ABILITY DIFFERENCES IN THE CLASSROOM:

TEACHING & LEARNING IN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

By: Angelique Curtis, Kristy Stas, & Danielle Talento

MYTHS ABOUT ABILITY & ABILITY GROUPING

What do you think the myths are about student ability and ability grouping in the class?

Myth 1: There is such a thing as ability. Myth 2: Students learn better in homogenous

groups. Myth 3: Teaching is easier in homogenous groups. Myth 4: Children are cruel and cannot accept

differences. Myth 5: Parents support homogenous grouping

and tracking.

MYTH #1 (THERE IS SUCH A THING AS ABILITY)

Educators use “fixed abilities” to label children as smart, slow, gifted, or handicapped.

We all differ in many ways, so we shouldn’t view a child’s (or anyone’s) ability as being fixed.

Armstrong(1993) and Gardner(1983) Multiple Intelligences: ways of being smart

MYTH #2(STUDENTS LEARN BETTER IN HOMOGENOUS GROUPS)

Research evidence suggests otherwise. Same-Ability groups creates differences

in what is learned due to exposure to different kinds of material.

Average- and low-ability groups benefit very little. Not taught in enriched and high-ability tracks.

Negative affect on self-concept & ability to create cross-group relationships

Creates differences(or divides) and solidifies existing differences.

MYTH #3(TEACHING IS EASIER IN HOMOGENOUS GROUPS)

WHY?Homogeneous grouping comfortable and

familiar Lack of time for individual needs, low

motivation, low levels of involvement from some students.

Heterogeneously Grouping:Children benefit from peer instruction,

cooperative learning, become more involved

Teacher Roles Shift: Management Instruction

MYTH #4(CHILDREN ARE CRUEL AND CANNOT ACCEPT DIFFERENCES)

Yes!...if there is a divide in the class then there is no opportunity to build acceptance& tolerance of differences, and building of social skills.

Social Climate = Teacher’s #1 Priority Children can learn to care and provide

positive support. Teachers: positive focus on differences,

provide learning activities encouraging positive social skills.

MYTH #5(PARENTS SUPPORT HOMOGENOUS GROUPING AND TRACKING)

NOT true for all Parents of children w/disabilities are

challenging separate & isolated classes & schools

Parents of “typical” children support integration more as their kids become comfortable w/ disabilities & differences

Parents of “gifted” students tend to be more on the fence Child’s need not met w/ wkbk style class 1 solution special class

Others worry about stigmatizing affects of labels

MYTH #5 (CONT’D) Increased evidence of regular

classrooms providing effective inclusion of ALL students EQUALS Increased parental support of Heterogeneous Groups.

WHAT IS COOPERATIVE LEARNING/ PEER TUTORING? Students work together, help each other

learn Jigsaw Method: divide material and

students into expert groups. Learn and re-teach to the class.

Heterogeneous grouping used to incorporate all students

Students serve as resources for one another ‘Work Buddy’ Classroom Yellow Pages(activity):

MULTI-LEVEL TEACHING Teachers rethink what is taught and how it’s

taught Use multiple and varied methods Organize different activities and projects on

varying levels(writing reports, draw and label a picture, acquire ability to identify.

Ask yourself: What does each child need to know? What can be modified or adapted? Can students participate w/ varying levels of

evaluation and involvement? Modifications made for students w/disabilities

and LD can help many students w/o

INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS Education of students w/disabilities in

the general education classroom; learning along side their same-age peers

Consider:What is taughtHow it’s taughtFacilitation of student interaction“Positive nature of diversity” within

classroom

TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS Provide direct instruction on how to praise,

support and resolve conflicts. Explore ways to offer, accept, and decline

help w/ students Have students reflect on :

3 things they do well & 3 they have trouble withWays to provide helpThings they need help with & types of help

they’d like Show students that everyone has different

skills and everyone needs help with some things.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN TEACHING IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMWhat things shouldn’t teachers do when

teaching?

