The Inclusion Breakthrough: Integrating Students with ... · In speaking and charting, you have one presenting and the other taking notes; and that person may also be creating graphs,

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The Inclusion Breakthrough: Integrating Students with Special Needs

Transforming Student Learning in the Inclusive Classroom

C. Embracing a Permanent Two-Teacher Solution

Introduction

VOICEOVER: If you have not done so already, read the corresponding section of the

book and follow the speaker’s PowerPoint presentation, both located in the “Topic Handout”

section.

Overview: Speak and Help

CATHY HAMILTON: There are some strategies around coteaching. We’ll go through

some of those pieces; and then, hopefully, flesh out for you some of the beauties and some of the

barriers around this piece. If it interests you, you can give it some effort.

One of the coteaching pieces would be we have these two teachers in the room, and we’re

going to do a speak and help. In a speak and help model, one of those teachers—and it could be

either the general ed teacher or the teacher with a special education credential; the two of them

will decide who has the power in this particular presentation today. One of those teachers is

doing a primary lesson for that day, and the other teacher is walking the room.

If you’re walking the room, there is a reason you’re doing that – observing, recording

student needs and skills. When I am walking the room, I am not necessarily walking to see if

everybody is on task so that I can deal with that right now. I am walking the room so that I can

say to the primary presenter, They’re not getting this piece. How could we reassess that piece?

What else can we do around that?

Another piece around that is make sure the lesson goes smoothly; and, finally, you’ve got

to stay out of sight.

This morning when Margaret was doing predominantly presentation, I moved all the way

to the wall because the one thing you don’t want to have happen is for the person who is

supposed to be helping to be distracting everyone. That is not a good thing.

I went into a school—this has been a year-and-a-half ago—and a partner teacher came in.

She saw me from the door, and she waived at me, and she said, Hi! I’m the inclusion teacher in

here. Then she proceeded to move through the room as the primary presenting teacher was

talking about writing a paragraph, actually; and she went to different kids and stood by them and

smiled. She went to one and said—and he stopped looking at the presenter, looked at her—Good

listening. No, no, no. That is not what we would do. You can see when you have three

youngsters, every one of those youngsters was identified very clearly to me that they were the

reason she was there. That is not coteaching, and it will do great harm to those youngsters

because they will come to resent that piece.



The irony of interruption was the compliment was for listening, and she interrupted the

listening. It’s just like common sense things aren’t so common. Anyway, you get into that

piece.

Overview: Speak and Chart

CATHY HAMILTON: Another kind of coteaching is speak and chart, and you’ve seen

some of that going on this morning. In speaking and charting, you have one presenting and the

other taking notes; and that person may also be creating graphs, giving a visual to those

youngsters. Other ways is modeling this concept of taking notes.

We are of the opinion that by the time a youngster is in sixth grade that youngster should

have at least five ways of taking notes. Five ways. Do you have some youngsters in your

classroom that you don’t think have one way? Yeah?

When we do a speak and chart, a lot of good things happen. One of those things is those

youngsters watch somebody take notes of the essential pieces of that presentation. It’s a

modeling of how to take notes in that piece.

Overview: Speak and Add

CATHY HAMILTON: A third kind of coteaching is called speak and add. In that

scenario, you’d have a primary presenter; and that presenter would do about 80 percent of that

lesson. But the other person would feel totally capable of adding to that piece.

I want to give you a little heads-up on this particular one, and this would also be true of

speak and chart. Sometimes when you bring in a special education teacher, that person has a

credential for working with disability, but may not have a credential, I’ll say, in mathematics; but

this person may have been teaching mathematics to special ed kids for a lot of years. Now we’re

going to move her into a general ed classroom. In that scenario, that teacher may honestly say, I

don’t feel really strong with teaching calculus; or I don’t feel really strong teaching algebra.

In a scenario of speak and chart, an example there, that person may take the role of

charting so that she is learning as she’s charting. Do you see how that can work? In speak and

add, I’ll give you a different scenario. My 20 percent of the time as a special education teacher

may be today we are going to be talking about integers in this classroom. What I want to do is

show you a way to take notes as Mrs. Searle gives you the lesson on integers. My 20 percent of

the presentation that day may not be about mathematics, but may be about how to take notes over

the lesson that is about mathematics. Do you see how that can be?

In that scenario, don’t give up your strengths. If a strength is modification, if a strength is

teaching note taking, then certainly use that strength.



In this piece, you would be giving some examples if you are the add person. You will

give some humor, but the humor needs to relate to the concept; otherwise, it’s a distracter.

Finally, illustrating the concepts in various ways. In that scenario of a speak and add, the two

will be very close to each other.

This morning we had some of that piece. When Margaret was presenting, I was actually

sitting down. I wanted to say something. Boy, were we close. We were very close, Margaret.

You get into that scenario.

Speak and add – another very strong way of doing a coteaching.

Overview: Duet

CATHY HAMILTON: Then the piece that I absolutely came to revere is called a duet.

In a duet, you have a scenario where both of these people really get to a point where they can do

a presentation and almost read each other’s minds.

They will be three to seven feet apart and, as in this duet piece, they will have dual roles.

You use the word duet purposefully. They are in sync.

In this scenario, giving you an example, supposing we were studying the Civil War.

We’re doing a presentation. What I would be doing to you is I may say, Let me tell you the

Union’s position during that war around what we needed to do in order to be victorious. As I

give that Union piece, then I might, as I move back, Margaret would move forward and. . .

MARGARET: And I’d say, You know, there’s another side to these issues. Let me tell

you what it looks like from the Confederate side.

