1

Module 4 Activity 1: Get Familiar with the INCLUDE Strategy

Jean Kang

1. Read about the INCLUDE Strategy on pp. 138-150 in the text. Get familiar with the
acronym, INCLUDE. What does it stand for?

INCLUDE strategy is a systematic approach that teachers can use to help all students

with special needs access the general education curriculum, which is a requirement of

the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Friend & Bursuck, 2019).

“INCUDE” is an acronym that stands for the following (Friend & Bursuck, 2019).

“Identify classroom demands.

Note student learning strengths and needs.

Check for potential paths to student success.

Look for possible problem areas.

Use information to brainstorm ways to adjust instructions.

Decide which adjustments to make.

Evaluate student progress.”

2. Explain each of the 7 steps of the INCLUDE strategy. First, explain what each step
of the strategy requires the teacher to write. Next, give 2-3 examples of what
might be included in each step. Refer to the text (chapter 5) and the Table 5.2
on pp. 235-236

INCLUDE strategy is based on two key assumptions. Assumption 1 is that the

interaction between students and instructional environment determines students’

learning results. And assumption 2 is that teachers can include students with special
 2

needs in their classrooms “by carefully analyzing students’ learning needs and specific

demands of the instructional environment” (Friend & Bursuck, 2019). The INCLUDE

strategy follows seven steps (Friend & Bursuck, 2019).

“Step 1. Identify classroom demands”

Students’ learning results are largely determined by their learning environment,

that includes classroom management, grouping, instructional materials, and

instructional methods. By analyzing students demands in these areas, teachers can

make clear what accommodations and modifications students with LD need and provide

it. For example, a student who sits on a wheelchair needs larger than average area and

passage for his/her wheelchair. And a student who does not follow the instruction well

may need a small group of instruction. These classroom management demands should

be analyzed and noted by the general education teacher. Instructional materials include

textbooks, notebooks, and other assistive technology. For example, students who

cannot see textbook well because of his visual weakness may need a large font version

of textbook or text-to-speech technology to assist him/her. Instructional methods can be

teachers giving instructions directly, or students learning on their own with books or

technology and teachers facilitating their learning.

“Step 2. Note student learning strengths and needs.”

Students learning strengths and needs are reflected in three areas: academics,

social-emotional development, and physical development (Friend & Bursuck, 2019).

The success of academics is determined by basic skills such as reading, writing and

math; cognitive and learning strategies such as memorization, test taking and general
 3

problem solving; and survival skills such as being punctual for classes, being organized

and completing tasks in and out of school, etc. For example, a student who is weak in

memorization may have trouble in multiplication because he can not memorize

multiplication table. But he/she may have a strength of using technology to play game.

And a student has difficulty in reading may have trouble in reading, writing and math as

well. He/she may also have a strength in knowing all cartoon movies. These strengths

and weaknesses can be noted to help teachers to bypass their weakness and

compensate learning with their strengths.

Social-emotional development involves students’ classroom conduct,

Interpersonal skills, and personal-psychological adjustment. Students with disruptive

behavior constantly, with difficulty collaborating in a group work, or lacking motivation

are the weakness in social-emotional development.

Students’ strengths and needs in physical development are usually easy to note.

For example, students with vision impairment may show the sign that can’t read well,

and students with fine motor skills may not write well.

While teachers note students’ needs, strengths are important to note as well to

help teachers provide accommodations.

“Step 3. Check for potential paths to student success”

Students with LD appreciate awards. And awards not only provide extrinsic

motivation, but also enhance their intrinsic motivation (Weiser, B., 2014). So, as

mentioned above, students who have special needs also have strengths that are worth

to note. Teachers can use their strengths to encourage learning and use awarding help

build up confidence. For example, a student with poor memorization skill may be good
 4

at singing. Teachers can encourage him/her write a lyric to memorize the subject

content, such as multiplication table. And a student with difficulty in math may be very

good at reading. Teachers can use his reading skills to participate in the class or

contribute to his group project.

“Step 4. Look for potential problem areas”

Students with LD may experience mismatch (Friend and Bursuck, 2019). And

these are the potential problem areas. For example, a student who suffers from poor

memorization is required to calculate fractions with the same speed as a regular

student. This is a mismatch and potential problem area. A student with poor fine motor

skills is required to write as the same speed as other students is a mismatch and

potential problem area. These need to be written down and addressed with the following

steps.

“Step 5. Use information to brainstorm ways to adjust instruction”

Research has showed that high school students with LD were more engaged in

academics when they received adjustments of instructions. Teachers provide

accommodations, adjustments, and modifications once they identify the problem areas

that they need to address. With accommodations and adjustments, students with LD are

expected to meet the same curriculum standards. Students with IEP have expectations

and performance outcomes defined in their IEP, that demands instructional

modifications.

Strategies can be used in accommodations, adjustments, and intensive

instruction (Friend & Bursuck, 2019). These strategies are bypassing students learning
 5

need by using alternative learning strategy, making changes in classroom teaching

materials, group organization, classroom management, and providing specially

designed instruction to students with LD. Bypassing can be used in the non-primary

instruction area. For example, a student with reading difficulty can be allowed to bypass

reading in math by using a text-to-speech assisting technology, but he/she has to

practice reading in Language Art class.

When accommodations and adjustments fail to help a student, the general

education teacher need to use intensive instructions. For example, a student at 8th

grade has only 3rd grade reading level may have to be pulled out the general education

classroom at times to receive intensive instruction after all the accommodations and

adjustments failed to help her.

Modifications involve altering or reducing the instructional content. For example,

a student with autism may receive reduced content and is expected to mainly remain

calm with his IEP defined goals.

“Step 6. Decide which adjustments to make”

When deciding which adjustments to make, a teacher’s general guideline is to

select age-appropriate strategy for students, to cooperate with special education

teacher as a team, to select easiest approach first, to select the approach that a teacher

is comfortable with, to give choices, and distinguish the issues due to ability or

motivation (Friend & Bursuck, 2019). And finally, also most importantly, select evidence-

based practices (EBP), or research-based practices (RBP), not those so called “best

practices”.
 6

“Step 7. Evaluate student progress”

The results of the intervention should be evaluated timely to decide if the strategy

is effective or not. If not, the strategy needs to be stopped or changed. The evaluation is

achieved by examining students’ grades, work and portfolios, as well as teacher, parent

and student ratings.

References

Friend, M. & Bursuck, W. D. (2019) Including Students with Special Needs: A Practical

Guide for Classroom Teachers (8th Ed.). New York, NY: Pearson

Weiser, B.(2014) Academic Diversity: Ways to Motivate and Engage Students with

Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on July 25, 2020 from

https://council-for-learning-disabilities.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/07/Weiser_Motivation.pdf