The Inclusion ModelEffective Strategies for Co-Teaching in an Inclusion Model

Dr. Kurt E. HulettNational Director, Special Education Services

What Is Inclusion & Collaborative Teaching?Tips for Planning & Teaching

Co-Teaching MethodsStrategies & ApproachesTips for Structured LessonsTips for Small Group InstructionAssessment

Classroom ManagementCommon Pitfalls

Operationalizing the ProcessPhase 1Phase 2Phase 3

Tips to Remember

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward: Readers Will Discover

How can I best meet the needs of each student

within an Inclusion Learning Model?

How can my district operationalize and enrich the equality

of an inclusion learning environment?

What are the best practices for diagnosing, screening, progress

monitoring, and tailoring instruction to specific learning

deficits in an inclusion/co-teach environment?

What Is Inclusion and Collaborative Teaching?

FIRST THINGS FIRST,

Inclusion and Collaborative Teaching:Two licensed teachers, one regular education teacher and one special education teacher in a classroom with majority regular education students (less than 50% special education students).

SECOND...WHAT IS GREAT INSTRUCTION?

Enthusiastic

Curtailed to Audience

Differentiated

Targeted

Information on Demand

Enjoyable Dynamic

Extensive Depth of

Knowledge

Data-Driven

Immediate Feedback

Reflective

Tips for Planning & Teaching

Regularly Collaborate

Collaborate with special education/regular education teachers, related service providers, and para- professionals on a regular basis.

ShareWork load

& Plan

If you are co-teaching, commit to planning at least once a week with your co-teaching partner and determine your respective teaching responsibilities. Write your plans down and share the workload.

Parallel Teaching

Students are divided into mixed-ability groups, and each co-teaching partner teaches the same material to one of the groups.

Station Teaching

Small groups of students rotate to various stations for instruction, review, and/or practice.

Use a Variety of Co-Teaching Methods

Interactive Teaching

Teachers alternate roles of presenting, reviewing, and monitoring instruction.

Alternative Teaching

One person teaches, reteaches, or enriches a concept for a small group, while the other monitors or teaches the remaining students.

Strategies & Approaches

Create customized instructional goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for all

students. Allow students to use their unique

strengths to work as a team with their

peers.

Teach the same concepts with multiple levels of

complexity built into the lesson to give students the choice to learn at a

level that challenges, but doesn’t overwhelm, them.

SPED students learn to be independent, &

successful, in a general ed. setting (Cornell Notes, note cards, memorization, mnemonic devices, etc.)

Ensure you have copies of all

students’ annual goals, objectives, accommodations

and modifications.

Universal Design for Learning

(UDL) Cooperative learning &

peer tutoring

Tiered lessons

Intentional teaching of

learning strategies

Awareness of Annual

Goals

Tips for Structured Lessons

Flexible Grouping

Differentiate instruction by using flexible grouping, providing activities that appeal to various learning-style preferences, giving students choices, and creating alternative activities and assessments (Tomlinson, 2001).

Universal Design

Think "universal design" when planning instruction. "The central premise of Universal Design for Learning is that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts" (CAST, 2004, 3).

Videos, Software, & Role-playingFlexible means of engagement as students learn

Incorporate three qualities of universal design when planning instruction:

Writing, Illustrating, Speaking

Multiple means of students' expression of

content

Visual & Oral Strategies

Multiple means of representing content

Provide opportunities for students to work in small groups and in pairs.

If cooperative learning strategies are used, five conditions must be present:

Small Group Instruction

Cooperative behavior should be taught to and used by students

12345 Students should be held

individually accountable

Group work should be structured so that students depend on one another to complete a task successfully

The task must be authentic, worthwhile, and appropriate for students working in groups

Small-group learning must be the goal

Graphic Organizers

Use graphic organizers to assist students with organizing information in meaningful ways. For example, word walls, word maps, process maps, fill in the section (scaffolded), etc.

Many students learn best via visualization.

INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE: "I do" (teacher model),

"We do" (group practice),

"You do" (individual practice).

Provide supports or scaffolds to students as they are learning new material and withdraw them when they are able to perform the task on their own.