We would go back and forth, and when I was about ready to finish and do a close to my

part, I would take a couple of small steps back, which says, Cathy, wake up, it’s your turn. She

would just very carefully, without looking like I’m interrupting her, step forward.

CATHY HAMILTON: If you’re doing a duet, it is critical that a couple of things

happen.

One, you have that proximity; but if you are the person who is not doing the talking, you

need to keep your eyes fixed on the presenter. You need to be interested in what that presenter is

saying. You need to be interested in what the presenter is doing; otherwise, you are modeling to

the students inappropriate response to new learning. Do you see how that piece can go?

In a scenario around the duet learning, in that piece, those two people get to a point where

they can pickup vibes. If the other person wants to say something, there will be a little cue; and

that person will go right on. That’s how it works.



MARGARET SEARLE: All I have to do is move within her peripheral vision, and she

will know that maybe I heard some question over here that she missed, and I need to bring up a

point. Sometimes I would bring up a point on behalf of the students who are not going to ask the

question.

One of the things you do have to know, though, is in order to do duet, you have to have

very careful planning. You can do coplanning, and you could almost be just cordially nice to

one another and have some respect for one other. You do not have to have vibes that go back

and forth from each other’s brains.

You can do speak and help, speak and chart. It’s not a problem. You don’t have to be

just like this in sync because if one person is doing the major presentation, and the other one is

kind of being the pickup person; and you might change those roles from day to day. It doesn’t

have to be rehearsed.

When you get into speak and add, however, and duet, I have to know exactly where she is

going next; and then she has to know this is the way this lesson is going to unfold. If you don’t

have a really close working relationship, the wheels fall off the thing pretty fast.

CATHY HAMILTON: In the duet model that we use, and use very effectively at our

high school, I asked for volunteers. You cannot force this model. There is no way you can force

this model. But we asked for volunteers, and I will tell you that the two ladies who volunteered

to pilot this—and eventually every one of my special ed teachers had at least a part of their day

that involved coteaching; not necessarily duet, but some form of coteaching.

If we want our special ed folks to have an understanding of general curriculum, which

every child is to have access to, one of the fastest ways to do that is to put them with folks who

live that general curriculum on a daily basis. Do you see what I’m saying?

The two gals who pulled this off most beautifully did some things that just came to them

once they had the belief system that said I think this will be the most powerful way to meet the

needs of our kids. One, the special education teacher who was a phenomenal teacher in the

special education room said, You know, I need some help around the language of mathematics.

Those two gals took summer in-services together. You have to know that those two

ladies had never known each other in any way other than a professional way. Did that grow into

a profound respect for each other? It was phenomenal. When I say that—we talked about

grading. These two ladies had one grade book. One grade book. They trusted each other totally

with going into the grade book to make whatever notations they needed to make. I equated that

to a lady the other day. A grade book is a lot like a lady’s purse. Not everybody is allowed in

there.

As they began to grow in that trust level, everything was open for that.



In terms of how they setup their room, they each had a desk that backed up to each other,

initially. I said, We’ll get you the same desk. By the time they finished that piece, they had one

desk that they shared out of that piece. It was a phenomenal part. Folks would come from at

least three different states. Folks came to watch these two ladies teach.

At the end, it got to a point where they would come down and visitors would say to me,

Cathy, which one of those women has a special ed credential. I said, Wouldn’t they tell you?

When you have people working so closely together that people don’t see their label, then you

have reached a really high point in terms of duet.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Principal’s Perspective

VOICEOVER: At Hayes Intermediate School in Grove City, Ohio, we have an example

of a school committed to coteaching or team teaching. From the design of the building, to the

principal and, of course, the team of three teachers who teach two fifth grade inclusion classes.

As they share with us their journey, we will hear how coteaching, or teaming, is setup,

planned for, delivered, supported and maintained. Watch how they demonstrate speak and chart,

rubric planning, peer tutoring, compare-contrast and plan their lessons with essential skills in

mind.

KEVIN LAFFIN: Within our school we have all two-person teams, both in fifth grade

and in sixth grade. This particular team, both of our special education teams are inclusion teams,

have the two regular education teachers with the intervention specialist working with them in

more of an inclusion setting within the classroom.

Obviously, our building is setup for two-person teams, in terms of having the two

classrooms next to each other and the resource room in the middle, which allows teachers the

flexibility of grouping and pulling kids to the middle room. It works really ideal with our

inclusion setting to where they can just work as a cohesive group, and just really kind of move

kids as they need to, to really meet their individual needs.

We are real fortunate in our district. When we went to our intermediate school concept,

now almost five years ago, our buildings were designed as two-person teams, so we would have

the two teachers next to each other. We’re real fortunate to have this setup, which works out

great and plays right into the success of our program because of having facilities that work real

well with that format of teaming.

For those that are interested in this type of format, if you’re looking at building new

buildings or you’re looking at your design, having classrooms that are next to each other in terms

of a pair situation with a resource room in the middle, it is just real beneficial for that situation.

For administrators that are in a situation that may be not similar to ours that do not have

the option of having rooms next to each other with a middle room, try to have rooms that are



close enough to each other. We have one team situation here within our building where they do

not have the middle resource room. What we’ve tried to do is put them close enough that they

have access to moving back and forth between each other’s rooms. That way they can do the

flexible grouping, they can exchange students back and forth, which is real beneficial.

Really trying to find within your school – even if it means looking at structuring it

different than what may be the norm within your school, the benefits will outweigh themselves

over the long run in terms of allowing your teachers the time to have that proximity to one

another, which then just helps to benefit their planning as well.

