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Final Reflection

EDSP 432

Professor Irwin

Herlyn Cresino
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The classroom that I observed in was a special day preschool classroom. Because of this,

I observed the classroom through a critical lense and tried to find reasons for why an inclusive

classroom would be better for a childs development if they have special needs. Because most of

the children had language delays, being in an inclusive classroom would have helped their

language development if they were immersed in a language-rich environment. Having only six

children in the classroom doesnt quite allow plenty of room for social interactions. If a majority

of the children are nonverbal, then the only verbal language that they would be acquiring is from

the teachers. If they were in an inclusive classroom with more children, it would give them more

opportunities to interact with a bigger group. When they are supported during play by the

teachers, the childrens social skills would also improve because they would learn how to

negotiate, cooperate, and problem-solve.

In the special day classroom, everything was very repetitive and they studied the same

shape, letter and color for a long period of time. They would also always sing the same songs or

read the same books. During rotations, they always had the same activities to do: block play,

beading activity, and puzzles. If they were in an inclusive classroom, there would have been a

wider variety of activities to do that still helped them with their development. In The Exceptional

Child it states, Each day, they will encounter a variety of challenging materials, equipment, and

activities, planned and unplanned (Allen, 2012 p.11). In an inclusive environment, every day

could be different. They could learn different songs and read various books but still maintain a

consistent, timely routine. There would be more toys to play with and peers who can help elevate

their play along with the teachers assistance. In doing so, these children arent stuck reviewing
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the same materials over and over again. I believe an inclusive environment could provide more

creative opportunities for play and learning compared to the classroom that I observed in.

Although I didnt observe in an inclusive environment, I believed it was still successful in

serving all of the children because the teachers provided them with support and guidance. A

teachable moment that I observed was when the teachers asked the children to communicate

what they wanted. Whenever I saw a child hold up a package of food to the teacher she would

ask, What do you want me to do? Some of the children would say Open. When another child

was struggling to say the word, the teacher made the O shape with her mouth and guided him.

With another child, the teacher used PECs to encourage him to communicate what he wanted.

The teachers were very attentive in finding teachable moments, especially with child who was

practicing his PECs.

Some challenges to inclusion would be when children with special needs have prolonged

tantrums, unpredictable behavior and become physical with the other students. During this

incident, a child had a screaming fit for about 5 minutes and I noticed one of the other children

covering his ears. During another incident, a child was swiping materials off of the table and

throwing them around. The teacher had to stay with her until she calmed down. This took time

away from the rest of the students. In Educating Peter, Peter had a few incidents where he hit or

kicked his classmates. Situations like these cause distractions in the classroom and could

potentially put children in danger. The teacher in Educating Peter expressed her concerns

because she was afraid that something was going to happen and she wasnt going to be there to

help. Sometimes teachers cant be there every second of every day to prevent unpredictable and

harmful behaviors to occur.

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From this course and the classroom, I have learned several effective strategies for

implementing a smooth and effective transition. During the activity in class where we had to

create our own classrooms, I learned that there are various ways of helping children transition

from one activity to the next. There are sand timers, music, bells, stoplights, and on/off light

switches. In the classroom, they used songs to help the students transition which was a very

effective method for the children. Some of the children even memorized the transitional songs so

they sing along while they are cleaning up. No matter what transitional tool is used, it can be

effective for not only the child with special needs, but also every child in the classroom because

there are different types of learners. A child with hearing impairments may benefit best from a

sand timer, while a child who is a visual learner could equally benefit from physically seeing

how much time he/she has left.

In The Exceptional Child, it states, Effective transitions, like all quality programing,

require an adequate ratio of teachers to children, (Allen, 2012 p.357). This was another effective

strategy that I learned in the classroom because there was a 3:6 ratio. Among the 6 children,

there was an adult that helped 2 of them at a time. Having a ratio as such is very helpful for the

students who require additional assistance and attention. The teacher can help guide them from

one activity to the next. In an inclusive classroom, there should also be an adequate ratio to help

the children with special needs who may have a difficult time transitioning. I saw how smooth

the transitions went by when the children had additional assistance from the teachers. Therefore,

a child with special needs in an inclusive classroom could also achieve successful transitions if

they had the appropriate guidance of a teacher.

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Another effective strategy that I learned was to pay close attention to behavior because it

is a childs way of communicating. This was discussed in the content of the course and I

witnessed it in the classroom. Because most of the children in the classroom were nonverbal, the

teacher paid close attention to their behaviors because it showed what they wanted. For example,

during circle time, all the children were seated in their chairs while the teacher played a video.

One child kept was whining and kept getting out of his chair. The teacher asked, Oh, do you

want to dance? The teacher didnt punish the child for not sitting or not listening to directions,

but instead made the connection that he wanted to get up and dance.

After observing in this classroom and being exposed to children with special needs, it

made me realize that they absolutely have the potential to flourish and develop in a typical

classroom, but they are not always given the opportunity to. In The Exceptional Child it states,

The rights of children with disabilities to as full a life as possible is a major ethical force among

advocates of inclusion (Allen, 2012 p.9). These children deserve to be included in a general

education classroom because separating them is unfair and unethical. They are just as bright and

eager to learn as any other child in the classroom. Their disability should not hinder them from

acquiring a high-quality education. We must look at the child as a child first.

From the content of this course, I have learned how simple and easy it is to create an

inclusive environment. We could embed learning opportunities that include the childrens IEP

goals into the classroom by using their peers and including others to work on their goals. In a

video shown in class, a child was shown moving around her arms, while the child with special

needs was imitating her. The teacher was supporting the play by modeling the movements as

well. This activity could have been a gross motor developmental goal for the child with special
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needs. At the same time, they were playing and working towards their developmental skills. In

another video, the children were singing a song together along with the speech therapist. They

were singing and dancing, which could have also been a gross motor developmental goal for the

child with special needs. The therapist was helping him move his arms along to the song. This

was another way of having children interact with one another while also working towards their

goal.

Successful inclusion would not be possible without the support and guidance of teachers.

The teachers in my classroom showed similar key qualities of teachers in inclusive settings that

were discussed in the powerpoints. They viewed their children as a child first, collaborated

effectively with the specialists, and had the genuine desire to better understand how to meet the

needs of young children with disabilities (11/17 Powerpoint). They had respect for both the

children and their families. From the professional interview with the teacher, she showed her

concern and passion for collaborating with families. After school, she always communicates with

the parents and shares their childs highlights of the day. For example, one child had a striped

balloon and pointed at a teacher that had a striped shirt on. The teacher shared this observation

with the childs parent which showed the teachers value of communication. She really wants

families to know that they are there to support and help them with everything that they need. She

doesnt want families to think or feel like they are alone because the teachers are there to help.

The teacher also has a solid understanding of typical development which helps her when she is

determining the goals for each child. She works collaboratively with the therapists who come

into the classroom and guides activities with the children.