Challenges Teachers Face & Strategies to Combat Them

Introduction

Inclusive education in Australia is ever changing. It encompasses not only students from non-English speaking backgrounds but also students with mental and physical disabilities (Elkins, van Kraayenoord & Jobling, 2003). An inclusive classroom is one where the teacher makes adjustments to the curriculum and the classroom layout to strengthen and accommodate the needs of all their students. The purpose of this essay is to highlight some of the issues teachers encounter within the inclusive classroom and to provide information on intervention strategies that can be implemented.

Issues and Strategies

To provide a quality inclusive classroom, teachers are faced with numerous challenges. In the author's view, one of the main challenges is that of time constraints. According to Queensland's Department of Education and Training website (2011), teachers (in Queensland) are entitled to two hours of non-contact time each week. This time is available to teachers due to their students being at LOTE, music or PE lessons. In these two hours teachers are required to plan and gather resources, follow up behaviour incidences, send emails, complete administrative paperwork and adjust learning activities to encompass children with learning difficulties, and ensure Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals are being met. This leaves little time to confer with specialist teachers regarding students with disabilities (Pearce, Campbell-Evans & Gray, 2010).

Funding is another challenge that inclusive classroom teachers can face (Rodriguez & Caplan, 1998). Teachers require funding for materials to support student learning and to allocate teacher aide time to work with students with disabilities within the classroom. This is one of the reasons that early identification and assessment of students is essential (Marsh, 2008). The identification and assessment process is a lengthy one. Teachers need to collect data, submit forms and await validation before funding can be allocated. Once the allocation has been made, resources and equipment can be purchased and dedicated personnel assigned. If there is a lack of adaptive equipment, communication and language tools, it makes it difficult for the classroom to function as a whole (Ramos, 2009).

Teachers may feel overwhelmed by the many responsibilities required of them in an inclusive classroom (Rodriguez & Caplan, 1998). The teachers' knowledge of a student's disability and the exact needs of the student may be limited, and therefore the progress made by students with a disability within the inclusive classroom could be stunted. Therefore, accurate assessments of students with disabilities and assistance with developing a programming of learning for them should be made in consultation with a special education team.

When students are diagnosed with a disability, they usually have an education support team allocated to them. This support team may consist of advisory visiting teachers, speech language pathologists, guidance officers, occupational therapists and other such specialists. This team of people can provide the classroom teacher with invaluable insight into each student and assist with strategies to help students achieve their education goals (Rodriguez & Caplan, 2008).

In this ever changing world, teachers are constantly being challenged to develop new skills and knowledge (Education Queensland, 2011). Professional development is an essential tenant in achieving this and can come in a variety of forms, for example, bulletins, interaction with peers/specialists and seminars. When teaching students with disabilities, it may be necessary for teachers to attend some workshops and seminars that will assist them to better understand the student's disability. Having said that, teachers may find that due to the time or location of these workshops, they are not able to attend. For example if the workshop is on a normal school day or starts earlier than a teacher can get from the school to the location. If this occurs, some teachers choose to attend these workshops in the school holidays so as to not disrupt the classroom routine.

Teachers in inclusive classrooms need to provide a flexible curriculum to include all students in each activity. In order to do this, they need to consider the unique personalities of their students when developing the curriculum and way they will teach it (Rodriguez, 1998). When planning learning activities, teachers need to include group work. Studies have shown that group work can improve the overall quality of student learning (University of Melbourne, 2002). When arranging group work, the teacher can ensure that students with a disability are placed in a group with children who will be able to encourage learning through their positive encouragement, immediate feedback and assistance.

Fostering a positive disposition within the classroom is another issue that teachers may face. Students should be encouraged to provide assistance, use positive language and actions when interacting with a student with a disability. Teachers need to lead by example and provide engaging learning activities that include all students. Laird (2005) found that when a positive environment is established, students with a disability become more self-confident and are more likely to interact socially. This will encourage these students to participate in classroom conversations and ultimately improve learning.

Teachers also need to be able to seize a teaching moment (Marsh, 2008). This means that when implementing what they have planned to teach, students grasp other tangents (this can be ascertained through questioning techniques, brain storming and mind mapping) and the teacher needs to be able to continue on with instruction using the student's strategy.

Teachers in inclusive classrooms need to vary instruction and classroom procedures to achieve optimum learning for all students. Administration staff will acknowledge this and support these teachers with whatever means available to the school (Donaldson, 2005).

Intervention

Intervention, as described by Eaves and Poteet (n.d.) is "all planned attempts to promote the general welfare of exceptional individuals" and is divided into three main categories; preventative, remedial and compensatory. These interventions are designed to provide students with disabilities, ways to act, react and learn within the school environment. Teachers and support staff provide specific, individualised intervention which will help students with disabilities achieve fuller and more independent lives (Heward, 2006). For the purpose of this essay, students with Autism