As we look at developing our teams, and as we look at the continuum of meeting

students’ needs and knowing that they each come with their individual needs that they need to

have met, obviously, one of the things we do look at is being sensitive to the teams and looking

at the type of learners that they have. We’re taking a conscious effort to get feedback from

previous years’ teachers, and then we use a database in terms of our scheduling.

We’re real careful to make sure we have our teams pretty evenly disbursed in terms of

those students that may have more high-risk needs, so that we’re not overloading one team with

too many of those students; and also providing a balance in terms of those students that can be

the role models within their teams that can really be a real benefit.

Hayes Intermediate School: Math Teacher’s Perspective

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: We have an inclusion program in which there are three

teachers, two of us being regular ed teachers, one being an intervention specialist, which means

that she is responsible for providing IEP goals, following the IEP and providing services for the

students who hold IEPs.

We basically work as a three-person team to ensure that all goals are met. We strive to

provide those services for all of the students by differentiating and teaching at everyone’s level

as opposed to just servicing those with IEPs.

I have taught enrichment classes, and I’ve also taught regular ed classes who had students

who were tutored or also received special education services. In those classes, for the most part,

they were pulled out, not included in the classroom except for a few classes, perhaps, science and

social studies being the most common. They would leave the room, generally speaking, for an

extended period of time, and then come back and try to rejoin the class at that time.

It worked, but it wasn’t the best situation. I think it drew your attention to the kids, as

well as it’s hard to transition them back into what you’re working on at the time. It’s a

noticeable movement from the classroom for both the students around them and the student

himself.



In the new program, we really strive to make it so that all students are learning at their

level. Because there’s not a lot of movement—and in a lot of cases, there is a lot of movement

by all students. We move around from room to room. Teachers move from room to room. Any

one of us could be teaching at any time. Most of the identified students, or students with the

IEPs, are not even known. Generally speaking, the other students, the regular ed students, don’t

know that there’s an IEP student in their room or that we are a special ed inclusion unit.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Intervention Specialist’s Perspective

JENNIFER COURTNEY: My students with individual education programs are placed

within two homerooms. We have two regular teachers and myself as the intervention specialist.

Kris, Jen and I all three teach literacy and social studies. Kris and I teach math together, and Jen

teaches science.

I feel especially lucky to work in a setting like this where I’m able to be placed within

two homerooms, so that I’m not running ragged between many different homerooms at various

grade levels. We’re really lucky that we have that time together to communicate and plan and

really meet the needs of our students.

I think at other schools the teachers are expected to meet so many different kids’ needs

from so many different classrooms that they need to be in a hundred different places at once if

they’re going to do inclusion. So they resort to pulling out in the resource room because that’s

the way that they’re going to get each of the kids.

I think the benefits to inclusion and being able to work within these two homerooms is

that my students are not getting a watered down curriculum, which this is sometimes what tends

to happen in a resource rooms. They are being taught standards, and they’re expected to meet

those standards; but they’re given the instruction in such a way that they’re able to grasp it.

This year I am maxed out at 16 IEP students assigned to me. That’s a little higher than is

ideal. That puts 8 IEP students in each homeroom.

The students this year, a few of them have intense needs; but a good number of them are

able to really blend into the classroom well, which makes it possible for us to still do this

inclusion process with such high numbers.

We do our best to make sure that the other students don’t necessarily know who the other

kids with IEPs are. It think it does become obvious that certain students have more intense needs

than others; but we do try to be discreet. When we make modifications, when we pull kids out,

we do our best to be really sensitive to how they may feel about being singled out in any way,

whether it be the fact that we need to highlight their paper or the fact that we had to pull them out

and do some reteaching. We really to try to make it so that that they blend in.



We’re able to do that by pulling different kids into the middle room – kids who need

enrichment and not just reteaching – so that it’s not just the kids with IEPs that are being pulled

out.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Student’s Perspectives

STUDENT: It’s different because in my school I went to the teacher to help me. Now I

don’t. I stay in my classroom and I can talk to my friends and stuff more, and I can go have

them with homework and stuff. They’re right there. And my teacher will help me with stuff like

that.

Hayes Intermediate School: Variations of Coteaching in a Language Arts Lesson

JENNIFER COURTNEY: In our language arts lesson today on persuasion, we really

want to demonstrate using standards to guide the unit, as well as the different roles that each of

us can play throughout a lesson. One may speak while the other charts, two may do a

demonstration.

The rubric is really helpful to have designed before the unit so that you can use it not only

as an assessment tool for our final project, but also to teach throughout the unit the students what

they should be looking for in persuasion that’s effective.

When we speak and chart, one of us will lead the lesson with the students, while the other

one charts and writes down some of the responses. It really helps to kind of give the students a

visual, and we can then go back and reflect on that at the end.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Good morning, boys and girls.

STUDENTS: Good morning, Miss DiSalle.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Yesterday, we watched commercials in class. We were looking

at persuasion, and we discussed a few components of persuasion. What are some of the

components that we have when we persuade someone? What are we looking for? We’re trying

to get someone to buy or do something. That’s what persuasion means. Yesterday, we looked at

a rubric to rate some of our commercials. What were some of the components on the rubric that

we rated each commercial? Zack?

ZACK: Interesting word choice.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Yes, we were looking for word choices that were interesting and

descriptive. We were looking for some things that were pretty attention-grabbing words that

would interest people into wanting to buy their product. What was another component that we

looked at when we looked at the commercials yesterday? Mike?



MIKE: We looked at the professional presentation.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Right, the professional presentation. That was very important

too. So far we have word choice that’s interesting and descriptive, professional presentation,

understanding your audience. You need to support your opinion with facts, reasons and

examples. They needed to tell us why we should buy their product.