Don’t label students by ability such as smart, slow, or average

Believing that ability is fixed Grouping students homogenously by ability,

High, average, and low Not talking about or addressing students differences Segregating students that are different Assuming all students engage in learning the same

way

Evaluating each student the same Using a star chart to display who is

doing well and who isn’t Having students compete against one

another Awarding “best team” or voting on the

best essay

WHAT TO DO WHEN TEACHING IN AN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMWhat things should teachers do when

teaching? Understanding that ability is made up of

many factors Findings ways that allows for all students to

achieve, like creating a classroom that nurtures and supports diversity

Heterogeneous grouping students working together and learn to help each other

Addressing differences and structure learning activities that encourage interaction among students

Using cooperative learning strategies -Jigsaw divides material to be learned in 5 parts, all students responsible of contributing- “Learning together” heterogeneous groups-peer interaction

Teaching appropriate social skills-assigning different task to each member

“Family Rule” giving student more responsibilities in the

classroom-taking role, lunch count, decorating bulletin board, helping make decisions

Peering tutoring within the classroom or a crossed grade level

Students Helping One Another Rethinking what and how they teach Organizing a unit to fit all learning abilities Asking questions about the students learning, “what

does each student need to know?” “What aspect of the unit can be modified or adapted?” “Can students participate in the same activity with different levels of evaluation and involvement?”

Encourage students to discus how they may pick teams so it would be fair and fun for all

Students contribute to bulletin board, students choose what assignments they would like to display, room arrangements are flexible

Materials in the class show differences disabilities Monitoring language Respecting each student

TEACHING ABOUT DIFFERENCES Do:

Have students contribute to class bulletin boards

Talk about & honor children’s differencesAsk for ideas of how to include students

w/disabilities in class activities Don’t:

Use forms of competition…Not conducive with creating community respectful of diversity

Allow inappropriate comments between students

BOOK Roby, C. (1994). When learning is tough:

kids talk about their learning disabilities. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.

This book is about a group of different types of children who all have learning disabilities. Each person talks about themselves so the reader can get to know the person and if or how their disability effects them.

QUOTES Joey- “As far as learning disabilities go, I

say don’t give up. You just have to work hard. Believing in myself has helped a lot.”

Andrew-“One of the tricks I have is to try and stay as organized as possible. This really helps me because I am not thumbing through a while bunch of papers trying to find my English paper or something. I also try to keep my binder as empty as possible so when I’m finished with papers, I put them in a big crate that I have at home.”

…QUOTES Cameron- “I consider my learning problem a

challenge. The worst thing you can say is, “I am disabled and worthless.” The best thing you can be is yourself. You should never try to change that.”

Nick- “Kids should remember that there are tons of people out there with learning disabilities. Don’t ever, ever worry that you are different. My personal motto is : Suffer, survive, and move on.”

Emily- “Kids should remember that there are tons of people out there with learning disabilities. Don’t ever, ever worry that you are different. My personal motto is : Suffer, survive, and move on.”

ACTIVITY -Students will be grouped by the teacher and

assigned one child from the book. -Each group will write a summary of the child.

-The summary should include when the child

discovered about the disability, how he/she felt about it, if and how his/her education and learning process changed, what areas he/she enjoy or are good at, what he/she want to be when they grow up, and his/her motto.

-The groups will then present their findings in the class.

…ACTIVITY -We will then have a class discussion. Examples of

the question I will ask include:

“what similarities did we see in all the students?”

“Were any of the children in the book who thought their disability affected their intelligence?”

“Does having a disability mean that the children still could live a normal life, which includes having interests and sill excelling in other areas of their life like sports, music, and writing poetry?”

MAKING A CLASS BOOK Students will then make a class book. ask the students to write a brief description of

themselves just like each child did in the book. Each student should include a description of

any interests they may have, something they are good in, something they may or have struggled with, anything that is unique about them, and how they learn best in school.

each students picture put it their piece of writing.

Put the book together to keep in the classroom so the students can learn about their peers and see that everyone is unique in their own way

STUDENT QUESTIONING/INTERACTION What are some ways to promote

cooperative learning within the classroom?

As a teacher what can you do to address the different needs of all students in the class?

Where there any myths that seemed surprising to you?

SUMMARYWe’ve learned that not all students can

and will learn the same things at the same time, so the implementation of varied and multiple teaching methods is necessary to help each student learn. It is important to talk about differences with the students to let them know that not everyone is the same.