In This Issue:

How To Work with the General Education Teacher in an Inclusive Classroom

&

How To Identify Symptoms of Dyslexia

How To Work With the General Education Teacher

in an Inclusive Classroom

Introduction

If you are trained in special education you may be hired to work in a variety of settings including an inclusion classroom a resource room, or a self contained special education class. One of these differences involves the teaching style and management options called alternate delivery systems.

A major component to the success of an inclusion classroom is the nature of the relationship between the special education teacher and the regular education teacher. There are many questions and issues that need to be discussed to prevent misconceptions, frustration or dissension from occurring. Some of these issues are as follows:

talk about roles and clearly define the professional responsibilities so that there is no confusion
talk about similarities and differences in teaching styles and how that might affect the students and the presentation of information. Even though teaching styles may be different, they can complement each other.
-talk about the delivery systems to be used in the classroom: There are several different methods for instruction and assistance to the children in an inclusion setting.

Alternative delivery systems are management systems or teaching techniques that provide support for students and maximize learning while being presented with the core curriculum. It is an approach that uses success-oriented presentations and the elements of collaboration and school based coordination in its implementation. The goal of alternative delivery systems is to develop many creative ways of working together for the benefit of all students. Knowing which system you and your general education teacher should use is a matter of collaboration and knowledge of what is available.

The following are examples of how school specialists i.e. psychologist, special education teacher, can enhance and assist the classroom teacher in the delivery of information to students.

The impact of alternative service delivery systems can result in:

more assistance provided to help all students in general classrooms
increased support for classroom teachers to expand the use of a range of instructional strategies for diverse student needs
increased teacher effectiveness
improved students’ academic performance and behavior
increased classroom teacher understanding/skills, and confidence in intervening with students at risk
increased support for the classroom teacher
increased coordination of individualized and classroom instruction

There are many different approaches and it is best to find one on which you and your team teacher agree. Some examples which you may want to suggest if the general education teacher is not aware are:

Collaborative Consultation

Collaborative consultation is a peer relationship between partners where all members recognize their own limits and their professional and personal biases to seek out information, materials, and strategies necessary to meet students’ needs. It is an interactive process that enables teams of people from diverse expertise to generate creative solutions to mutually defined problems. It is a one to one, indirect service delivery model.

After planning instruction through collaborative consultation, it is the classroom teacher who has responsibility for monitoring the implementation plan. The special educator’s role in this model is one of facilitator. It involves a variety of interpersonal skills including brainstorming, active listening, effective communication and questioning skills. This type of collaboration may be utilized with staff, parents and students.

Cooperative Teaching

Cooperative teaching is an educational approach in which general and special educators, as well as specialists from other categorical programs, are simultaneously present in the general education classroom, sharing responsibility for some specific classroom instruction. Cooperative teaching represents the implementation phases of program planning that evolve out of collaborative consultation.

Collaborative teaching can actively assist students currently receiving education programming in segregated or strictly pullout programs transition back into the general education classroom. It allows integration to be successful since the classroom teacher is teamed with the specialist. In the long term, collaborative teaching can be a preventive measure. For students with academic difficulties, the possibility of early intervention coupled with specific instruction in strategies to access the curriculum can greatly decrease the need for traditional services. Team teaching complementary instruction, and supported learning activities are three examples of approaches to cooperative teaching.

Team Teaching

General and special educators jointly plan to teach academic subject content to all students. The general education teacher remains responsible for the entire class while the special educator is responsible for implementing the IEP for special education students.

Complementary Instruction

The general education teacher assumes primary responsibility for teaching specific subject matter, while the specialist has responsibility for teaching academic survival skills necessary for the student to access and master the core curriculum. The content may be delivered in the classroom and complemented when the special education student is pulled out of the classroom to another setting. The critical difference between complementary instruction and the traditional pullout program in that two professionals prepare instruction together and it is delivered in the general classroom.

Supportive Learning Activities

The general educator introduces academic content and the specialist develops and implements learning activities designed to reinforce the specific content. The educators work together to develop and deliver the instructional content in the regular classroom even though each is responsible for a particular phase of development.

One Teach/One Support

In this type of delivery system the general education teacher is responsible for teaching the curriculum. The role of the special education teacher is to move from each child with a disability to the next and assist in answering questions, monitoring class notes, explaining the material and assignments, and working closely with the students to help level the playing field.

To top

How to Identify Symptoms of Dyslexia

Dyslexia

Most dyslexics will exhibit about 10 of the following traits and behaviors. These characteristics can vary from day-to-day or minute-to-minute. The most consistent thing about dyslexics is their inconsistency.

General

Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
Labeled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, “not trying hard enough,” or “behavior problem.”
Isn’t “behind enough” or “bad enough” to be helped in the school setting.
High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.
Seems to “Zone out” or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
Difficulty sustaining attention; seems “hyper” or “daydreamer.”
Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.

Vision, Reading, and Spelling

Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don’t reveal a problem.
Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
Reads and rereads with little comprehension.
Spells phonetically and inconsistently.

Hearing and Speech

Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.
Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.

Writing and Motor Skills

Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.

Math and Time Management

Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.
Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can’t do it on paper.
Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.

Memory and Cognition

Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.
Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).

Behavior, Health, Development

and Personality

Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.

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NASET’s “How To” Identify Symptoms of Dyslexia CLICK HERE