The Power of Peers: Setting a Course for 21st Century Skills in Inclusive Classrooms

Introduction

Inclusive schools likely have made us rethink our mindset about what schools, as a whole, encompass. The rights of students with disabilities to be taught in general education environments means that a broader understanding of how inclusive education in practice happens and how inclusive education can be delivered successfully by teachers is necessary. Additionally, enrollment changes in America’s schools necessitate the urgent and creative implementation of effective practices that can deliver instruction that is tailored to the needs of individual students and also prepares them for success in life and work in the 21^st Century’s more inclusive environments. Demographic shifts, and subsequent enrollment changes, have an impact on the outcomes for students and the funding opportunities provided by both the states (as providers of education) and the federal government (by way of entitlement programs). On a daily basis, teachers are tasked with educating an increasingly diverse student body and ensuring that students meet the accountability standards set by the various states and the nation. A shift to more inclusive schools means that more students with disabilities are taught in general education environments. Consequently, general education teachers need a broader capacity to include students with disabilities and to help them realize more successful outcomes. Couple that with changes in the skillsets necessary for employment in the 21^st Century economy and the need expands not only to ensuring that educators in inclusive classrooms work differently but also that students in inclusive classrooms have the opportunity to learn a more targeted set of skills. Supporting the power of peers to support each other is proposed as a key solution for inclusive schools.

Research has provided a variety of solutions that can be combined by innovative teachers in inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this chapter is to provide evidence-based practical interventions that map out the instruction cycle for two student-centered solutions. The chapter begins by identifying school enrollment trends and describing the increased diversity that is noted in schools. Next, recent changes in federal policy and the implications for teachers of the focus on 21^st Century Schools are introduced. When the demographic shifts and the policy changes are combined, it is clear that different instructional solutions must occur in inclusive classrooms. New skills for students require a broader capacity for their teachers and a focus on different types of instructional delivery. Specifically, instructional delivery that is differentiated to meet the unique needs of students. The tenets of differentiation, assessment, and the use of data from formative assessment are introduced next. This groundwork has been laid since it’s important for educators to understand the various features of the instructional cycle that are essential to the success of the solutions that are subsequently presented. If teachers miss out any part of the cycle, then the solution may not work as well as expected. Finally, the profiles of two student-centered strategies are introduced.

Class-wide peer tutoring and repeated reading are proposed as two examples of research-based solutions that both empower peers to support each other and are particularly suited for differentiation of reading instruction. Both solutions are practical interventions for teachers and can work well in classrooms that include diverse learners who need to hone their 21^st Century Skills. While student-centered solutions can involve many aspects of inclusive classroom activities, this chapter focuses on how these two student-centered solutions can be used to address challenges that teachers face in inclusive classrooms as they relate to early reading. A focus on reading was chosen since 80% of referrals to special education programs are due to perceived or actual reading problems that are demonstrated by students (Artiles, Klingner, Sullivan, & Fierros, 2010). The solutions provide the reader with practical tools for differentiating instruction for all learners in an inclusive classroom. Subsequently, class-wide peer tutoring and repeated reading can be generalized from the examples in early reading to other content areas and to students with different learning needs.

This chapter will serve as a model for educators to explore ways to infuse differentiated practices into any prescribed curriculum, improve student learning outcomes – especially for students with disabilities - and foster student-centered skills that will serve students well in their future professional career.