 | |
|
|
AMS
POSITION
PAPER
INCLUSION
|
|
|
(To view this page in its original form on the AMS site,
click here.) |
|
|
|
Legislation (PL 94-142 and PL 99-457)
mandated mainstreaming or inclusion of children with special needs into
classrooms with typically developing peers. While this legislation
specifies current mandates for educational practices, it is necessary to
examine supports and nurture the individual needs of each child, as well
as the whole group.
Children with developmental needs form a very diverse group, with some
developmental needs quite different from those of typically developing
peers. However, it is important to recognize that all children, with or
without diagnosed special needs, have numerous commonly held needs that
can be accommodated in a learning environment with full inclusion.
Maria Montessori, an Italian physician/educator at the turn of the
century, began her work with "mentally deficient" children in public
asylums. Based upon her studies of early pioneers in the field of special
education and her observations of children using concrete learning
materials that she accepted and developed, Montessori demonstrated that
significant physical and cognitive development was possible for children
with special needs whom society had abandoned.
Many characteristics of the Montessori materials and learning
environment support the developmental needs of all children and,
additionally, reflect what the field of special education deems the best
practice techniques. This makes the Montessori method very viable for
schools practicing or implementing a program of full inclusion.
Specifically:
 | Montessori is a personalized approach, which recognizes that each
child learns with a unique style and pace. It is a child-centered
holistic approach acknowledging that the child's development and
education involved many aspects: physical, cognitive, social, emotional,
and moral. This means that the children's daily activities are based on
their own needs, strengths and developmental stages. It also means that
the writing and implementation of Individual Education Programs (IEPs)
and Individual Family Service Programs (IFSPs), as required by law for
children with special needs, are easily accomplished in a Montessori
environment.
| The Montessori learning environment changes and grows with the
developmental needs of each child. The learning materials offer
concrete, multi-sensory experiences which actively engage children,
correcting, giving the children immediate feedback, and increasing their
opportunities for self-directed work. The materials contain many aims or
goals and can often be explored at different levels. Children's
developmental progress, learning style, and interests are assessed
through scientific observation by the classroom teacher, who directs the
lessons/materials offered. This is a reflection of the Curriculum Based
Assessment approach currently being mandated. The Montessori environment
allows children with quite different developmental needs to learn
side-by-side with the same materials.
| All Montessori classrooms contain a three-year age span. This
fosters a sense of community in which children come to naturally help
and teach one another. Every member is valued for their contribution to
the whole. This gives children with special needs the chance to interact
with a wide range of people, increasing their motivation and their
opportunities to generalize learned skills in new situations. As they
grow older, they too become one of the oldest and can experience the
satisfaction of helping or teaching another. Finally, this means that
the teacher can perfect certain skills specific to a child's needs
(e.g., positioning or sign language), allowing for a more consistent
education.
| Team teaching is typical in a Montessori environment, where
professionals work together, sharing information and responsibility.
This approach lends itself well to inclusion, where many specialists are
needed to insure that children with special needs are receiving
appropriate and necessary services. A trans-disciplinary approach, where
all specialists/ teachers share responsibility, is beneficial to all
children in the classroom.
| Montessori philosophy recognizes parents as an integral part of a
child's education. This means that what is required by law -- the
inclusion of parents as a part of the trans-disciplinary team -- is a
natural part of daily classroom life.
| The structure in a Montessori classroom allows freedom of movement
and free choice of activities. This encourages the development of
independence, initiative and decision making. Children interact socially
through most of the school day, which fosters enriched natural school
opportunities. Lessons in grace and courtesy from teachers aid the
development of positive social skills. Older children serve as models,
which can decrease negative or maladaptive behavior. All of this
benefits children with special needs who, as a group, tend to have lower
social skills and less independent behaviors, and who make few choices
that actually affect the events of their day. | | | | | |
REFERENCES
| Gallagher, James. "The Impact of Policies for Handicapped Children
on Future Early Education Policy." Phi Delta Kappa, October, 1989. Pages
121-123
| Montessori, Maria. The Discovery of the Child. Notre Dame: Fides
Publishers, Inc., 1967.
| Orem, R.C. Montessori and the Special Child. New York; Putnam, 1969.
| Thompson, Barbara, et, al. "Expanding the Circle of Inclusion:
Integrating Young Children with Severe Multiple Disabilities."
Constructive Triangle, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Winter, 1991). Pages 11-13.
| Wolery, M., P. Strain, D. Barley. "Reading Potential of Children
with Special Needs, " in S. Bradekamp and T. Rosegrant (eds.), Reaching
Potentials: Appropriate Curriculum and Assessments for Young Children.
Washington, D.C. NAEYC: Vol. l (1992), pp. 93-111. | | | | |
The American Montessori Society (AMS) is a non-profit education society
founded in 1960 whose purpose is to help children develop their potential
through the educational principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. This includes
the following: developing Montessori programs, accrediting schools,
granting credentials, encouraging research, organizing seminars and
symposia, and promoting all other areas which relate to the dissemination
of Montessori philosophy.
|
Back to He
Says, She Says
|
