Abstract
This article is about an attempt to change my practice in assisting the regular class teachers to increase their ability in dealing with special needs students in their classroom. Also, this article describes my realization that knowledge is not the most important aspect of being a teacher consultant.
The beginning of my journey
Assisting teachers to understand that they have a responsibility to all students, especially the ones that are identified as exceptional, is a huge task. After my first year in the role of teacher consultant I reviewed the professional development that I had presented and the professional development that I attended. I realized that I was not focused on what I did or how I approached things. I needed to focus on specific areas, instead of being all over the place. I chose three important beliefs to anchor my work this school year.
- Classroom teachers are the most important piece of the puzzle.
- Fair is not equal. Fair is meeting each child's individual needs.
- All teachers are special education teachers.
Classroom teachers are the most important piece of the puzzle.
The key to all student learning is the classroom teacher. I believe that all students are going to be successful if they have a strong classroom teacher. This is especially true when the student has special needs. According to the Grand Erie District School Board's Guiding Principles for Special Education "the regular classroom teacher plays a central role in the process of identifying special needs, co-ordinating the additional supports to build a better understanding of an individual student and developing an Individual Education Plan to address these needs" (2003, p. ). It is a large part of my role as a member of the system program support staff to build the capacity of schools and classroom teachers to meet the range of special education needs. I believe that the first step to make this happen is to be supportive to teachers and reassure them that they are up to the task.
In their book Schools That Work, Richard Allington and Patricia Cunningham state that "classroom teachers have the opportunity to know children better than any other member of a school staff, but often classroom teachers' expertise about the children they teach has not been valued"(2002, p. 68 ). I believe that statement is true. As a teacher consultant it is important for me to help principals and learning resource teachers understand that classroom teachers should be the ones sharing their expertise, when it comes to resource team. Often questions are asked that the resource teacher cannot answer. The classroom teacher is in the position to offer information on everything that happens in the classroom, such as; how the student reacts in certain situations, or peer relationships.
The Special Education Companion states that "a teacher will be able to draw on the expertise and assistance of school and board staff who can provide support related to special education issues"(2003, p. 8). This describes my role as teacher consultant, to give support around special education issues related to special education.
I believe that being an effective Teacher Consultant is more than having expertise and knowledge. After doing a workshop for the staff at Boston Public School, a grade 6 teacher mentioned how much she enjoyed the workshop and the relaxed, supportive method of the delivery. She said that the material is so important and bound by regulation, but I presented the content in a manner that was easy to understand. I recognized that being a good Teacher Consultant has three important aspects: knowledge, passion, and interpersonal skills. More and more I am beginning to realize that how you present something, and how you make people feel is as important as the factual knowledge that we share.
I provided two workshops for the staff at Boston Public School on Individual Educational Plans (IEP). The first one was an overview of the IEP Engine that we use in the Grand Erie District School Board. The second was a working session on the IEP Engine to create IEP's for students receiving accommodations in the regular class. After the inservice the Learning Resource Teacher, Sara Lefler, wrote that "the teachers had mentioned that it is reassuring to know that I am available to help classroom teachers with any questions about special education. By providing the services and training, teachers can assume more responsibility for children with special needs as they are able to help and create IEP's which reflect the learner in the classroom" (S. Laidlaw, workshop reflection survey, 2003).
In my journal on November 13, 2002 I brainstormed some ideas about how I could help teachers take more responsibility for students with special needs. I came up with the following ideas: to speak to teachers at staff meetings, division meetings, workshops, resource teams; have informal conversations with regular class teachers; and model teaching strategies. Also, I needed to talk with principals and learning resource teachers about encouraging regular class teachers to be involved in resource team meetings. Throughout the school year I have been doing this.
On January 15, 2003 Karin Mertins, the psychological associate with whom I work, and I, had a resource team meeting at an elementary school in Scotland, Ontario. The teachers, whose students were involved, came and discussed the students' difficulties. It was good to have the discussion and to have the teachers part of the brainstorming process. It assists in understanding the difficulties that the students are having. I believe that being part of a team process of brainstorming, and trial-and-error feedback helps classroom teachers feel supportive, and they take more ownership of the programming. Quite often the strategies suggested for one student are effective for others in the classroom. Teachers frequently comment that one strategy mentioned at the meeting may work for another student in their classroom.
Not every audience is receptive to this message that classroom teachers are responsible for the programming of all students, including students identified as exceptional. On October 25, 2002 I went to Waterford Public School with the Teacher Consultant-Junior Division, Janie Senko-Dreiger, to do a workshop on Balanced Assessment. I shared the information that the Ministry's goal is for all students to be working on the Ontario Curriculum. Then I made a comment about the classroom teacher's responsibilities with respect to the Individual Educational Plan. I said that classroom teachers should collaborate in the IEP process. Wow, big mistake! Of the twenty teachers in the workshop, seventeen believed that we are asking too much from the classroom teacher and it should be the responsibility of the Learning Resource Teacher to take care of exceptional pupils; under no circumstances should the regular class teacher be expected do that. One good thing is that one teacher said that she wanted the responsibility of being part of the IEP process because she is responsible for the program and she should have a say about what is going to be taught to the student. After this teacher said this, she got two responses: one teacher clapped her hands, while the other teacher again said it is not her responsibility.
After the workshop I spoke to the Learning Resource Teacher at the school and told her I could understand some of her frustrations. The teachers don't want her working with the students in the classroom, they want her to pull the students out, and they want the resources on their desks to support that student. Teachers are having difficulty understanding the model of delivery of special education.
Fair is not equal. It is meeting the students needs.
Another task that I have laid out for myself is to encourage teachers to provide students with accommodations that are fair. In my conversations with teachers, many have stated that they cannot give accommodations for a student because not all students can have that done for them. When I speak about accommodations I like to quote Richard Lavoie from his F.A.T. City Video, "fair is not equal, fair is meeting the individual needs of the student".
Again it is difficult to get that message out to teachers. Often you end up preaching to the choir. In my teaching career I have found that anything that you do for a special education student will benefit many other students.
This was evident when I taught a writing class in a grade 6/7 classroom. This classroom had twenty-nine students, six of whom were identified as exceptional through the Identification, Placement, and Review Committee. I used graphic organizers to help in the writing process. After the students handed in their writing assignment, the teacher commented on the fact that it made a difference for every student. She noticed, overall, that the students' writing was better organized and sequenced (Personal Conversation, 2003).
All Teachers are Special Education Teachers
Dealing with students with special needs is a difficult responsibility for all teacher to grasp. I believe that all teachers are special education teachers. Historically, the Special Education model has been to pass the responsibility of students who are at risk on to other people, i.e. the resource teacher or to a self-contained class. Teachers want to deal with all their students but, they lack the confidence or knowledge to deal with those students that are exceptional. In my role as teacher consultant, I find it frustrating that many teachers don't understand that it is their responsibility to educate everyone in their classroom. Many times teachers come to resource team and work through the process of having a psychological assessment done on their student. They then go through the process of having them identified as exceptional, and feel that their work is done, the magic fix or cure, has happened. However, the work and support has only just begun for that teacher and that student.
The first Tuesday of the month has become one of my favorite mornings. I have to leave my house at 7:00 a.m. to drive to Langton School for our 8:00 a.m. Resource Team Meetings. It is not only the donuts, from the Courtland Bakery, that are appealing, but also it is the conversation. At this school, all teachers are involved in the problem- solving of the Resource Team. I believe that the interaction comes from the Principal, Paula Rasokas. Paula believes that "the teacher needs to take responsibility for determining the students needs. The teacher then needs to obtain a baseline level of performance in that area, whether it's social, emotional or academic." Paula also believes that "the teacher needs to encourage the student to be as independent as possible in the development of these areas, in the least restrictive environment (regular class placement at the student's home school) possible"(Personal Conversation, 2003). I would agree with Paula, that we want to have students in the least restrictive environment then move them to a more enabling environment (self-contained placement) when needed.
By working through this process I am realizing that it may be more important to be supportive to the teacher than to just have the knowledge. I asked Sara Lefler to write about how I supported Boston Public School as a Teacher Consultant for Special Education. She wrote: "In conversation with Sharon you can sense her concern for special education and she will help and reassure you through any question or problems you may have. By fostering an environment such as this, teachers are able to assume more responsibility for children with special needs in their classrooms as they feel more self-assured in themselves as they receive the additional assistance and support they need. In turn, teachers are more capable of handling concerns and programming regarding students with special needs in their classrooms" (Teacher response, 2003). By increasing the responsibility of teachers towards special education it ensures that all students are having their needs met. At the end of the day, it is important that the students benefit from their teacher's expertise.
Next Steps
I have realized as a teacher consultant I need to sit down each year and find a focus for the year. By mapping out that focus, I can ensure that the workshops that I present, and my priority for professional development, will be on the same topic.
I also believe that we need to continue to get the message out. The special education model revolves around the regular class teacher meeting the needs of students in the regular class. I need to keep on talking to principals, teachers, and parents. The better the capacity teachers have to teach special education students, the better education will be for every student in the class.
Bibliography
Guiding Principles for Special Education, Grand Erie District School Board, 2003.
Special Education Companion, Ministry of Education, 2003.
Allington, Richard and Cunningham, Patricia, Schools that Work, Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
