A bit of a rant...

"Inclusive education" - i have mixed feelings about this idea.

Yes it seems great to think that all students could be taught in one room effectively, but the reality of it is that we all learn very differently...

... just today Rob mentioned that one idea about learning is that with six billon types of people there will be six billion different learning styles.

Many people learn at a generally similar pace, some learn at a significantly different pace. Plain and simple


... but at what point do we decide to have a specialized environment for groups of those who learn at a similar pace?

and when does it become acceptable to reduce the delivery rate and/or complexity of the content delivered to an entire class to better accommodate for those who have a learning disability rather than teaching those with certain similar levels of disabilities in a separate environment specifically designed for them.

I went to school in classes of around 25-30 throughout my entire K-12 career. Our school still used special education classes for certain students. I do believe that this system worked reasonably well. (but of course no system is perfect) One student in our class was hard of hearing. Due to this she obviously would have difficulty learning. The difference was that with her a system of FM transmitters and a sign language teaching aid broke down the barriers to her learning and with these items in place she was able to very effectively learn as well as compete with other classmates at a very similar level. Some of the students who attended separate classes with different programming had disabilities which include severe autism. Each of these individuals were great and unique in their own way, but overcoming their barriers was not as simple as a few gadgets and an aid. With specialized programming and proper care and attention they were definitely able to make progress and achieve certain goals, but were not at advanced level of the majority.

Including these students in the typical classroom would definitely lean toward the definition of Inclusion, but first off: without proper aids it would make the teacher's life nearly impossible, and second: they were far from being able to trek along at the pace of the other 25-30 students.

So what is the solution?

-Reduce content level for all?
-Separate classes?
-Different marking rubrics?
-Simplified tasks for those with learning disabilities?
-etc.

... i am not sure if there is a "correct" answer.