Inclusive schools in action

 It was on the sale pile and I bought it hoping it would be more strategies to use in consulting teaching. That said, James McLeskey and Nancy L. Waldron's book, Inclusive Schools in Action: Making Differences Ordinary was an easy and interesting read. When I started teaching some three decades ago, inclusion was just starting to appear in my area. People were trying it out to see how to make it work. Now, it is ubiquitous. Every program is mostly inclusive. This text focuses mostly on beginning the implementation of consultant teaching. It discusses the need for staff buy-in and the need to change how we teach. While I believe that my area has embraced the concept, the idea that we then need to change how we teach is still an unmet ideal in many places. People need co-planning time and a willingness to give up control that is just not the norm everywhere. Further, when one special ed teacher works with multiple teacher, co-planning and adjusting prior to instruction is very challenging to impossible.  

The key that the book mentions early on is that inclusive teaching is "improving general education classrooms so that teachers are better equipped to meet the need of all students" (p. 16). We can talk about differentiating instruction and expectations, but all too often that means you have the audiobook version of the text and extended time, that kids rarely use, on test. We have not changed the concept of how we teach.

The chapter on addressing student academic needs was well written. They look at the planning side with a triangle of expectations. 

This creates a plan where it is acknowledged that not all students will or should walk away with the same understanding. I once had a biology teacher who was an expert at this. She knew exactly what the kids needed to know for the end of year gateway test. That is what she focused our CT class on. She presented more than that, but the whole class instruction was centered on the must knows. She was not as strong at then meeting the needs of the most capable students. Trying to meet the needs of all is challenging, but if you can see the spectrum you have it easier.

The author does include a chart copied from Deschenes, and Sprague's 1994 book, Adapting Curriculum & Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms: A Teacher's Desk Reference. It offers many ways to adapt materials to meet the needs of diverse learners. Many of the suggestions are very basic, such as pairing visual and verbal instruction and audiobooks. This is what has led to the inclusive classroom being a place for students to succeed with little changes. Students who need more continue to have their needs addressed in a separate setting. This could be a resource room or special class. While I find a great deal of value in a resource room that can pre-teach, reteach and review material, I find too many of them, especially at the secondary level, are about getting homework and class assignments done, not addressing concepts at all.

A book with some good ideas, but not necessarily addressing the challenges of the school that has gotten over the initial implementation phase of consulting teaching.