‘Megan Grable Inclusive Classroom Child Study April 20" 2019 ECED 301LI attends preschool through an inclusive classroom run by the Suquamish Tribe. The classroom is an ECEAP classroom, (Early Childhood Education Assistance Program), a Washington state- funded early learning program. She has been enrolled in this program since September 2017. Li and her three siblings were removed from their biological mother’s care in September of 2018 and placed with a foster mother, who is a teacher at LI’s school, LI was referred for an evaluation in fall of 2018 and she qualified for services based on deficits in her score in Cognitive, Social-Emotional, Communication, and Adaptive skill. In addition to attending her ECEAP class, she attends a developmental preschool at a neighboring school, four days a week. ‘The teacher I interviewed; Micki Blighton has been a preschool teacher for over twenty years, She has been a teacher for the Suquamish Tribe for 18 years. 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LT pa dg asals, onc les ee hea. 7 Dida _sroke , 5855‘ ttle Su eaaee vy oT Vow Mea = TaeLi pots play dow ee Bal ck the both “Teaghae fac itet ey Co ¥ rrentessendh =~ "Lh mede oo Make “Tino [oeks od oa al ike por sp whack oe yew clean. uf FE continneal yl ning Py eg fei be Tee te shai LE Teehows pice tordy tp LE fad sons Wwe clean up we ha ee Leek a we pute de" ee ee 2 fly damp Pee Te ass | Mul wolks + he Ly eA LO bnew omg prorire. :Inclusive Teacher interview with Micki Blighton April 10, 2019 ECEC 301 1. 2. 3. 4. Describe your experience working with children with special needs in an inclusive classroom. {ike having children with special needs in my classroom. It shows the typical children that everyone isn’t the same. It's important for kids to understand that. For (Li) | work on getting down to her level, getting close to her face so she can see my face when | talk with her. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of inclusion? Not being there in the moment. We have a few children with needs in the classroom, some with behavioral concerns that can get pretty aggressive. It’s hard on me when I'm not able to support Liwhen the other needs of the kids in the classroom take up my time. | wish | had the time to slow down and help settle her when she needs support. | can hear her working on expressing herself with her peers. | wish | could be there with her to help her do that every time, but It’s just not possible. ‘What strategies do you use to support LI? Being face to face with her. Using sign language with her as much as we can. Give her the words she needs to use. Being down at her level when speaking to her, so she can pick up the sounds | am making, so that she can understand what is going on. I've talked with her (foster) mom and ‘we both are worried that her hearing might be permanently affected from before. Describe your role in L's IEP process? We do the ASQ in September, we noticed a delay in several areas then. | talked with the ECEAP Education Specialist and we started to draw up the paperwork for a referral together. When LI was placed with Teri (Foster Mom) in the fall we had her sign all the paperwork and sent it all to the school district for Childfind, We had a meeting with a panel of experts from the field, we ‘met and spoke on their findings from the evaluation. I'm able to piggy back on what she does at the developmental preschool s that she is able to be successful. How does having LI in the classroom impact the other children? The other children see not all children are the same. They are able to be L's helpers, they can assist with her and be empathetic towards others. They help watch for the school bus when it comes and remind LI to get on. How do you ensure that you are helping LI meet her IEP goals? | revisit her IEP goals and touch base with her developmental preschool teacher. We share with ‘each other how L's week has been, any changes we've noticed. We probably talk twice a month. If there is a big concern, we'll call as needed. | wish | could make it work every week. I'm trying to stay on target. Teri and | talk every day to touch base.7. What environmental changes have you made to the classroom to accommodate LI’s needs? ‘More pictures posted around the room, we use a picture schedule for her, it’s not just for LI, bust something that all the kids can access and learn from it. They all ike to look at it. We have visual timer to help with transitions. | try and make myself available to meet her needs. 8. Describe your relationship with Li's (foster) mother? Open communication, she likes verbal conversations over texts, notes sent home or emails. Every day we communicate about whether LI had a rough night, or how well she is speaking at home and at school. We talk about her behaviors, her communication, strategies that work at home or at school. 9. What would you like Li's mother to know about her in the classroom? That even though she has struggles she is strong, she wants to problem solve for herself. She will not give up and is independent. She tries hard to meet her own needs with other children. | can hear her telling the other kids “no” or “stop”. She wants to fix things for herself. 10. What advice do you have for new teachers on the subject of inclusion? It’s important to include them in everything. No labels. No one knows that LI has a disability. We Use the same techniques with all the kids, tell them the same things, we use the same picture schedule with all the kids. That whatever techniques you use with children with special needs you can use across the board.The biggest take away from the interview and observation was the way that through intentional teaching, the classroom can support the needs of children no matter their developmental milestones at the time. The importance of this is described in the book, “Developmental diversity among children calls for skilled and sensitive teachers who will respond to the children’s special needs with a range of individualized programs.