Going along with that, I’m going to give you the last component; and that was stating the

opinion. We’re looking for the purpose of the commercial. Their opinion is you should buy this

product because it’s the best. Then they have to give facts, examples and reasons why we should

buy their product.

We are persuaded in many ways all of the time. Today we have some special people in

here. We have some people that work for an ice cream company, and they want to persuade you

to buy their product. You are going to be rating their selling of their ice cream. Everyone is

going to get a rubric just like the one that you saw yesterday.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: Hi, boys and girls. My name is Kris, and I am from Jerry’s

Cookie Chunk Crunch Ice Cream Company. How many of you—show me by raising your

hand—like to have an after-school snack; or how many of you have to have a snack before your

soccer or football practice?

Well, I want you to buy this ice cream. It is very good. It tastes really nice. It has

wonderful calcium and vitamins in it for you to make you stronger and keep you healthy; and it’s

very affordable when compared to other ice creams like Graders and, let’s see, Dairy Queen. It

has a very good price compared to those places as well. The next time that you guys want to get

an ice cream treat, I want you to remember Jerry’s Cookie Chunk Crunch.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: I want you to rate on this rubric how you think she did

persuading you. On her word choices, were they descriptive? Were they interesting? Did she

have a professional presentation? Was her opinion clearly stated? Did she understand her

audience? Did she support her opinion with facts, reasons and examples?

I want you to circle the number for each component on how you think she did selling this

ice cream. Then, if you have any other comments you want to write at the bottom of the paper

about her selling the ice cream, trying to persuade you to want it, I want you to go ahead and

write those down.

Now, you are so lucky today because you have someone else trying to persuade you to

purchase their ice cream. We have Benny’s X-Cream Dream Ice Cream that Miss Courtney

would like to sell to you today.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Good morning, and thank you for having me. I would like for

you all to look at the newest and greatest ice cream on the market. It’s called Benny’s X-Cream



Dream. This is not your everyday ice cream. This ice cream will knock your socks off. This

isn’t any old-fashioned ice cream.

When you get a chance to taste this ice cream, you will notice its savory flavor. It is

exquisite, tantalizing, fantastic. The next time you’re out for a cold treat, you know where to

look. Thank you very much.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Now that we’ve just heard from Miss Courtney, I would like you

to rate how you think she did persuading you to purchase her ice cream. I want you to give her a

one, two, three of four for her word choices; whether she was descriptive and interesting; her

professional presentation; clearly stated opinion; if she understood her audience; and if she

supported her opinion with facts, reasons and examples. I also want you to write down any

comments about her presentation now.

Hayes Intermediate School: Classroom Discussion

JENNIFER COURTNEY: What I’d like to do is to go through and come up with some

specific examples for each of those persuasive components that was either in the presentation or

was not in the presentation.

Let’s start with the word choice. What were some of the words that you heard Miss

Sullivan use in her presentation? Kelsey?

KELSEY: She used words that we weren’t supposed to use like good and nice.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay. Some of those boring words that we’ve discussed.

What about some of the words that I used? Rachel?

RACHEL: You used exquisite and smooth and delicate, more descriptive words.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Then my presentation might have gotten a little higher score

in that section. Good.

Let’s look at the professional presentation. When you looked at Miss Sullivan’s

presentation, was she very professional? Did she do a nice job presenting?

TIMOTHY: She did an okay job because she kind of explained everything. She used it

was low sugar and stuff, and your parents might want that, and they probably watch the

commercials on TV, and they might want to buy that for you.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay. She did an okay job with being professional. What

about my presentation? Do you think that I was professional in presenting my brand of ice

cream to you? Jocelyn?



JOCELYN: Professional really means you’re prepared and you know exactly what to do.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay. Maybe Miss Sullivan appeared to be a little more

prepared in that she knew what she wanted to say, she had everything right in front of her.

Let’s look at the next one. This one’s interesting because I think Miss Sullivan had some

strong points, and I had some strong points in understanding the audience. What about my

presentation? Did you feel like I understood who you were?

STUDENT: You really weren’t looking at us that much. You were looking at the TV

like trying to figure out what to say.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I’m not connecting with my audience then; right?

The last thing on there is whether or not we supported our opinions with some facts,

reasons and examples. How do you think Miss Sullivan did? Did she give you reasons for

buying her brand of ice cream? Timothy?

TIMOTHY: She said it had protein and all kinds of stuff in it to make you have stronger

bones and stuff, to keep you healthy and stuff. That might make you want to buy it.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Yes. That was it exactly. A reason for you to buy it is it has

some nutrients in it – strong bones, calcium. How else did she support her opinion? Shawnee?

SHAWNEE: I think it won’t make you fat like other ice cream.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: It may be a little healthier. What about the price? Did she

mention that at all? Rachel?

RACHEL: She didn’t really mention about it. She said it was low priced, but she didn’t

tell us about it. She just said it was low priced and went onto the next thing.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay, so what is low? You needed more information. She

kind of gave you a reason and its price, but she wasn’t explicit enough. She gave you the reason

that it’s healthy.

What about my presentation? Let’s move onto that one. Did you hear me support my

opinion with facts, reasons and examples other than saying it tastes good that supported my

opinion? Kelsey.

KELSEY: You just said it was smooth and different things like that; but you didn’t really

say how it was smooth.



JENNIFER COURTNEY: If you had to compare Miss Sullivan and mine in just that

component of persuasion, do you think that Miss Sullivan better supported her reason, her

opinions; or did I better support my opinion? Raise your hand if you think Miss Sullivan was

better in that part of the presentation.

