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By Allison Shanks
Learning Targets:
At the end of this lesson, readers will be able to explain the importance of in-person learning for students in an inclusion classroom.
At the end of this lesson, readers will be able to describe how virtual learning has impacted student learning and teachers.
2.1 There is not enough time during lessons to accommodate students
2.2 Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals got put on hold
2.3 Teachers can only offer so much structure in a virtual world
Think About...
Think back to when you were in elementary school. Do you remember how special education students were treated? Did they join in the general education classes for most of the day and treated like they were a part of the school? Were they taught in their own classroom that was separate from all of the other students in the school? Was there a combination of both?
What Is an Inclusion Classroom?
Anna
Anna is a special education student. She spends the majority of her day participating in activities within the general education classroom, where she has her own desk grouped with other students in the class. She is valued and respected by all members within the classroom. Her teachers are able to adapt their lessons and provide support for activities to meet her special needs, as stated in her IEP.
James
James is also a special education student. However, he spends the majority of his day participating in activities within the special education classroom and is only in a general education classroom for a short period of time. He does not have his own desk in the general education classroom, or it may be away from the other students in the class. His teachers do not adapt their lessons and provide little support for activities to meet his special needs, as stated in his IEP.
Why Do Inclusion Classes Need In-Person Learning?
Inclusion classes are combined with students in special education and general education, where teachers are able to make accommodations for all of the diverse learning needs present. However, students with special needs are the most at risk when considering virtual learning (Nelson 2020). In-person learning is the optimal choice for these students because they will get the proper help that they need to keep up with their learning (Brandenburg et al. 2020). Virtual learning can end up causing students with special needs to fall even more behind. Physical classrooms can help students get into a structured routine, that would otherwise be disrupted in a virtual setting (Nelson 2020). Brandenburg et al. (2020) argues that in order for students with special needs to succeed, they need to be in a physical classroom where they have access to any special educational services they may need. The physical school building may be the only option students with special needs have to get the proper access to their education.
A Look Into a Virtual Inclusion Classroom
To learn more about how learning in a virtual setting has impacted teachers and students, I have interviewed a kindergarten teacher from Newport News Public School. Helen Shanks has been the general education teacher in an inclusion class for the past several years. Although Ms. Shanks is the general education teacher in the classroom, she works closely with all students in her classes. She ended the 2019-2020 school year teaching virtually and went into the 2020-2021 school year virtually as well. I believe she has a first-hand experience of the challenges faced by both teachers and students in inclusion classrooms.
How Did Virtual Learning Impact Teachers and Students?
Not Enough Time
One challenge that affects both teachers and students is the lack of time teachers have to differentiate virtual lessons to meet the needs of all students. Ms. Shanks (personal communication, February 13, 2021) says they have to take more time to prompt students in answering a question, because it takes less time away from the lesson and gives students an option for an answer. Teachers also do not seem to have enough one-on-one time with the students due to the lack of time for virtual lessons. Many students require this time to fully understand the concepts and will fall behind due to the lack of differentiation of lessons.
YH5ASSG7EU2LPWFI.mp4MI6AN2TT6ZNHQ4CS.mp4Changes in IEPs
The majority of her class this year has Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), mainly for social-emotional disabilities and developmental delays (H. Shanks, personal communication, February 13, 2021). There were also several learning goals that got put on hold due to learning in a virtual setting. Learning social skills and fine motor skills are hard to teach through Zoom and require teachers to be physically available to help master these skills. Social skills are even harder for students to learn in a virtual setting because teachers can not make younger students talk to them and it is harder to give students the time to talk to one another.
Not Enough Structure
Ms. Shanks (personal communication, February 13, 2021) mentioned the lack of structure in a virtual setting. Students can be distracted by TVs, phones, or even by siblings doing their own school on Zoom. Ms. Shanks (personal communication, February 13, 2021) mentioned that she spends quite some time trying to regain the students’ attention to get them to participate during a lesson. Most of the students will join the class on Zoom for morning meetings and literacy, but then do not come back for the rest of the day. Ms. Shanks (personal communication, February 13, 2021) believes that the amount of learning that students actually get out of virtual school depends on their situation at home.
MAAYUZ55E4PX9AWQ.mp4Review Questions
1. What is the name for classes comprised of students in special education and general education?
A. exclusion classes
B. inclusion classes
C. self-contained classes
D. virtual classes
2. Anna is a special education student in an inclusion class. Her school is currently being taught virtually and Anna seems to be falling behind academically. In what way could Anna's academic abilities be improved?
A. distractions from other students
B. having her IEP goals put on hold
C. returning to in-person learning
D. time limits on lessons and activities
Answers
Answers
1. B
2. C
Conclusion
Based on the information I reviewed, I believe that learning in a virtual classroom is not optimal for students in an inclusion class. Ms. Shanks (personal communication, February 13, 2021) mentioned several challenges that are faced by both students and teachers in a virtual learning world. We have to decide what to do based on the impacts virtual learning is having on students. Is keeping students home where they are “safer” from COVID-19 more important than the quality of educational instruction they are receiving? There are ways to keep students and teachers safe at school and get a more proper education to help students succeed in the long run. As Brandenburg et al. (2020) said, I too believe that it is important that students with special needs get back into the classroom as soon as possible. A school building may be the only place that students with special needs have access to the services they need to succeed in school.
References
Brandenburg, J., Holman, L., Apkon, S., Houtrow, A., Rinaldi, R., and Sholas, M. (2020). School reopening during COVID-19 pandemic: Considering students
with disabilities. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, 13(3), 425-431. doi: 10.3233/PRM-200789
Nelson, A. (2020, September 29). How COVID-19 has affected special education students. TuftsNow. https://now.tufts.edu/articles/how-covid-19-has-
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