The Benefits of Collaborative Teaching to Students with Learning Disability in an Inclusive Classroom

PATRICK OKYERE

THE BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE TEACHING TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

GROUP MEMBERS

Meliza Anzures

  Pablo Aranela

  Emily Garcia

  Jennifer Proulx

  Sheryl Tillett

BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE TEACHING TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM.

Collaborative teaching is one of the most important teaching methodology that is used to ensure fair distribution of information in an inclusive classroom. In an inclusive class, students have different learning strength and weakness. Therefore, it is very imperative to adopt various instructional techniques that could provide a more efficient instructional support to satisfy the learning needs of student. This is where collaborative teaching is very useful, since students will be exposed to different teaching styles and diverse academic information at the same time. “In special education, the term "collaboration" refers to a team teaching approach. In addition to the regular classroom teacher and the special education teacher, a collaborative team may also include speech, occupational, and/or physical therapists” (Walpole, S. & McKenna, M.C. (2007). Differentiated reading instruction: Strategies for the primary grades. New York: Guilford Press). The collaborative process provides the necessary support for students to be educated in the least restricted environment, which is very helpful for improving performance of special need students.

Moreover, there are different ways through which students could get the needed collaboration. These include: teacher collaboration model-  with this model, one of the teachers will be the lead teacher. This is usually the general education classroom teacher who will give the instruction in the subject area. However, the special education teacher will act as an observer who will works with the students in accordance with the instructions to provide specially designed instruction, to ensure understanding, and to provide adaptations and modifications. Also, collaborative teaching involves Learning Centers Collaboration Model. With this technique, an instruction for a specific area in a room is assigned to student. The students will be asked to organize themselves into smaller groups that will rotate through the learning centers for instruction. The instructions related to the area of certifications will be delivered by the special education teacher. The special education teacher will also provide support service to other teachers who do not have a special education background. “This approach is particularly appropriate for younger students, for whom center-based education is more typical” (Special Education in Collaborative classroom, Marisa Kaplan). Also, the pull-out model is another method of engaging in collaboration---- in areas instead of having a special education teachers or therapists "push into" general education classrooms, students are "pulled out" for services. Another way could be alternative Collaborative Setting: the students are grouped into two, and each teacher will deliver instructions for half of the students. The teachers will use the same materials using the same instructional techniques. Team Teaching--involves general education and special needs teachers working together simultaneously to teach a classroom of students.

On the other hand, “ a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information, if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways” (The Educators guide to Learning Disability and ADHD, http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld). Learning disability comes in different forms, including dyscalculia (mathematical calculation difficulties), Dysgraphia (writing difficulties), dyslexia (reading difficulties), visual, nonverbal and auditory learning disabilities. However, these disabilities in an inclusive class is what makes it necessary to adopt a collaborative teaching mythology in the lesson to provide an interventional and instruction support that will satisfy all learning needs.

Furthermore, the use of collaborative teaching in an inclusive classroom comes with a numerous benefit to both students with learning disability and regular student. Since the different delivery method from both teachers could enhance a performance improvement of students with different learning style. The importance of collaborative teaching to students with learning disability are as follows:

        First, the display of two different mindsets enhance a classroom community which enables students to connect with two different personalities. “Co-teaching creates enough opportunities for small group and one-to-one learning, and stronger modeling during lessons. The co-planning process encourages two teachers to bounce ideas off each other to deliver the strongest, most creative lessons” (Collaborative Team Teaching: Challenges and Rewards May 10, 2012, Marisa Kaplan). The use of collaborative process in teaching will help co-teachers to use their partnerships to model behavior and positive peer-to-peer interaction for students. Students will be able to understand the power of respect among peer, especially when they see teachers working together to achieve a common goal. In an inclusive classroom collaboration, it is a way of building the qualities of tolerance, teamwork, and respect for one another. Inclusive classroom is made up of special needs and general education students. For example, teaching a classroom with a proportionate number of students with learning disability means that one of the teachers will have to spend time on the learning disability. The level of passion that teachers will exhibit toward the learning disabled will enable regular students to tolerate their disabilities. This will build a strong classroom community, where every student is passionate about the wellbeing of one another.

        Secondly, there is an expanded teaching toolkits and exchange of ideas. Collaborative teaching give access to teachers to have more resource, and it promote the use of recommended instructional practices. This is because both teachers prepare separate lesson plan ----with a focus on the same objectives. Due to this, one of them could identify a material which could be beneficial to the lesson, and another may also discover a technological support that will enhance efficient delivery of the lesson. These will enable both teachers to identify different kinds of teaching materials and resources which could be useful for subsequent lessons. This is because collaborative teaching is a combination of different ideas and resources, and therefore teachers, apart from providing students with different forms of instructional aid to support their lessons, they also copy from each other about the kind of teaching tools that support kid with learning disability to improve on their academic performance. Teachers will use this medium to test the effectiveness of teaching resources and to record the level of improvement it has brought on student’s performance. Regarding learning from one another, Special education teachers learn more on the content and modify it to accommodate the learning needs of students with disability, whereas regular classroom teachers could also learn new skills, and interventional strategies for improving learning in the classroom. This is because “collaborative teaching allows students and teachers to benefit from the healthy exchange of ideas in a setting defined by mutual respect and a shared interest in a topic” (Kathryn Plank, editor of Team Teaching: Across the Disciplines, Across the Academy),