I kind of agree with you guys. I really didn’t give you much reason, other than it tastes

good, to buy my brand of ice cream. She did a better job on that part I think.

All in all, could you say one presentation was better than the other?

STUDENTS: They both were good.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Maybe certain parts of Miss Sullivan’s were better than parts

of mine, and maybe parts of mine were better than parts of Miss Sullivan’s.

We’re going to stop right there, and we will pick up with this persuasive unit again

tomorrow and give you more opportunities to practice persuasion.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Role Reversal

JENNIFER COURTNEY: It’s important to reduce the stigma of the special ed teacher or

the special ed teacher’s room so that everybody feels comfortable working with all three of us.

We do that by making sure that one of us doesn’t always teach the high-end word study list; that

one of us doesn’t always teach the high-end readers in guided reading lessons. We make sure

that if some kids need some reteaching that it’s not always the special ed teacher or the

intervention specialist doing that reteaching.

We really try to portray ourselves as a three-person team, and one of us is not more

responsible for one student than another.

Hayes Intermediate School: Classroom Community

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: Every year we have—this is our fourth year working in an

inclusion room, and every year we have a parent call and say, My student is supposed to receive

social services. He was in special education last year, and this year he’s not getting that. We

kind of laugh because that’s what we work for – is to make sure that it’s not really well-known;

that they’re not just being serviced by one special teacher on those times when they’re not in a

homeroom. We take that as a huge compliment when we kind of fool the parents and the kids;

but we always assure them that they are being serviced. We are all three working hard to make

sure that the goals in their IEP are being met.

We address everyone’s individual needs. We teach by the standards set forth by Ohio;

and we, generally speaking, make sure that everyone is being challenged at his or her level. That

may involve some different assignments for different kids, but it’s across the board. We don’t



give lower-level assignments to students who need higher-level assignments, and everything is

very much tailored to that student’s needs so that every one can be met.

We don’t often get questions about why is he doing more or why is she doing less than

what we’re doing because we’ve built a classroom community in which everyone understands

that each child is different. We talk about differences in physical appearance; we talk about

differences in the way people act, the things that they like and the way that they learn.

I think everyone has an understanding of the differences that we all have, and we very

rarely get questions as to why someone is doing something different.

STUDENT: I think it’s okay for kids to get different work because, if they get different

work, they can work on their things that they need more help on. The other kids, they don’t need

any help, so they can do the whole page. Then some kids might have trouble with other

problems where the teachers might take it slowly with that student. Then when he gets up to

speed, she can move him up a level in homework.

Hayes Intermediate School: Role and Involvement of Intervention Specialist

JENNIFER COURTNEY: When I was in the resource room, I found that I was out of

touch with what average fifth grade work looked like. My expectations would naturally kind of

fall because I didn’t know what to look for in fifth grade work, fifth grade lessons; and I was

even a little out of touch with the fifth grade curriculum.

Now I feel very much a part of the fifth grade teaching team as a whole. I’m included in

all of the fifth grade math meetings that we have. I’m included in the fifth grade language arts

meetings that might take place because I am taking place in that instruction every day. It’s

important that I get the professional development and the materials and the things that go along

with that.

I feel very comfortable with the curriculum, with what the students should be capable of.

It allows me to better help the regular classroom teachers in assessments. When we share

grading, I know what to look for. I know what should be acceptable for various students.

I work with the advanced kids when they need some enrichment or some extension

activities. Certainly, throughout the day in the regular homeroom, if they have questions, I

answer them. I think that it’s great to be able to be seen as a teacher regardless of what my title

may be.

In the beginning of the year, it’s a little touch and go. They want to know what my place

is because they’ve not had a third teacher in the classroom before. We really kind of have to

avoid some questions and work around others so that the students don’t know that I’m an

intervention specialist, and I work with students with IEPs. You’re lucky enough to have a third

teacher in your class this year, and that’s the answer we give.



In explaining my role to parents, some kind of accept the, well, you’re lucky enough to

have three teachers in the classroom this year; and some want to know a little more. Open house

is always kind of a touch-and-go time because we have to explain in front of other students who I

am and wanting to downplay the fact that I’m an intervention specialist can make that kind of

conversation a little difficult. But if they want to know, and they dig deeper, then we explain to

them that there are students in the classroom who have special needs, and that the three of us

work to address them.

The parents whose students have traditionally been in a resource room and the students

themselves definitely experience a transition from going to the resource room to an inclusion

classroom. I think there’s a fear that they’ll just be set free and unsupported, and I think that we

really try to work hard, as a team, to ensure them that we’re making modifications, not just for

your student, but every student; that we’re meeting needs across the board. Your child is getting

what they need, but they’re not kind of being pulled out and really able to be distinguished from

the others.

Hayes Intermediate School: Students Helping Students

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: We built community in our classroom by stressing the

difference in every student, not only through their physical differences as well as everyone’s

learning style being different; and we asked that they appreciate that.

We also encourage students to seek help from each other, so while one student may be

not as helpful in one area, there’s always a strength that another student can rely on to help them

through different situations; whether it be in class with class work or outside personally. We

find that a lot of true friendships are built when you really try to build that community within.

STUDENT: In my classes, I’ve had to help a lot of other learning disability kids. The

kids with disadvantages or learning disabled, you kind of, if you know the answers or one of the

teachers has helped you take the steps, and nobody is able to help one of those students, you can

go over and help them. You be the teacher, and give them the kind of examples. If it’s a

confusing one, then you need to ask somebody else.

