Diverse-ability

Connecting Students with Diverse Needs

Purpose of today’s presentation:

1. Acceptance of Diverse populations in our classrooms ( a little history).

2. Going beyond mere acceptance to truly welcoming Diverse populations

3. What can we do in the classroom?4. What can we do outside the classroom?

Accepting Diverse students in our classrooms.

Just a bit of History• 1. Previous to the 1970’s, institutions were the

norm, institutions had separate schools• 2. 1975: IDEA was enacted by Congress “to

ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education, just like other children”.

• http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/idea/

• 3. Acceptance became mandatory

Moving Beyond Acceptance to Welcoming

Separate Schools in Districts• 1. Institutions were closed

and individuals moved to group homes.

• 2. Separate schools located in each district/bussed in..

• 3. Separate, but not equal… students were not academically and socially challenged equally, socially interacted only with adults or a few students in class http://www.crf-usa.org/brown-v-board-50th-anniversary/including-the-disabled-student.html

Inclusion: within a school• 1. CLCNETWORK in the

1990’s moved students to classrooms within the student’s home school

• 2. Students were mainstreamed in regular classes with some special classes… Whichever educational setting was the least restrictive and was best for the student

• It is important to know the reason why inclusion: • (brown-v-board) “to maximize… academic

achievement… learning language, appropriate behavior, and other social skills from their non-disabled classmate…

• Prepare… for the real world later in life… These social experiences in a regular classroom cannot be duplicated in a special education class or separate school settings.”

Moving beyond mere acceptance to true inclusion/welcoming into the classroom…

Why inclusion/welcoming from Biblical viewpoint?

• God speaks and then asks for action:• 1. Gen. 1:31 And God saw everything

He had made….It was VERY GOOD!• 2. Psalm 139:14 We are wonderfully complex, God’s

marvelous workmanship• I Samuel 16:7 God looks at the heart (not outward

appearance)• God assumes ACTION: Matt 25:40 Whatever is done

for the “least”, is done for God

To Summarize:MARVELOUS: God’s design is intentional, not

an accident. Even in the midst of bodily imperfections, our creation is a MARVEL.

ACTION: God’s challenge to us to be active DOERS for the “least” is real!

REWARDING: Our actions are a GIFT to the King of the Universe. What a REWARD that is!

God calls us beyond mere inclusion, tolerance, and

acceptance to honoring/welcoming each other!

Cor. 12: 25-28 If one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

Know Why….It is right, just, honoring,

and gives praise to our Creator

Our Master Designer created us to be honored

as a valuable, unique masterpiece designed to fit into the 3-D puzzle that is

God’s plan.

How can we include/welcome diverse students in the classroom?

• Knowing that our classroom will be increasingly diverse…how can this be an advantage/blessing?

• 1. Know the students…learn their diverse strengths and “discover the students’ unique requirements for optimal growth, and then implement differentiated strategies to help them bloom”

• (Neurodiversity in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong)

• Pablo Casals--“And what do we teach our children?

• We teach them that 2+2=4, and that Paris is the capital of France.

• When will we also teach them what they are? • We should say to each of them: Do you know

what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you…You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. ..Yes, you are a marvel.”

The Joys of ADHD (in the classroom)• 1. WE think: hyperactive, easily distracted,

impulsive• 2. The JOYS? Creative, full of vitality, divergent,

spontaneous, playful, imaginative, full of wonder, (brains mature 3 years later)

• 3. Notable Individuals: Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jordan, President Kennedy, Emily Dickinson

The Joys of Strength Based-Learning Strategies (for individuals with ADHD)

short, dynamic “lectures”immediate feedbackuse students’ imaginations, humor,

movement, creativity, color coding physical relaxation, Using music in headphones, choices, consistent routines, real-life tasks,

outdoor learning, always give them recess

The Joyful ADHD Careers:

• Job description: enjoys new situations and being physically active, can deal with emergencies, is creative, able to work independently

• Joy-filled careers for a person with ADHD: recreational worker, nature photographer, entrepreneur, private detective, journalist, athlete or coach, surveyor, ER physician, airline pilot, forest ranger

The Gifts of Autism

1. WE Think: introverted, poor social skills, OCD2. The Gifts? Perceive details, systemizing, special interests, classroom experts3. Notable Individuals: Temple Grandin, Emily Dickinson, Andy Warhol, Henry Cavendish, Daryl Hannah

The Gifts of Strength-based Strategies for individuals with autism

involve student in special interest area, portfolios on interest areas,

using visual aids wherever possible, manipulatives,

establish routines, work alone or in small groups, variety of ways to express self, role play, use of machines

The Gifted Careers of Autism/ Asperger's

• Job description: ability to see detail, work independently, work with systems

• Gifted careers for a person with autism/ Asperger's:

Web page/video game designer, auto mechanic, maintenance worker, photographer, artist, accountant, librarian, computer programmer, statistician, physicist, clerk, warehouse worker

The Strengths of Students with Cognitive Impairments(CI)

1. WE look on with pity, limited expectations, prejudice, stigma, social exclusion

(fewer than 11% are fully included in regular classroom…p93)

2. The Strengths? Many are happier with their lives (than others in the general population), some have rare abilities (Williams syndrome…Musical-perfect pitch), can enjoy repetitive jobs

3. Notable Individuals: Chris Burke, Jason Kingsley, Gloria Lenhoff

The Strength-based Strategies for individuals with CI

1.Assistive technology (ipad, smart phone, books on tape, etc.)