I Do, We Do, You Do

LEARNING STRATEGIES

Employ active learning strategies such as "think, pair, share" to promote recall and understanding of new learning.

This strategy allows students to reflect individually on a question, pair up with a partner to share and compare answers, and finally give the best answer.

Think,Pair, Share

COMBINED EFFORT

Content & StrategiesTeach learning strategies along with content material.

Strategy instruction may be defined simply as instruction in how to learn and perform (Lenz, Deshler, & Kissam, 2004). "Learning strategies help students learn and perform by providing them with a specific set of steps for:

(a) approaching new and difficult tasks,

(b) guiding thoughts and actions,

(c) completing tasks in a timely and successful manner, and

(d) thinking strategically.

Learning strategies may include organizing materials, memorizing information, taking notes, reading text, mnemonics, picture association with notes, and taking tests.

ASSESSMENT

Use ongoing informal and formal assessments to help inform instruction and monitor student progress.

Tips for Classroom Management

✔Create a structured classroom. This may include designating separate areas for group and individual work and centers for reading or art, as well as creating a daily class schedule.

✔Help students organize their materials by using checklists, folders, and containers to keep materials organized in desks.

✔ Utilize both teachers with movement and voice. ✔ Provide opportunities for purposeful

movement.

✔ Display classroom rules. ✔ Set non-negotiables.

✔ Plan for transition times (between subjects or tasks, before and after lunch, changing classes). ✔ Develop classroom cues for settling

down to work, getting out materials, and quieting down.

✔ Visually monitor student activity. ✔ Post the daily schedule incorporating color.

✔ Be aware of all accommodations/ modifications and track implementation.

COMMON PITFALLS

Lack of tracking of implementation of mod/accomm.

Running errands and working in IEP’s during class (distractions from teaching and learning)

Lack of planning

One leads while the other one sits

Lack of core content provided by special education teachers – must be seen as equals

Lack of differentiationLack of addressing learning styles and implementing different teaching approaches

Tier 2

Tier 1

Personalized

Learning

Intensive 1:1

Personalized Learning

Intensive 1:1

Small Grouping Flexible

Whole Class

InstructionSmall Grouping Flexible

Personalized Learning

Intensive 1:1

Tier 3

Assessments

Diagnostic

Progress Monitoring

Personalized Learning: Operationalized for RtI

Standards

Operationalizing the Process

• Diagnostically Screen

• Group Students

• Differentiate Instruction

• Progress Monitor Goals & Objectives

Phase 3 Post-Class

Phase 2 Class

Phase 1 Pre-Class

Steps to Differentiating Instruction in an Inclusive Learning Environment

Phase 1 Pre-Class

12

Diagnostically screen all students and evaluate individual profiles.

Group students based on learning needs, strengths, and deficits.

NOTE: The data used to diagnostically screen each child should also be used to write present levels of performance, establish standards-based goals and objectives, and to track progress on all goals and objectives.

Diagnostically Screen All Students1

Steps to Differentiating Instruction in an Inclusive Learning Environment

Phase 2 Class

3 Provide direct instruction to the whole group using paired, interactive teaching.

4 Non-teaching partner moves throughout room helping students individually.

5Provide small group activities with 4-5 students per group (at least one group with technology/personalized learning) and two direct teach (small group) stations led by teachers.

6

7

Engage in standardized, formative assessment (preferably digital for immediate data).

Evaluate data and identify areas of growth.

Separate Students into Small Groups

2

LGL Edge: Personalized Course for Each Student in Math and/or ELA

Recursive Review and Probing Questions

Phase 3 Post Class

8

9

Re-teach with whole group, paired, interactive teaching to areas of deficit and need. Provide probing questions and higher-level thinking questions in areas of strength.

Group students by deficit areas and strength and provide engaging, higher level questions to students with strong performance and lower level questions to those who are struggling.

Tips to Remember

✔ Plan Together ✔ Separate into Learning Groups

✔ Move…Move… Move ✔ Provide Learning

Stations

✔ Treat Each Others as Equals ✔

Know All Students IEP Goals, Accommodations, and Modifications

✔Diagnostically Screen All Students

✔Protect Instructional Time – No Errands or Paperwork

✔ Formatively Track All Progress ✔ Maximize the Dual

Teaching Method

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