Evidence Based Practices for Teaching Students With Mild to Moderate Disabilities

Purpose Statement
The purpose of this portfolio is to provide future teachers content knowledge while gaining experience in technology, a tool to use in their classroom with their own students, and ready to use professional material with easy access. The content throughout the website was created by students studying All-Level Special Education in an undergraduate program. The opportunity to learn what it means to create and teach in an inclusive classroom has been eye opening and very beneficial. By presenting the information put together by my fellow peers and I, we are showcasing our educational progress in hopes to pass along the information to other individuals seeking a degree in education.
Personal Philosophy of an Inclusive Classroom
To be inclusive means to be equal and not exclude anyone from anything, but inclusion in the classroom is beyond that simple concept. Every student in your classroom will have different cultural backgrounds, hair colors, heights, disabilities, interests, ways of learning, Person-first language, and strengths and weaknesses, but they are all given the same opportunity to learn the same material in a way they know how. Now, I know I just stated that everyone is given the same chance to learn the same material, but accommodations are still in play. For example, there is a 12th grade student in your class with a severe learning disability that especially struggles with math. Their math level is equivalent to an 8th grader, but everyone else in the class is above an 8th grade level. If that student were to be taught calculus, along with everyone in the class, it would be detrimental to the student and a disservice to their education. Inclusion does mean to include everyone, but it also means to include everyone’s needs and interests as well as provide any educational support in the classroom. Inclusive classes value the students’ diverse personalities and support them to ensure that they have a sense of belonging in the classroom. I believe that each student deserves every chance to succeed in their education regardless of what aspects make up their daily lives. By providing this support, it allows the students to gain a sense of confidence in themselves and expand their comfort zones. Students will never have to wonder why they are not good enough to receive the teacher's attention when they are in my classroom. I will implement inclusion in the classroom by not giving up on a student because they have repeatedly failed, ensure that every lesson, discussion, and activity I perform is accommodated to the needs of each student, and remind the students that they are important and supported every second they are in the classroom. There is not one student that doesn’t deserve full support and in my inclusive classroom, they are guaranteed all around support every day.

"If they can't learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn."