The most important thing is that we should identify students with disabilities properly.  I learned from perspectives of people with disabilities that identifying was the beginning of their recovery.  I would collect information about student with disabilities as many as possible.  Also, for a successful inclusion, what I have to from the beginning is getting to know children with disabilities as an individual.  

Information I need for students with disabilities

The first thing I have to do is collecting information to better know and understand students with disabilities.

These are information I need for her/him.

  Overall

1. What is her/his social skills?

2. What is her/his behavior like?

3. What kinds of interventions within the classroom have been attempted?

4. What is her/his social background?

5. What is her/his medical history?

6. What is she/he strengths?

7. What is the relationship like between you/ the school and the parents?

   On school

1. How does she/he feel about school life?

2. What is the best part of the school day for her/him?

3. What is the worst part in school?

4. Hasn't she/he been studied before in my content area?

5. If so, listening, writing, speaking, reading skills

6. What is the subject she/he like the most and the one she/he hate the most? Why?

7. What problems does she/he have in the class academically and socially?

  On personal life

1. What does she/he like?

2. What does she/he dislike?

3. Does she/he feel different from other kids in your class sometimes? 

  Additional information

   Interview with parents, teachers who taught her/him, Classroom observation

Participating in developing IEP

After getting information, I will participate in developing a student's IEP.  Probably, I can have more in-depth information in the different perspectives, and it will enhance my knowledge and understanding of her/him. 

Setting a goal for students with disabilities

Goals for her/him will be established in IEP meeting.  In addition to those, I will make my own objectives for students with disabilities in my class.  It includes creating cooperative learning environment such as peer tutoring, learning group, and etc.  At the beginning of class, I will assign cooperative learning groups in class.  For example, there will be made several groups for class activities, and I think it can help students with disabilities learn not only knowledge but also social skills.  Also, students with disabilities will be paired with other students who are helpful, friendly, and a pair of students will be encouraged to help each other, that is, a process of peer tutoring.  I think that from those processes, both students, students with disabilities and normal students, will learn together in many ways such as social values, eliminating prejudice, and others.

Modifying instructions for students with disabilities

After getting information of children with disabilities and setting objectives for them, it begins for us to modify instruction for students with disabilities.  The one thing I remember is that teaching begins with unconditional love.   

Working as a Team

The teacher should not be expected to integrate a student with a disability into the regular classroom alone. Working as a team is a key to success.  There is no one, except parents, who knows better for their own children.  I think parents' participation is very important in teaching and learning.  I will let them know what their children did learn today, how lecture was going and others.  Also, I'd like to let them give me suggestions for better lectures and others.  In addition, cooperation with special educator is crucial.

Assessing students with disabilities to find out their progress

Assessing students with disabilities will be done periodically, and when they are realized their own progresses, it is more likely for them  to have higher self-efficacy, and those things can help them highly motivated.

In cultural difference issue

In teaching English as a second language, understanding cultural difference is very crucial.  In case of high incidence disabilities, it is possible for students to be underestimated due to their limited English skill.  Also, in some ways, it is a kind of disabilities for students who don’t speak English to live in U.S.A.  First, I’d like to let them have self-efficacy in learning English as a second language.  Secondly, students' primary language can be used as a basis of learning English.  The development of competency in English is most effective when students are in programs that build on their first language.  The use of primary language in the curriculum provides a support system for learning English, for making learning in other subject areas more comprehensible, and for helping students to gain confidence both socially and academically.  In this case, my primary language is Korean, so it will be easy for me to help Korean ESL students.  However, in case of students who are from other countries, I'll look for help.  I think that it can help students communicate with their parents or somebody who speaks their language. My job as an ESL teacher is letting students connect from their first language to English, because learning English can be beneficial ESL students who live in U.S.A. for better future such as getting a job. 

 In lecture,

I'm teaching English as a second language to students.  It is not their first language, and it is somewhat or totally different with their first language.  That's why most students, including normal students, will feel uncomfortable during class.  However, it is my job to let them adjust in English setting class.  So, to clear these problems, I will make more friendly circumstance.  For example, students will be asked to sit on the floor and make a circle instead of sitting a chair.  Of course, there is some flexibility for students who has physical disabilities in this case.  It can help them think that this is not the class which just transmitting knowledge but learning a language by doing activities.  Also, in the first class, students will be asked to draw a picture about anything they want, and those pictures will be posted on the wall.  I think this can give them feeling that they are participating in classroom environment.

In addition, students with disabilities will be encouraged to focus on their own goals rather than following standard curriculum.　

These are strategies for more understanding lecture.

Overall 

Provide an outline or summary of lecture.

For better understanding, use visualized materials and audio materials at the same time.

Tape and videotape lectures, and lend it to whom need it.

Emphasize things are important.

Make a guideline for homework.

Provide a feedback for homework.

Communicate with parents.

Promotes interest by doing lots of activities.

Make sure that I have their attention.

Take a couple of examples which is familiar or relevant for students with disabilities.

Use direct and simple explanations for a concept.

Divide class work into several segments for long-term memory.

Circulate around the room to check student progress and to provide immediate, corrective feedback.

Repeat what we learned several times.

Make connections between new knowledge and things they already know.

At the end of class, I organize what we learned today.

In activities,

Provide clear directions before each step.

Demonstrate it several times.

Assign a partner who is familiar with activities.

Have an orientation before showing video.

Make sure that the length of video is appropriate.

Review main points of video.

Place those with auditory problems near sound.

In selecting video, make sure that the content of video is appropriate for them.

In discussion,

Make a small group discussion for encouraging more participation. 

Ask questions students can answer.  

Through questioning and answering process, encourage students to participate.

Ask both product and process questions.

Increase wait time.

Encourage students to ask questions.

In first day of class,

Provide them how to organize school stuff, test, quiz, syllabus and notebook.

In test,

Provide oral test to someone who need.

If writing is problem, give them another way to take a test, such as oral test.

Allow students to illustrate and explain their answers.

Let them have a pretest or guideline.

Remove time constraints.

Make it clear in asking question.

Reference

Cramer, Sharon F. (1998). Collaboration: A Success Strategy for Special Educators. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Kameenui, E.J., Carnine, D.W. (1998). Effective Teaching Strategies that Accommodate Diverse Learners. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/ddc/incl/intro.htm#fldnotes

http://www.circleofinclusion.org/