Strategies for Promoting Inclusive Practices (EDU-6465)

          I recently completed the graduate class Strategies for Promoting Inclusive Practices.  The guiding question for this class was: How does inclusion happen?  As part of this class, I participated in class discussions and applied my learning to many projects.  These projects included creating and co-teaching a lesson, creating an FBA, designing and delivering a presentation, writing a paper, and conducting two interviews.  I also continued to spend time working within special education in my school.

            One of the requirements of the graduate students within the class was writing a paper on a specific behavioral disorder.  I liked that we were given the freedom to choose our own behavior disorder to focus on.  I chose Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because I did not know that much about it.  I really enjoyed researching the disorder and finding different ways that other people had accommodated students with OCD.  If I ever have a student with OCD within my classroom, I believe that I am more now knowledgeable about how to make my classroom a more successful place for someone with OCD.

            The FBA was helpful because I was able to perform the FBA on a student within my first grade classroom.  When you are in the process of teaching it can be hard to see everything that is happening with every student.  It helped me to take a step back from teaching and observe a student who was struggling with some behaviors.   I was able to use the information to better help the student and meet his needs within my classroom.

            Co-teaching is something that I do frequently within my school.  I spend time co-teaching with our math and reading specialists.  It is a great model because you are able to see other teacher’s techniques and ideas, and apply them to your own teaching.  I fully believe that too often classroom doors are closed and that there is not enough collaboration happening. Co-teaching allows teachers to grow and to also have more fun when teaching.  The more fun teachers are having in their jobs than the more enjoyable it is for students to learn.

            I enjoyed reading the book Lost at School by Dr. Ross Greene.  The book outlines Dr. Greene’s approach to dealing with behaviors.  He believes in making it collaboration between the student and all of the adults in the student’s life.  The book uses detailed examples of students, and how they’re lives were changed by using this technique.  I have started to use pieces of his technique within my classroom, and I hope to use more of it with my class next year.  I really like that the program looks at each student as a whole person, and forces adults to really listen to what their students have to say.  The program helps to look at what is really best for each student.

            I did enjoy many aspects of this class, and feel that the assignments have made me a better first grade teacher and future special educator.  I did at times find it challenging because it was primarily an undergraduate class, and I do wonder how my experiences would have been changed if it had been a classroom of graduate students.