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp.282) While interviewing Micki, the teacher, she touched on the importance of treating the children equally, saying, “We use the same techniques with all the kids, tell them the same things, we use the same picture schedule with all the kids. That whatever techniques you use with children with special needs you can use across the board.” (Blighton) The variety of ‘opportunities for the teacher to teach Li in the classroom and her ability to use the other children to support what is expected in the classroom also stuck out to me. There are many benefits for LI being in the classroom I observed. She is able to interact, with children who have more developed speech. The activities and goals can be adapted to meet the LI where she is at developmentally. “If children with developmental problems are to benefit from special approaches, learning activities must take place within a developmental framework.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 282) The teacher has a good understanding of how to make adaptations to her activities, giving LI more prompts, but ultimately having the expectations that Li will participate in her own way with the activities. She is called on during circle, and expected to participate, the teacher just made adaptations for making sure that the question is heard. While observing in the classroom I saw many environmental things that help support LI. This is supported by the book describing the importance of an engaging environment. “Continuous transactions occur between children and the environment. Children...are affected by, and have an effect upon, almost everyone and everything they come in contact with.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 288) Her picture and name was on her cubby. The importance of this is described in the book as, “The space should be labeled with their name and picture so that each child can easily locate her cubby.” (Allen and Cowdery, pp. 335) having an easily identifiable location for her will help her transition smoother. There were engaging materials down low, where the children can reach them. There are a multitude of materials for the children to use, such as manipulatives, dramatic play, play dough and tools, w1 materials, a wide variety of books on topics that should interest all children. The teachers let me know that they change out the materials about once a month, rotating based on the children’s interests and the center they are in, Through the use of visual prompts, it may be beneficial for LI to decrease her use of them. The teachers should use a practice called “fading” which would be beneficial to help LI become less dependent on the use of picture cards this could be done by “shrinking the size of the pictures, lightening them so that they are discreet, or it can also be faded by using line drawings or using fewer pictures instead of a full sequence.” (ConnectABILITY) Using the process of “Prompt, reinforce, fade” the teachers will be able to scaffold LI’s development. ‘The benefits of having a child with special needs have been documented by several sources. In the book, it states that “children who are typically developing, who are in inclusive classrooms, demonstrated a greater appreciation of diversity and at the same time raised theexpectations of their classmates with severe disabilities.” (Allen and Cowdery, pp. 20) This was observed by the way that children in the classroom seem to have an understanding of the different abilities of each other, and yet treat each other with respect. In the interview with Micki, the teacher she explains the positive impact on the rest of the class having LI with them. “The other children see not all children are the same. They are able to be LI’s helpers, they can assist with her and be empathetic towards others.” (Blighton) She told a story of how the children help her ook out for her bus to developmental preschool in the afternoon, reminding LI that it’s her turn to go. ‘The teacher, Micki, has had a great deal of experience working with children with special needs over the years. She has built a strong relationship with the providers for specialist services. Micki was a Head Start Teacher for over ten years prior to becoming an ECEAP teacher. Both programs have a certain number of children in IEP’s they must serve each year. She has spent a great deal of time as part of an interdisciplinary team, specifically in what the book describes as “professionals coordinate and collaborate across disciplines and incorporate skills from other disciplines into their own practice.” (Allen and Cowdery, pp. 270) She talked of how she ‘communicates often with the teacher for the developmental preschool. “I revisit her IEP goals and touch base with her developmental preschool teacher. We share with each other how LI’s week has been, any changes we've noticed. We probably talk twice a month. If there is a big concern, we'll call as needed.” (Blighton) She has a comfort level in working with the specialists and with making referrals when she has a concern. Micki was very involved in the meetings with the school. She shared how she reached out to the parent after some initial assessments conducted at the beginning of the year having lower scores. Together with the Education and Disability Specialist for ECEAP, they were able to ask Mom to sign off on a referral to Childfind. Through that, the initial evaluation was conducted and the IEP was created. Micki was able to attend the IEP meeting and was in close contact with all the providers on what the goals should be. The importance of this interdisciplinary team creating this IEP is best practice as supported by the book which states, “Teamwork is especially important in providing the