This chapter examines the roles and responsibilities of general education and special education teachers in the inclusion model of teaching. Providing students with disabilities services within the inclusion model of services requires both teachers to use specialized strategies and methods such as the co-teaching models ensuring all students are successful within the classroom. These models include the one teach one observe, one teach one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and teaming. Kagan provides collaborative teaching strategies to assist in helping students to learn to work together in during projects and other classroom activities. Students must learn to work in a cooperative manner to be prepared for future essential life skills and jobs. Employers are seeking students who can get along with others and work in group settings to accomplish tasks in a competitive field.
TopStrategies For Integrated Collaborative Inclusion Relationships
Collaboration can be defined as shared responsibilities; however, education collaboration is often referred to as co-labor. In schools, general and special education teachers work together to meet ALL students' needs within the inclusive classroom setting. Students identified as requiring special education services in the least restrictive environment spend most of their time in the general education classroom with support services. Inclusionary services offer disabled students the support needed to achieve equal access to the general education curriculum to promote academic success (Obiakor, Harris, Mutua, Rotatori, & Algozzine, 2012). The co-teaching and collaborative model used in the inclusion classroom provides general education and special education teachers the opportunity to ensure all struggling students achieve academic success (Pugach & Winn, 2011). “Co-teaching is not one teacher leading while the other grades essays. It is also not both teachers doing the same thing at all times, either” (Beninghof, 2016, p. 12). “Collaboration relies on parity, or a clear sense of value for each member’s contribution, a mutual goal, shared responsibility for key decisions, joint accountability for outcomes, and polled resources” (Friend & Barron, 2019, p. 3). Murawski and Bernhardt (2016) noted, “Special education students can no longer be simply physically included in general education classes. These students need authentic opportunities to access and participate in the curriculum” (p. 31).
Villa and Thousand (2016) discussed the purposes and practices of inclusive education for providing differentiated instruction for students using the collaborative planning, sense of community building, and the use of self-determination, choice-making and goal-setting. General education and special education teachers following the inclusionary philosophy surmise competence for all students within the classroom and holding high expectations rather than lowering expectations for students with disabilities (Villa & Thousand, 2016). Tremblay (2013) noted “these findings appear to show inclusion with co-teaching provided students with LD (learning disabilities) with the necessary support for academic achievement on standardized tests” (p. 256). Students in the inclusive model using co-teaching strategies made progress as compared to those not in an inclusive model not receiving co-teaching strategies (Trambley, 2013).
Price-Dennis, Holmes and Smith (2015) explained students working collaboratively in an inclusive classroom “using 21st century literacy skills promoted additional skills such as building a community of learners, using digital tools making learning accessible, and linking academic goals with real-world platforms”(p. 197). Students in these settings no longer see themselves just as students but they see themselves as teachers and as learners developing life-long skills for future careers. Students with disabilities no longer see themselves as outsiders but now see themselves as accepted members of the group.
Acceptance of diversity is just one aspect of the inclusion delivery model for teachers to achieve to meet diverse learners' needs and prepare them for the future (Sousa, 2001). “Since the 1980s, many parents of students with special needs together with special education professionals have been pressing for more integrated services for students with disabilities” (Snyder, 1999, p. 173). The inconsistency in which the inclusion delivery model is implemented raises concerns and problems for unprepared teachers to provide appropriate, academically successful activities for special needs students. Concerns are based upon insufficient knowledge and research in inclusion, and therefore, special education continuum programs, including the inclusion model, are provided to serve students with mild disabilities (Snyder, 1999). In addition, professional development workshops offer all teachers the necessary training in inclusionary and collaboration practices to accommodate these concerns and practices.