In today’s classrooms, general and special education teacher
s must work together in modifying and constructing learning opportunities for students with disabilities under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Directed by a carefully constructive IEP (Individualized Education Program) that provides a skill diagnostic and learning plan, special education teachers must be able to work collaboratively with general education teachers in ensuring that curriculum expectations meet the needs of students mainstreamed into general education classrooms.
For Ms. Johnson, a high school general science teacher, the collaboration is sometimes at the cost of general education students who are academically marginalized in the classroom because of her additional lesson planning for students with disabilities. The mainstreaming of students with disabilities into her general science class has increased her understanding that she lacks the skills to provide effective lesson plans and outcomes. Initially, Ms. Johnson felt alone and wanted to grieve the increased workload requiring her to modify curriculum for the nine students with varying disabilities, along with creating individualized curriculum for two students with 504 plans, three students with undiagnosed ADD (Attention Deficient Disorder), and 20 regular education students presenting uniquely differing learning styles and classroom behaviors. Currently, she is doing research on a team approach with Ms. Kramer, a special education teacher with five years of special education experience.
Ms. Kramer, a special education teacher of five years provides her own perspective on the situation. She feels that mainstreaming her students into general education classes is oftentimes at the academic expense of her students, who lose academically in the process. In her daily encounters with general education teachers, Ms. Kramer feels that their inability to modify curriculum that is accessible for her students is a violation of IDEA laws. Ms. Kramer believes that general education teachers need additional professional development to understand that her work with the 15 students in her special education classes is overwhelming and requires instructional expectations beyond what she learned in her education courses. She feels that general education teachers don’t even read the carefully written IEPs that she has to prepare for her students with disabilities each school year. Ms. Kramer has been asked by Ms. Johnson, a general science teacher to work as a team on the issues at hand, but she is not sure if Ms. Johnson would incorporate her curriculum ideas of modification in her instructional teaching.
A team approach is the best option in addressing the issues presented by both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Kramer who represent general and special education teachers nationwide. In Part II, guiding principles are presented for general and special education teachers in working together to promote the learning needs of all students in the classroom.
Continue to Students with Disabilities - A Team Approach - Ms. Johnson's Story - Part 2