffee with Harvard Graduate School of Education student Megan. Over the course of a grandé, we discussed Megan’s drive to implement a truer inclusion program for special needs students as well as the difficulties of professional collaboration when new teachers meet existing systems.
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I remember being in middle and high school and watching the “Special Ed” children walking through the halls. We never had any classes with them and were never required to socialize amongst them. Even now as an adult and as I seek my education degree, I have yet to experience any interaction with special needs children.
Our school system where I am from is beginning to merge non-special needs classes with special needs children. This is done out of necessity because we have inadequate funding. We can’t afford to hire a specific teacher for these students. When placed in a regular classroom, these teachers really do not know what to do with them as far as education goes. We need to focus more on preparing our teachers for these merged classrooms.
You make a great point here, Emily. I remember much of what you describe from my elementary school days.
Have you had a chance to check out the work David Rose is doing with Universal Design for Learning? One of the tenets I appreciate much is the idea that “variation is the norm.”
I remember it too