BackgroundIntegrating Special Education into the

ClassroomSpecial Education Observations Regular Education Observations

Perry Flynn, M.Ed., Kristine Lundgren, Sc.D. & Ye He, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Michael Maykish, M.A. Brunswick County Schools, Mariam Abdelaziz,

M.A. Guilford County Schools,

Speech-Language Pathology Practices in Chinese Schools

The American SLPs observed, and discussed with teachers from Shanghai, the similarities and differences between regular and special education service delivery in China and the United States. Some observations in special education included:

•Students with learning disabilities typically remain in regular education but receive supplemental tutoring during specified periods of the school day, after school and on weekends.

•"Speech" services are most often provided in a medical setting yet may be provided on the school campus to a very small number of students; mostly in the area of articulation.

•Students with intellectual disabilities are served in separate special education schools where the typical classroom size is one teacher and one assistant to 10 students in a classroom. In a school of about 300 students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities 5 received "speech" services for articulation.

•Families are often present in the classroom to provide on-to-one assistance for students with physical needs and are paid by the government as teacher assistants.

•The use of augmented or alternative communication was not observed in the public special education school. It was however a common practice in the private special education school that was primarily populated by international students with special needs.

As part of the Fulbright-Hayes expectations, the North Carolina team produced teaching modules that employed the principals of universal design and included differentiated instruction to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.  The modules were designed to be used in the classrooms in North Carolina and China.  Themes of the modules included a variety of content areas and topics representing Chinese culture (e.g. folk tales, songs, holidays).

The Fulbright Hays participants were asked to teach a lesson to Chinese students in the third grade. Three speech-language pathologists and a science teacher co-taught an integrated demonstration lesson incorporating language and literacy concepts in a science lesson on the topic of cell biology. The Chinese students who participated in the lesson and Chinese teachers who observed commented on how many objectives were targeted. They found the multi-sensory nature and interaction between the U.S. teachers and Chinese students unique. The teachers planned to implement some of the techniques they observed in their instruction during the upcoming year.

At the public separate special education school the speech-language pathologists conducted trainings for several Chinese teachers and administrators on the use of augmented communications systems. The team demonstrated use of an iPad and several applications as augmented communication devices. The SLPs created and demonstrated use of adapted books, communication boards, and picture exchange systems that represented differentiated instruction on a variety of themes.

Some observations in the area of regular education included:

• In elementary school there is an emphasis on Chinese, Math and English language learning.

• Character education, using traditional Chinese values, is prioritized in all grades and taught daily.

• Students are encouraged to be independent , are left alone in classrooms to work and even have daily chores including sweeping the room, taking out garbage… that they accomplish independently.

• Major exams administered in eighth grade assist in determining an academic or vocational path for all students

• Many parents are very involved in their child’s education and often provide supplemental academic tutoring after school hours and on weekends.

• Teachers report having 2-3 hours of planning time built into every day.

Sponsored by the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad (GPA) Program, a group of North Carolina educators, including speech-language pathologists; English as a second language teachers; special educators; and regular education teachers traveled to China during the summer of 2015. Through this GPA program, teacher participants studied and exchanged ideas about education services in a variety of school settings in Shanghai. During the one month stay at Shanghai Normal University, the American teacher participants observed, learned, and shared educational ideas with Chinese teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools and 2 special education settings: one public and one private. Teaching modules that included the principles of universal design and differentiated instruction were created by the participants for use in American and Chinese schools.

Post Experience

Demonstration of use of augmented communication for Chinese teachers