You have to explain to them. If they ask you for help, you can’t just say, This answer is

this, and this answer is that. You have to help them learn how they get to the problem. You

have to learn how to get the steps to the answer.

Hayes Intermediate School: Team Lesson Planning

JENNIFER COURTNEY: If we can pickup tomorrow where we left off on our

persuasive writing unit, I think, in order to get them to our authentic assessment of writing a

review of a book or a movie, then we need to move through some of the teaching ideas that we

have here. You have some things—



JENNIFER DiSALLE: For tomorrow.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Right. Let’s start there.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: I thought for tomorrow we could do maybe The Right Time for

Kids—page 69. It’s talking about point of view. Also, with that, I have a Henry Ford story that

we could read. Maybe one part tomorrow, and then on Thursday I have another part we could

maybe do. They’re both written from different points of view to practice point of view.

Also, I know we wanted to continue the work on adjectives. Maybe we could have an

adjective practice tomorrow.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: All right. Working on our descriptive word choices in

persuasive writing.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Right.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: I’m going to go ahead and write that we’re going to do the other

part of the Henry Ford on Thursday, and we’re going to do a T-chart comparison, so the kids can

compare and contrast both stories and see the different points of view—how they’re alike, how

they’re different. We can discuss that after we complete both of the readings. One reading one

day.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: Are we going to do that as a shared reading?

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think we need to because I know that the article is a little too

difficult for some of the IEP students to read independently. How about we do – do we want to

pair them or do a shared reading?

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Pair them into groups of two to do side-by-side reading?

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Right. Buddy reading or shared reading?

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: I think I want to do the shared reading.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: I’d like to do a shared reading too.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Then after we read the second part on Thursday, let’s go ahead

and have them do their own T-charts of comparing and contrasting both stories; and then have a

class discussion about it.



JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: They’re going to be identifying point of view and T-chart.

Along with that, when we do the classroom discussion, let’s go ahead and identify the parts that

are fact and the parts that are opinion.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Okay. Great. Then that gets to some of those essential

understandings that we’re looking for.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: After we read both stories, let’s go ahead and have them fill out

their T-chart, and then why don’t we have a classroom discussion. Within that classroom

discussion, let’s discuss the facts and opinions from both stories.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: That gets right to one of our essential understandings in this

unit as well, which is identifying fact and opinion.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: After we do all of that, we can go ahead and look on Friday at

persuasive writing and getting them started on what exactly we’re going to have them write

about. Do you guys have the copy of the rubric I gave you that we developed? I think maybe we

should start off going over the rubric with the entire class to get some more expectations.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: We need to have overheads made.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: They’re made.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: They are? Great.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Let’s go back then to Wednesday, and let me kind of – the

adjective papers. The reading is maybe a little more difficult, so I have a very similar worksheet

that’s at a lower reading level for the students who will need that. It’s still identifying adjectives;

it should be very comparable.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Would you like me to pull the kids in the middle room and work

with them, and you can address the rest of the class when we explain that?

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Yeah. That would be great. And then we’re all set on the

Henry Ford. We’re going to do shared reading and then whole group discussions.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: Also, when we get to Friday with the rubric and persuasive

writing, we’re going to need to talk about what a review is. Aren’t we going to have them write

a review?

JENNIFER COURTNEY: So we need to have our examples of a review.



JENNIFER DiSALLE: And we need to get them to start thinking of ideas of what

they’re going to review.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Let’s then have them do the research component; one of these

activities. How about we assign, over the weekend, for them to bring in some form of persuasion

– either a political cartoon or an editorial – and we can give them ideas then on Friday of where

they might find examples of persuasion.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: So we’re going to do basically a persuasion museum.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Yeah, let’s call it that. They love museums.

Hayes Intermediate School: Beginning the Coteaching Process –

Moving from Suspicion to Trust

JENNIFER COURTNEY: We all became more comfortable with the person’s job, so

while they may not have been comfortable initially, being an intervention specialist, when you

have to step into that role occasionally and step into that way of thinking, you just get better at it

with practice. I became better at being an instructor in the regular classroom, and they also

became better, I think, at being intervention specialists and knowing, getting a sense for the kids

and which activities were going to be doable, and which activities would be much too difficult.

We each had to kind of take on each other’s jobs from time to time so that we could make

this work, and we just kind of have grown into. A lot of it is just time and experience.

For me, being an intervention specialist, this is not my classroom. This is Kris’s

classroom, or this is Jen’s classroom. I was always very aware of that, and that may I get in your

desk to get a pen – just really tentative and just very aware that this was their space. It just took

time to have those conversations where Kris would say, Are you kidding me? You do not have

to ask me that every time. Get a pen if you need a pen or that kind of thing. It’s just gradually

one of those things where we became more comfortable with one another, we have those

conversations and it’s okay.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: You learn to trust one another whole heartedly because, you

know, in the beginning you worry that she is judging. Having Jenny right there all the time. Is

she judging me? Is she in the teachers’ lounge saying I’m a terrible teacher? As we grew

together, we planned together, everything kind of fell into place; but it did take a lot of time.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I know I would do a lot of pacing in the back of the room.

You think you’re doing science inclusion, but really you’re kind of walking around wishing there

was something you could do. When we acquired the language, like speak and chart, things like

that made planning a lot easier so that each of us knew what was expected of the other.



When we became better at planning, then I was much more useful in the classroom; and I

think it’s to the benefit of the kids.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: And we reverse roles a lot more. You would teach the whole

class, and maybe I would go around and help the kids that needed the extra help instead of you

always doing that.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: Right.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: And we became more comfortable pulling all 50 kids together

in one room, and all 3 of us using that time to teach together.

Hayes Intermediate School: Behavior Management Plan

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think that working together kind of gave us the continuity

from one classroom to the other so that the expectations are pretty similar between both

homerooms. While there may be small differences as in how you go the restroom, which teacher

cares if they’re asked and another teacher may not, there are some small differences. But we all

decided and designed and now implement together the same behavior management plan.

We very much work out those expectations together so that when we have that

conversation with the students the first day of school, this is what we expect, and these are our

rules, it’s the same in both homerooms and, also, in my room if the students are pulled out.

I think developing and designing our schedule and those rules together helped each of us

kind of buy into it and make sure that we implement it the same way in both classes.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Changes, Improvements and Rewards

JENNIFER DiSALLE: The first year that we started together was my first year in the

classroom having a whole class, and I pretty much wanted to quit almost every, single day

because it was such a rough year. We had a rough group of kids, and these two helped pull me

through it every day. I knew that I had good teaching partners from the start. The next year it

got better, and the next year it got better; and I just feel like it keeps getting better and better. It

keeps me going, and it makes me excited to come to work when I work with such wonderful

people. We all support one another, and I think that really helps get through this.

We’ve all come to get to the same place where we have similar expectations of ourselves,

of our students, just all around.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: I think, also, something that has really been helpful for me is

that I might have 25 kids in my homeroom; but we, as a team, have 50 kids, and we take

ownership of all 50 of those kids. If it happens that you have a better relationship with one

student in my room, and they’re having a difficult time, then you step up, and that’s helpful. It’s



not yours, mine and ours. They’re all ours, and that’s very helpful. That has helped me

overcome obstacles with particular students and differences in styles.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think one of the things for me that makes it worthwhile and

makes me love the way we work as a team is it would be very nice at times to be in my room

with my things and a place to hang my coat; they’ll find my things all around the room because I

don’t have anywhere necessarily to put it. I have a water bottle in one spot, and a notebook in

another; but it would be easier at times to be in my classroom.

What I find is that I couldn’t serve these kids the way they’re served in a resource room

without, I think to some degree, lowering expectations for some of the kids. I love knowing that

I’m addressing the standards, and the same content is being addressed but we’re making it doable

for those kids. I like knowing that they’re missing something; they’re not getting an adapted

curriculum; but that this is something that all fifth graders are learning, and we’ll help you work

with that in the classroom, but you’re not getting something different.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: You have many rewards when you work in an inclusion

classroom. Just the self-esteem that we see grow over the year and that we foster and allow the

kids to foster in one other. That is, in itself, the best payment and best reward that we could ever

get. It’s a true testimony to how this works. It really goes to show how much these kids can

learn from each other all the way around.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Presenting the Team as One Unit

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: Generally, we do all of our parent-teacher conferences as a

three-person team. We do all of our IEP conferences with at least two, usually three, of us

together. Everything is strength in numbers. We feel that none of us know – all of us combined

know the most about the child and, therefore, all of us combined. We have a speaker phone if

we need to do parent contacts by phone. It is generally at least two, usually three, of us who deal

with the parents, as well.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think it’s important that the three of us present ourselves as

a team. We do that to parents and to our classes and to the class that is in the building. We make

sure that we are seen as a team, so every note that goes home has all three of our names at the

bottom of it.

When we do curriculum night, the three of us present the information to the parents.

Everyone should see us as one unit. When we’re introduced at an assembly, it’s Miss Sullivan,

Miss DiSalle and Miss Courtney’s team. It’s always the three of us. There’s a real sense of

community in our team so that the students kind of own all of us.

Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Planning Future Lessons Together



JENNIFER DiSALLE: We always plan together at least two subjects, literacy and social

studies because all three of us teach literacy in social studies. I’m the only one that teachers

science, so I usually meet with other science teachers to talk about what it is they’re doing. Then

I’ll make my own plans based on that. Sometimes I’ll bring them to you.

I’ve gotten to a point where I’m pretty good about making accommodations for IEP kids,

but I still have to approach every once in a while about, you know, this is an issue I’m having.

What do you think these kids should do? Then the two of you usually plan math together.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: We started a new math program this year. It has been

challenging for us, in planning, as far as that goes. But we do. We try to plan together. We

team every day within math together. Generally speaking, one of us usually takes on the role of

the whole class instructor while the other is assuming the role of the person walking around and

kind of helping the students who need help.

Also, at times, we pull for enrichment. We do try to hit all areas, but it has been

challenging this year because this is new. I think one of the things that we have done over the

years that we try to continue to do is we’re never settled with, oh, well, let’s just pullout what we

did last year because it’s already planned. Let’s pull it out, look at it and see what we can do

with it to make a little better, especially with the standards right now. We try to very hard to pull

the standards into everything that we do and representing them on the paperwork as well.

We have tweaked things here and there, implemented different ideas every year, drawn

on knowledge, things that have not worked, and just keep trying to continually improve those

things.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: We also, when we have to look forward to see what’s coming

up next, you know, within the next week or two. We always look to see are there some topics

that we can pretty much guarantee are going to need to be pretaught to a certain group of kids, so

that they have some base before they come into the whole group. Their chances are better of

really grasping that information and having a firm understanding.

Preteaching has become something that we’ve relied heavily on this year.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: We’re not afraid to use parent volunteers for that, as well. We

have had the opportunity this year—more so than every before—to use parent volunteers for

preteaching for just 15-, 20-minute segments of time just kind of going over an idea that may not

be so easily comprehended if seen just one time. That’s been a blessing as well – utilizing the

people around us.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: We also are very much guided by the quick-check cards

because those allow us to see who is getting it and who is not. That then guides who might be

placed in either an extension activity or a reteaching group. Those have been really nice as far as

organization goes.



