1

Critical Reading Reflection

EDUC 450: The Inclusive Classroom: Educating Exceptional Children

 2

Chapter 1

In the first chapter of the book Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings

(Smith et al., 2014), the authors explain the development and growth of Canada’s educational

system and how much it has evolved in favor of students with exceptionalities. Prior to the

1970s, which can also be called the relative isolation phase, students with learning disabilities

were either largely ignored or were accepted to participate in education, however this was done

in isolated settings where these children did not receive the proper support from teachers and

were segregated from their peers (Smith et al., 2014). It wasn’t until the 1970s through the

provincial legislation, that children with learning disabilities needs were finally starting to be

heard and met. This is what the authors explain as the integration phase, where slowly but

surely, classrooms around the country started integrating and including children with special

needs in the same learning environment as their peers (Smith et al., 2014). Although this was a

step in the right direction, the inclusion phase, which was first introduced in the early 1980s,

took it one step further by empowering children with special needs, and giving them a sense of

belonging in the classroom (Smith et al., 2014).

Thankfully, the education system has been revolutionized in the last thirty years which

gave the right to students with exceptionalities to be fully integrated and included in regular

classrooms. According to Smith et al., in 1982, Canada became the first country in the world to

not only recognize, but to also ensure the rights of people with exceptionalities through the

adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (2014). The authors mention that students with

special needs make up about fifty percent of the population in public schools (Smith et al., 2014);

therefore, with the rise of diversity and a change in the educational system, teachers today must

be prepared to teach a variety of needs in their classrooms. Diversity has become a norm in
 3

schools nowadays - from students with intellectual disability, learning disabilities, autism

spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injuries, as well as students at risk and classified as gifted

and/or talented (Smith et al., 2014). They all require special attention; therefore, teachers must be

ready to identify students with special needs and then be in order to implement appropriate

programs to meet the various needs of students in their classroom. However, for children to

receive special education services, they must first be assessed. There are many assessments that

can be done by teachers and the school board, formally as well as informally. The biggest

assessment is the individualized education program (IEP), which is a program designed to gain a

deeper understanding of the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and how the school plans to help

the child improve their skills. According to Smith et al., it has three major components: the

present level of educational performance of the child, annual goals that can be measured, and

short-term goals for the child (2014). The IEP is usually developed by the school team, in which

the child’s teacher plays a pivotal role. Although the teacher is not the one administering the IEP,

it is essential that they partake in the meetings, ask questions, be involved, communicate with the

parents, and certainly refer to the IEP throughout the school year to ensure that the child’s

objectives and educational goals are being met (Smith et al., 2014). It is also crucial to take into

consideration the possible bias in assessment, such as gender, socioeconomic status, visual,

hearing, or motor impairment, and more. It is important to be able to adapt and accommodate to

the students’ disability in order to ensure the least amount of bias when testing (Smith et al.,

2014).

Teachers can support all of their learners in their classroom by creating a positive and

accepting learning environment and by establishing high, yet attainable expectations through
 4

inclusion, as well as integration of students with special needs into the regular classroom (Smith

et al., 2014).

Overall, the main aspects discussed by the authors in Chapter 1 were clear, coherent and

helpful to future teachers. Although it is just the first chapter of the book, the authors provide

insightful information on children with exceptionalities that can be implemented in a classroom.

I briefly knew about the hardships in the education system in regards to children with special

needs but did not realize the extent of the lack of resources and aid for these children, which is

why I found it to be helpful to explain the details from the beginning, going back to the 1960s.

As teachers, we need to be aware of how the education system has transformed since the 1960s

to support the individual needs of all learners. It is important for the same reasons that authentic

and meaningful lessons are important to our students. If students do not understand the purpose

or relevance of what they are learning, they will be less likely to understand the material and to

also be engaged, which in turn can hinder their education. As with teachers, it is essential that we

know why special education is of utmost importance today, and in order to do that, we must be

informed of the history and evolution and see how it has changed. That being said, the authors do

a good job at explaining the education system’s history in relevance to children with learning

disabilities and I do believe that after reading this chapter, I already feel more prepared to teach

students with various needs in my classroom. If we understand the roots of special education, we

then have the foundation to properly support all learners and adhere to our responsibilities as

teachers.

I found it useful that the authors provided strategies of inclusion, such as the “Using

“People First” Language” table. I find that it is not something that has been discussed enough in

my classes and I believe it is a subtle, yet extremely powerful language shift that has been made
 5

in the way children with exceptionalities are labelled. As future educators, we have one duty:

focus on the person, not the disability. As we have discussed in class, an inclusive setting is one

where the teacher is accommodating, flexible, respectful, open-minded, understanding and most

importantly, accepting of diversity and differences. Accepting that we are all different and all

have our weaknesses and strengths, but that every child has the same right to education. The

authors stress the importance of using people first language and how it can help teachers, parents

and schools view people with disabilities as capable and deserving of respect, like any other

person.

Although most of the information in this chapter is useful, I found the Table 1.1 to be

confusing. In my opinion, the authors did not give enough details explaining the chart. While

there is a brief explanation, even after reading it, I would not be able to use this chart to deepen

my understanding and knowledge on this topic. It would have been helpful to explain the table in

more depth in a separate paragraph. How many children were tested? What do these numbers

represent? What were the findings?

In conclusion, the authors did a wonderful job at introducing the notion of inclusion and

integration for students with exceptionalities in classrooms by giving us history and background

on the educational system, which as mentioned, is the foundation of educating these students, by

also giving us inclusion strategies such as “People First” language, and finally by explaining how

to recognize such exceptionalities, such as the steps leading to the IEP, and what to do to

implement a useful program to the child. It is a great introduction to the book, and I know that

the information provided will be useful in my career as a teacher and in recognizing students’

strengths and using them to address their needs in my future classroom.

 6

References

Smith, T. E. C., Polloway, E. A., Patton, J. R., Dowdy, C. A., & McIntyre, L. J., (2014).

Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings (5th Canadian Edition).

Toronto: Pearson Education Canada