Professional Development for Teachers: LEARNing Online

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Introduction

Both novice and veteran teachers consistently identify inclusive instruction as an area in which they need additional professional development, and Louisiana teachers are no exception. This module is designed to partially fulfill that need as well as to to guide participants to develop an action plan for improving inclusive instruction in their own classrooms.

For the past 15 years inclusive instruction has involved teaching students with disabilities in the general education classroom for all or most of the school day by differentiating instruction, offering support services, and providing in-class learning accommodations while addressing individual students’ IEP. However, with the implementation of No Child Left Behind all students must now meet the same standards, and the schools must also provide support for all students’ needs. Hence, this module addresses essential components of inclusive instruction while at the same time suggesting that all students be offered specific support for their learning needs. The module begins with a look at the inclusion philosophy, equity issues, and differentiation of instruction. Discussions in Parts II and III examine some options for accommodating specific learning needs and then some features that render the design of instruction more accessible and facilitative.

Inclusive Instruction Module Objectives

This module is designed to enable participants to:

1. Using the Inclusive Learning Context Checklist, identify learning environment, learning process, and learning product accommodations that are most, least, and possibly appropriate for special learners in your classroom (Part I).
   
   
2. Select accommodations for special learning needs from the Accommodative Checklist for Inclusive Instruction that are related to materials, organizers, assignments adjustments, strategies, assistive technology, and human resources that do, do not, and might apply to your classroom (Part II).
   
   
3. Choose from the Inclusive Instructional Design Checklist those accommodations for special needs that could improve inclusive instruction in your classroom in the areas of validated teaching methods, lesson, design, text design, and technology enhancements (Part III).
   
   
4. Use the three above checklists of accommodations alongside knowledge of the special learners in your classroom to design an initial Action Plan to Improve Inclusive Instruction in your classroom (Part IV).