Hayes Intermediate School: Coteaching – Communication and Conflict Resolution

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I would say to communicate that it’s okay to say—from my

perspective as the intervention specialist—it’s okay to ask questions directly. Is it okay with you

if I get in your desk? What parts of my being in here make you more comfortable? What parts

make you less comfortable?

You will grow and kind of transform as the years go on because it does take commitment

and time. But explicit questions and communication are what really propel that team forward.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: I also think you need to be open-minded. I’ve heard lots of other

teachers say things like, I don’t want that kid in my classroom; that kid is not a kid for me. Well,

all kids are for teachers; and I think that you have to be open-minded and learn to work with each

student and meet each student’s individual needs.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: You have to be very, very flexible. We have to adapt and

encourage each other to share, and sometimes not necessarily it’s what you would want to do,

but, you know, everyone’s opinion should be valued. That’s what we try to do. Even if we don’t

fully buy into what we’re doing at the time, generally speaking, we can work it so that it comes

out just the way it should. We’re very flexible with one another.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I would recommend, when possible, sharing funds to buy

materials because then I walk in, and I don’t have to worry about how many Post-It’s I’m using

because I used my money to buy them as well. Whenever possible, I think that’s an excellent

idea because then it just furthers that sense of ours and we; and everyone’s a little more

comfortable.

JENNIFER DiSALLE: We handle disagreements in different ways. I think at first we

didn’t have very many disagreements. We were being very nicey nice to one another, and maybe

behind the one’s back we would say something. Now it’s all out on the table. Well say it, we’ll

talk about it. There might be crying; there might be days where someone is not talking, but we

work it out. We have to work it out.

We are all coworkers, but we’re also all friends. Friends fight, and so do we. We just

have to move on and get over it.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: And we do. It’s unbelievable how it works, but there are times

when we don’t get along the best. I think as closely as we work, we spend how many hours a

day together, five days a week. To not get involved in any conflict would be unrealistic, but it

never takes long to get over it and recognize the fact that we’re here for one common goal, which

is to make sure that what we’re doing is the best for the kids that we’re working with. It usually

goes away quickly.



JENNIFER DiSALLE: When we do have differences though, we don’t present them in

front of the students. We’re always professional about that. We will go into a different area and

talk about it and remove ourselves if we feel that it is an appropriate time to speak to one

another.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think we’ve also gotten better at communicating and kind

of, okay, I now recognize when you’re angry because you tend to withdraw, and you tend to not

speak to me. I think it’s kind of, wow, I’m getting used to you, and I understand what that

means. Then, when you’re ready, I know you’ll come to me about something.

Another person that I know may never bring it up to me, and I would have to then

approach them and say, Let’s talk. It feels like you’re upset at me.

Hayes Intermediate School: Final Comments –

Principal, Teachers, Intervention Specialist and Students

JENNIFER COURTNEY: It just depends. You get to know each other and how each

person reacts when they’re angry and how you should respond.

KEVIN LAFFIN: I’ve had the opportunity to work with Kris, Jen and Jenny for about

five years now. As we made the transition here to Hayes, they actually came over as a team.

They just work so well together, but I think the key thing that I see is just their planning – their

careful planning and their commitment to really making their learning community here just such

a great place for all of their kids.

All of their students feel that connection, and they’re all benefiting from it. They’re all

being challenged no matter what level they’re at. It’s their commitment to their careful planning,

their careful setting up engaging activities that are really going to benefit all of their students.

Boy, do their inclusion students benefit? Oh, you bet; but everybody in their teams benefits.

JENNIFER COURTNEY: I think the benefits to doing inclusion are really intrinsic. I

think that myself and my teaching partners are extremely committed. It is a lot of work, and it’s

challenging. But when you see the results, and when you see students whose esteem and whose

achievement is improved because of the expectations and the lessons and the accommodations

that you’re able to make for them within that setting. When it all comes together and it works,

then there’s the reward. That’s why we continue in this really challenging position year after

year.

STUDENT 1: If the learning disability kids have to go off to another classroom, they

might feel left out. Like, if a group of people are talking about one thing that they did in math,

and this other student didn’t get to do it, they might feel left out that they didn’t get to do all of

the fun.



STUDENT 2: It helped my grades because they can explain to me and stuff more

because there were other teachers in my other school that they wouldn’t really have time to

explain to us. They have other people to talk to and stuff like that. It helps my grade a lot.

STUDENT 3: This year I like it because I didn’t miss any projects or anything. I’d be

up-to-date, and I wouldn’t lose any progress. I get everything done now, and it’s a lot better.

KRISTINA SULLIVAN: I personally love it. I requested to go from an enrichment

cluster to an inclusion class, based on my feeling. It’s a wonderful feeling. I think that you

really hit on it when you asked me about the positives for a teacher. Why do you do this every

year? Every year is a different challenge, but it’s always, always a big payoff in the end. I really

like to see—honestly, I love seeing the kids in the classroom rise to the challenge, because you

really do have to rely on building a really strong community within in your classroom, or it

won’t work.

The helpfulness of the students around an inclusion classroom is amazing. They help,

and they don’t know that they’re helping. They provide positive role models for students who

have not had them in the past. It’s a great program.

Documents

The Inclusion Breakthrough: Integrating Students with ... · In speaking and charting, you have one presenting and the other taking notes; and that person may also be creating graphs,