2. Communication devices3. Interactive games (Wii)4. Peer Tutors/Paraprofessionals5. Experiential learning, hands-on, down-to earth

simple explanations linking to personal lives6. Use of music, rhymes, drama to learn

materials

Strength-based Careers for Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

• Job description: dependability, punctual, caring, team player

• Strength-based careers for a person with Intellectual Impairment : animal caretaker, library assistant, mail clerk, store clerk, cook, printer, medical technician, auto detail worker, custodian, dietary aide

The Bright Side of Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EI)

• WE Think: mad, angry, mental illness, emotional roller coaster, irritability

• The Bright Side? Higher creativity• Notable Individuals: Edgar Allan Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt

The Bright Side of Strength-based Strategies for individuals with EI:

Team approach, assistive technology (T2Mood Tracker), positive learning environment, clear expectations,

fair consequences, specific praise, positive rapport, peer tutoring, self-talk, positive role modelsrecording behaviors, meaningful tasks, class meetings, elective time-out

Bright-Sided Careers for students with (EI)

• Job description: creativity, ability to think “outside the box”, enjoys the arts/entertainment/humanities

• Bright-Sided careers for a person with EI(Students with emotional/behavior disorders have a 50% drop-out rate/20% are arrested while in school. p116) Imperative to carve out a positive niche for the student so that strengths are emphasized.

A Strength-based classroom is a place where students with all sorts of labels come together as equals to

form a new type of learning environment: one where there is no such thing as a normal student, and where each and every learner is viewed as a marvel. (p159)

What can we do to include/welcome outside the classroom?

• How do we welcome students not only in the classroom, but to full social inclusion including life outside the classroom?

• Our initial experience at South (3 students and 2 part-time staff)

- initially began as a separate classroom tucked away at the back of school -mainstreamed in a few classes

-

Yet within a few years, we realized that we were an island, separated from

many of the typical aspects of the high school setting.

The difficulty we faced was 2-fold: 1. The student body had few opportunities to interact with the students in the inclusion

program 2. Many students with special needs struggle

with social skills and have difficulty connecting

*Change came through the students themselves. Students that we were meant to educate,

educated us!

**These students moved us to realize that in spite of including them in a number of regular classes,

there still was an element of separation.

Altogether, we felt that a focus on social inclusion was vital to true inclusion.

- It had to be intentional social inclusion- It had to be unique for the high school level- It had to involve a variety of students- It had to be student run (by a Connections Council)

The students “birthed” Connections. 1. initially we took on a Circle of Friends concept with groups of 7 to 15 (but they were too large and very little 1:1 contact)2. Sometimes groups had personal conflict, but still we grew slowly

Connections Lunch Partners

Eventually the Connections Council “birthed” small groups (based on friend groups/or new-friend groups, 3-7 students)

Accountability: signing each time they come for lunch, encouragement notes on lockers

Benefit: the student with special needs has lunch partners almost everyday…no more eating “alone”, gets to know many new students, students get to know the lunch partner, huge increase in participants

Connections:

Information sheet (that can be handed out at the Connections Kick-off or whenever needed)

What is it?Connections is a way for students to connect with other students, reaching across grades, groups, special needs, and cultures. It is a way for us to encourage each other to see others through God’s eyes…..seeing teens not just as they are…but as God intends them to be.Why participate?Because it will give you an opportunity:*to serve God by serving others*experience the joy of helping others*fulfill needs that only students can meet*reaching across boundariesHow can you participate? *by becoming a lunch partner*by coming to special events*by planning &/or participating in a chapel(s)*by planning &/or attending the yearly Connections Banquet*by joining the planning team, Connections CouncilWhat do you need to participate?Commitment, be a friend

CONNECTIONS:Students connecting with

students

Full social inclusion

• Another challenge: after school hours! Parents of teens with special needs long to have their teen busy after school.

• After school events: hay ride, Fall Fest, Dinner Theater with the school play, bowling, Christmas party, CLCConnections banquet, end of year party

• Tim Litton’s story

Further questions???

How to begin?1.Identify students and needs2. Get permission from administration3. Get permission from parents4. Get a Council started (ask students), speak to student body5. Set a date to start…make “how to” plans with Council.6.Use lunch hours to meet or people’s home7. Sign up students with a kick-off after a chapel at the beginning of the year

What do the teens do during noon hours with Lunch Partners?

Hang outEat lunch togetherPlay games ( we have a game “closet”)Go out for lunch occasionallyHang out in the gym

Impact on our School Community?

The surprising effect of full inclusion (academically, physically, emotionally, and socially) is its impact on the school community:

Our room is a two-way street with many students coming and going

Teens learn that normal is ALL of God’s children Teens teach us, find careers/jobs, are part of

Connections chapels/ Diverse-ability week

How do you keep going?

• Reflect! Relax! LISTEN! God may take you on a unused path! Be READY!

• Prayer• Impact of countless stories• Remember why/ what is the purpose?

Finally: Remember why we strive for going beyond mere acceptance to

warmly welcoming

It is right, just, honoring, and gives

praise to our Creator!

God’s beautiful creations: Hennie, Andy, and Tim challenged us at South.

South Christian continues to humbly learn because God isn’t finished teaching us yet.

One never knows what interesting new path God has

for us to take!

We hope to continue to grow by learning from our students’ advice:.

• Listen to God’s voice and ACT inside and outside the classroom.• Students have Diverse-abilities

just waiting to be included, welcomed and connected.

Links - Start Project

• Program for Peer to Peer • Mentoring/tutoring/after school/in-class• 1:1• Originally designed for individuals with

autism...but is expanding• https://www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter/