Abstract This paper presents a look at the philosophical, behavioral and instructional strategies for mainstreaming special needs students within the regular classrooms. It looks at the growing widespread acceptance of inclusion of all students.
Tags:Mainstreaming, inclusion, special needs students
Abstract In this article, the writer looks at mainstreaming or inclusion, an educational practice which places the special needs students in regular classrooms with their peers "to the maximum appropriate extent".
This work takes a close look at instructional and behavioral strategies, varying philosophies and what critics of the mainstream-inclusion environment have stated. The writer discusses research in the area of mainstreaming and backs up a personal philosophy with references from the field of education along with behavioral management strategies that would be optimally employed with exceptional children in the classroom.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Objective
Introduction
Philosophy on Inclusion/Mainstreaming Instructional and Behavioral Strategies in the Mainstream-Inclusion Classroom
Exclusion: Criticism
Summary & Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Instructional practice designed to be effective in the mainstream-inclusion classroom environment must be one that is readily adaptable yet one that is sensible in its' application in this unique and exceptional classroom setting. Although there are complications and difficulties inherent in teaching in this environment the ultimate rewards, as well as the daily ones are motivational and inspirational to the educator who strives toward excellent instructional provision. The philosophy of the educator in this type of classroom must be able to 'tuck and roll' if you will as they must be able to think on their feet and adapt quickly and often to the needs of the individual student."
Abstract This paper examines the controversial debate between inclusion and mainstreaming special education students in learning institutions, government institutions and families in today's society. It analyzes the debate from a variety of angles in order to formulate an idea of their effectiveness, because it is to subjective. The paper demonstrates how both inclusion and mainstreaming are designed and looks at recent literature and research to determine the success rate of inclusion and mainstreaming. This paper provides an overview of the concept of inclusion and mainstreaming, as well as provide research into both sides of the debate. It illustrates which method, if either, is best for both our special needs students and society as a whole.
From the Paper "According to Joy Rogers of Phi Delta Kappa's Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research (1993), there are two types of inclusion. Regular inclusion refers to the ?commitment to educate each child, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the school and classroom he or she would otherwise attend.? The concept involves bringing support services to the child, rather than taking the child out of the regular classroom for services (York, et al. 1993). A second form of inclusion is called full inclusion. This concept refers to placing the students, despite any handicapping condition and regardless of the severity, in a regular classroom permanently (Rogers, 1993). All services must be taken to the child in the classroom setting."
Abstract This paper discusses how the concept of inclusion or mainstreaming of developmentally delayed students was born in a time when education for these students was inadequate and parents and educators rallied together to attempt to offer a solution. It looks at how since that time incredible strides have been made in the field of special education and the intellectual tools to offer adequate education for special needs students outside of a mainstreaming system. It analyzes how mainstreaming has now been embraced as the norm and how funding for alternatives has to some degree decreased because it has once again become thought of as secondary to the success of the general population of students. It evaluates how mainstreaming borne of good intentions has now become not a way for disabled students to achieve success but another way for them to continue to be denied it.
From the Paper "The difficulty then is finding a solution that both meets the needs of the special need children and is functional within an education system that has to a large degree fully embraced the concept of inclusion. There are more proponents and few opponents to mainstreaming. Those opponents willing to speak out are often regarded as uninformed and dismissed out of hand. Most research is intended to search out success rather than failure of mainstreamed environments leaving little options for opposition. Working with educators and administrators to find a solution for the real problems associated with inclusion and to ensure that challenged students will continue to be offered alternatives is imperative. Regardless of the ideal educators and administrators will offer a hand to teachers and parents with real life problems and concerns associated with mainstreaming."
Abstract Previous studies have not always resulted in consistent results on the success or lack of success while mainstreaming students with disabilites and special needs. The paper shows, however, that in 50 studies comparing the academic performance of mainstreamed and segregated students with mild handicapping conditions, the mean academic performance of the integrated group was in the 80th percentile, while the segregated students score was in the 50th percentile. This paper proposes a study to prove the marked improvement in the scholastic achievement of mainstreamed ADHD students participate.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Questions to be Asked by Parents / School
Ethical Questions
Definition of Subject / Participants
Hypothesis
Definition of Procedure
Sample Evaluation Form
Bibliography
From the Paper "Prior to mainstreaming, the family needs to be informed of what will transpire if the move to a regular classroom does not work out. What if a bully in the art class makes fun of the child s disability? Who handles that, if the teacher cannot always control the bully? What if the child is an African-American and the class he is moved into is largely Caucasian, with redneck roughnecks in the back of the room making racially inappropriate remarks? What if the child is Middle Eastern, with a name such as Mohammed, and rude boys in the new class re-name him bin Laden or another derogatory title?"
A discussion on whether the present difficulties of the mainstream right in France are due to more short-term factors or to deep-seated causes stretching back beyond the origins of the 5th Republic.
Abstract This paper examines the key reasons behind the decline of the mainstream right wing at various points in the past and assesses their relevance on present-day French political and social life. It looks at how given their pre-eminence over other right wing parties and relatively moderate views and policies, the RPR and UDF constitute the definition of ?mainstream? Right. It attempts to show that short-term factors are responsible for creating the recent difficulties of the mainstream Right and how and solutions to these problems are impeded by a number of factors, which have adversely affected the right over a number of years.
From the Paper "Immediately following the creation of the 5th Republic, the Right in France entered an unprecedented period of political domination, yet this began to wane following the death of Charles de Gaulle in 1974. Much of the Right's success in the previous two decades could be attributed to the presence of De Gaulle, but without him, the Gaullists found themselves losing support relative to other Right Wing parties. To French voters, the Gaullist Party had seemed the "natural" party of government throughout the 1960s as it provided domestic cohesion with strong institutions, a powerful executive presidency, a vigorous economy, worker "participation" in firms and social protection."
Abstract This three page undergraduate paper examines "Read Me, Not Them: The Rage Against the Elite and Mainstream Media" which offers convincing arguments that the mainstream media has been corrupted by corporate elitism and can no longer be trusted to provide objective news. The writer discusses that because media ownership is more concentrated than ever before, objective coverage and debate of public issues such as war, taxes, corporate crime, and pollution is disappearing right before our eyes.
From the Paper ""Read Me, Not Them: The Rage Against the Elite and Mainstream Media" offers convincing arguments that the mainstream media has been corrupted by corporate elitism and can no longer be trusted to provide objective news. Because media ownership is more concentrated than ever before, objective coverage and debate of public issues such as war, taxes, corporate crime, and pollution is disappearing right before our eyes."
Abstract This paper provides an insight into mainstreaming or inclusion where disabled children are placed in normal schools with the general school population in order to improve both the academic and social experience for disabled students. It examines how the the underlying theory is that disabled children benefit from being part of the mainstream, preparing them better for what they will encounter throughout most of their lives. It shows how it is also believed they will be able to learn better in such an environment. It looks at how critics generally either believe that this is not the case and that these children will not learn as well, or that the presence of disabled children in class will somehow be disruptive and will reduce the learning potential for non-disabled children. It evaluates how programs have now been in place for some years and can be assessed as to their effectiveness.
From the Paper "The move toward mainstreaming has been spurred not just by educational theory and administrative decisions but by court cases as well, and the general rule that has emerged from various federal cases is that children should be placed in what are called least restrictive environments (LRE). For most children with disabilities, the LRE will be the regular education classroom, but for others, placement in a more specialized and restrictive environment will be necessary for the child to incur "some educational benefit" (Thomas and Rappaport)."
Abstract This paper explains that mainstreaming involves placing special education students in regular classrooms as much as possible and using resource rooms where the student receives special tutoring, review, and instruction. The author defines inclusion as the total integration of special education students and services into the general education classroom, where special education teachers collaborate with general education teachers to teach the entire class. The paper stresses that one of the critical issues in mainstreaming and inclusion is the training of the teachers involved.
From the Paper "The issue of mainstreaming and inclusion need a lot of thought and preparation. Students however learn best when they are among their peers and when they feel safe and comfortable. Usually being included in a regular classroom provides such safety and comfort better than being segregated in a special classroom. The stigma attached to being a special education student takes away that safety and adds some embarrassment to the difficulties the student already faces. However, to include successfully special education students into the regular classroom I would want to make sure some factors are considered. According to Brucker (2000) three important factors are the attitudes of the teachers, parents and students, having an adequate support system and professional skills and knowledge. The atmosphere in the classroom must be a positive one for special education students to feel welcomed and accepted."
Abstract This paper argues that mainstreaming handicapped children is appropriate and beneficial to all students. The paper also examines existing literature on the topic in order to determine the most effective method of mainstreaming as well as how to improve upon the process.
From the Paper "In education, the practice of teaching mentally or emotionally handicapped children in regular classrooms with non-handicapped children is known as mainstreaming. There has been an increasing interest in this practice since the 1960s due to numerous factors. For example, recent research shows that many handicapped students learned better in regular than in special classes. In addition, there have been charges that racial imbalances existed in special education classes. The federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which states that all handicapped children have the right to a "free and appropriate" education in the ?least restrictive environment,? has been frequently interpreted as supporting the expansion of mainstreaming (Columbia University Press, 2003)."
Abstract This paper explains that mainstreaming special children in learning provides them with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills in a method that suits them. The paper claims that it is also a process of allowing them to accept their disabilities and make themselves function at their best. The paper aims to define several ways that a teacher can help and support special children by mainstreaming them in a choir.
From the Paper "Similar to the visual type of learner, a music teacher can provide non-traditional learners with movement activities that may be related to music learning. Research and studies show that if movement activities are helpful to the learning process of individuals without disabilities, it is similarly effective to the learning process of disabled individuals. This is because movements can serve as alternatives in the memorization of information and movements such as dances are easy to remember. For students with physical disabilities, however, it is not necessary that the movement method will involve the whole body of an individual. For instance, hand movement is as effective in learning as with full body movement."
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of mainstreaming, which incorporates special needs students into regular classrooms. The paper examines the difficulties of teachers have who have less time to spend on 'regular' students. The paper also looks at the way the students themselves are affected.
From the Paper "The task of the public school teacher that already seems insurmountable has been made more difficult with the mandated mainstreaming of students into normal or regular classrooms. As a result, teachers have to scramble to adjust their learning styles to accommodate the special needs students whose learning style may be different, and who very likely has the potential for being disruptive in the classroom."
Abstract This paper addresses mainstreaming high school students with physical and psychological disabilities. It looks at the historical background wherein students were "warehoused." The paper concludes that stereotypes persist, but are gradually changing as student leaders and teachers play a central role in breaking down these stereotypes.
Tags:mainstreaming, disabilities high school stereotypes
Abstract This paper shows that current methods of preparing teachers for the classroom do not adequately address the needs of students with learning disabilities and those with special needs. Children with learning disabilities present unique challenges to educators at all levels. The trend in the United States in the recent past has been to integrate children with learning disabilities into the "mainstream" of the educational system; teaching them, in other words, along with non-disabled children in a standard learning environment to the maximum extent possible. Thus, this approach to educating children with learning disabilities has been termed "mainstreaming," and it involves the use of both special and general education techniques to provide the maximum learning opportunities for learning disabled children. The research question addressed in this project is, "Does high school prepare special education students for life after graduation?" A careful review of possible research methodologies shows that the most appropriate methodology for this research is a causal-comparative analysis of existing studies by educators and other researchers into the efficacy of a high school education for special needs students in preparing them for life in the real world after graduation. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature, an analysis of secondary sources, followed by findings and a summary of the research in the conclusion.
Outline
Introduction
Literature Review
Legislative and Litigation History of Special Education
What Is Mainstreaming?
Benefits of Mainstreaming Collaborative Education Techniques for Children With Learning Disabilities
Benefits of Inclusive Educational Settings
Challenges and Drawbacks Associated with Mainstreaming Methodology
Findings
Discussion
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "Approximately 5 percent of all public school students are identified as having a learning disability. This broad category includes disabilities in reading, language, and mathematics. One in every 10 students in public schools today receives special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). According to Horn and Tynan's assessment, "Revamping special education," prior to the 1950s, the federal government was not routinely involved in the education of children with special needs. "A few federal laws had been passed to provide direct educational benefits to persons with disabilities, mostly in the form of grants to states for residential asylums for the 'deaf and dumb, and to promote education of the blind.' These laws, however, were in the tradition of providing residential arrangements for persons with serious disabilities, services that had existed since colonial times" (Horn & Tynan, 2001, p. 36). These researchers point out that absent federal law, how -- and even whether -- children with disabilities were to be educated within the public schools was left to the discretion of the states and their local school districts. "Although some public schools undoubtedly provided exceptional services to children with disabilities, others did not. Indeed, as recently as 1973, perhaps as many as one million students were denied enrollment in public schools solely on the basis of their disability" (Horn & Tynan, 2001, p. 36). This state of affairs changed dramatically in 1975 with the passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142). Renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, this landmark legislation mandated that children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment."
