Chapter 6

Chapter 6:Creating Successful Transitions to Inclusive Settings

Resources:

1) My edlab

2) http://www.paulakluth.com/readings/inclusive-schooling/creating-personal-portfolios/

3) http://www.apsea.ca/hiprog.php

a. Helpful services and resources to help children transition into the inclusive classroom

Summary:

· Understand Student’s Unique Abilities and Challenges

o Families and the students’ current teachers can create a folder or technology-based profile containing text, video and audio files, and photos that present the students’ strengths, challenges, ability levels, social and behavioral skills, preferences, interests, as well as successful instructional strategies and background info to guide the team in developing a program that will help students make the transition to inclusive settings (p. 211)

o For students with sensory disabilities, their gen ed teacher can receive info on the nature of the sensory loss, as well as the amount of residual hearing or vision

o For deaf and hard of hearing students and those with significant cognitive disabilities, teachers can also be informed of their communicative abilities and the way in which they communicate.

o For ELL learners, teachers should be aware of their language abilities and the best approaches for helping them learn English.

o For students with special physical and health needs, teachers need info about health and medical issues and concerns, assistive devices, social skill development, and prepare teaching and physical design accommodations.

· Use Transenvironmental Programming

o Steps to developing this type of program:

§ 1) environmental assessment- the content and goals of the transitional program are developed here. It involves analyzing the critical features of the new learning environment and the key skills that affect student performance and interviewing students and teachers pg.212

§ 2) intervention and preparation-this is where a variety of teaching methods and strategies are used to prepare students to transition into the new learning environment.

· Students need to be taught procedures, stated rules, and routines of the new classroom. Students with culturally diverse back grounds and those w/ social and behavioral skills challenges, should be introduced to and explicitly taught the hidden curriculum (the unstated culturally based social skills and rules that are essential to successful functioning in the classrooms, schools and social situations.

· Use preteaching to help students get acquainted. In preteaching, the special ed teacher uses the curriculum, teaching style, and instructional format of the teacher in the gen. ed class.

· Teach students to take on independent assignments pg 214

· Develop students organizational skills

· Help students develop daily and weekly schedules

§ 3)generalization to the new setting- the transfer of training to the inclusive setting

§ 4)evaluation in the new environment

· Transitioning to New Schools

o Collaborate and Communicate with Professionals and Families

o Adapt Transitional Models, and Foster Collaboration Across Schools

§ Adapt models to help students transition to schools

· Deciding on placement:

· Approximating the new environment

· Leveling of academic skills

· Building skills in the new school

· Visiting the school

· Starting with small units of time

· Accompanying and advocating for the student

· Promoting social acceptance and academic success

· Opening lines of communication

· Scheduling Follow up

o Offer Students and Family Orientations and Student Visiting, Shadowing, and Mentoring Programs

· Transitioning Students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

o It will teach students pragmatics- the functional and cultural aspects of language

o Teach cultural norms

o Orient Students to the School

o Teach basic interpersonal communication and social skills (BICS)

§ Modeling

§ Role playing

§ Prompting

§ Scripting

o Teach Cognitive Academic Language and Proficiency Skills(CALP)

o Offer Newcomer Programs- helps immigrant students adjust.pg.224

· Transitioning from School to Adulthood

o This can help their quality of life

o Develop a summary of Performance, and Implement an Individualized Transition Plan pg.224

o Prepare students for employment

§ Competitive employment- where students are in a job with others who don’t have disabilities

§ Supported employment- where individuals are in a job where assistance and services are provided to help them learn how to obtain competitive employment

· Develop students Self Determination skills

o Self determination- an individuals ability to identify and take actions to achieve ones goal in life