systematic instruction that is necessary to meet the needs of the children with challenging behaviors or severe disabilities.” (Allen& Cowdery, pp. 284) By participating in the meeting, Micki was able to have a better understanding of what LI should be ‘working on in the classrooms and how to support her outside the classroom as well. Micki was very invested in the creation of the intervention plan and evidence of this was seen in the observations. She seems to have taken the meeting that she had with the specialists and with the parent and was able to be reflective of her strategies. She brought in picture cards, a visual timer and makes sure she is close to LI when speaking, all aspects that are outlined in LI's IEP. “Components for examination include both the physical environment, communication with families, assessment, curriculum and strategies for promoting positive behavior, as well as their own personal biases and experiences.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 286) I observed Micki working oon goals that were set in the IEP, transplanting them into the classrooms. She sat down next to LI on the side of her better ear and faced her when giving a directive. Micki showed evidence of having a cooperative and strong relationship with the foster mother. She told me, “Every day we communicate about whether LI had a rough night, or howwell she is speaking at home and at school. We talk about her behaviors, her communication, strategies that work at home or at school.” (Blighton) The importance of this type of relationship is particularly important for LI because both the teacher and the Mother are able to be consistent ‘on the expectations they have for LI, itis explained in the book as “Consistency provides security for children. Children who feel secure tend to be more confident. They learn to make sound judgments when they are sure of what is expected of them.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 293) Through the consistency that both the teacher and the parent provide LI is able to thrive in a place of learning and security. tis important for activities and lessons around goals to be embedded throughout the day. In the book, it is described as, “Teachers in an inclusive setting also facilitate (And integrate) the Individualized intervention programs prescribed by the various disciplines. They translate clinical recommendations into interesting classroom activities that can be carried out in a way that benefits all children.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 296) For LI, she has a goal to use speech more often. Theses embedded activities could be created through routines, teacher-initiated activities or through activity based interventions. 1. When itis time to go outside LI must ask for help to get her jacket on. The teacher may prompt her by saying the phrase “Help me please” with the expectation that LI will attempt to repeat the phrase back. 2. While at free choice time, the teacher will join her in an activity she is participating in and ask open-ended questions about her interests. 3. While in one on one instructional time, having her describe what she sees in a particular book page. ‘Two activities that LI could be asked to participate in to help another goal that LI has would be to provide opportunities for her to work cooperatively with a peer. Allowing LI to problem solve for herself will promote her competence in this area, as stated in the book, “Teachers who respect children and their need to develop autonomy can give them even greater freedom to explore and experiment.” (Allen &Cowdery, pp. 294) 1. Have LI share a large piece of paper with a peer and have both of them paint on it, using the same variety of paints and water. The teacher will be close by to facilitate proper communication with each other, but allow LI to try and problem solve peer conflicts as they arise. 2. Have LI and a peer set the table for mealtime, allowing them to decide who gets to pass ‘out which items. Again, the teacher should be close by to help mediate when needed. ‘The importance of this is described in the book, explaining how the teacher must embed activities that promote the child’s goals, “Facilitating classroom activities... provides a bridge that allows the children to practice, generalize, and consolidate what is learned in therapy sessions to functional, everyday situations.” (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 297) ‘A few things I learned through this assignment was how with intentionality, inclusion is possible in a classroom. There are adaptations to be made that can support all the children’s development. The part of the reading that stuck out to me the most is viewing the developmenton a continuum, that not all children are going at the same speed but the priority is not to have all the children at the same level, but show an upward progression that can differ from child to child. In the book, Allen and Cowdery states, “Effective teachers operate on the principle that it is more useful to know that a child is moving steadily forward than to know that the child is above or below the ‘norm.’ (Allen & Cowdery, pp. 287) All children learn and grow at different speeds, and our job as educators is to foster that development, no matter where they start out at. If Icould go back to when I began, I would tell myself that meeting children where they are at, and teaching from there is a great start point. That having a complete understanding of every disability is not necessary, but an ability to try and understand and work with intentionality is crucial.Works Cited Allen, E.K. and Cowdery, G.E. (2015) The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Blighton, M. (2019, April 10). Personal interview ConnectABILITY. “Prompting and Fading.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 July 2016, www. youtube.com/watch?v=9xFEOM4CG-8.