Topic: Inclusion in the classroom General Purpose: To give a general overview on the benefits of inclusion in the classroom. Specific Purpose: To persuade the general public that inclusion is best for special needs students. Central Idea: The No Child Left Behind Act is assuring that children with special needs achieve the education level they are capable of.I.
IntroductionA. Attention Getter: If you were the parent of a special needs child, wouldn’t you you expect the school system to provide the highest level of services available? B. Reveal Topic: Inclusion is a highly debated topic that most people don’t understand, including the parents of a special needs child. C. Credibility Statement: I am a special education inclusion teacher that witnesses the positive effects of inclusion first hand. D.
Listener Relevance Link: The NCLB Act could one day affect you or your loved ones. E. Central Idea: The No Child Left Behind Act is assuring that children with special needs achieve the education level they are capable of. F. Preview Main Points: Tonight I will show that the benefits of inclusion far out- eigh the negatives.II.
BodyA. Main Point I: Mainstreaming is designed for children with disabilities to become involved more with the regular population. Students that are usually in self contained classrooms are allowed to take classes with the regular population. However the regular education students are aware of who these students are and can be very mean to these kids.1. Subpoint: Mainstreaming can help students.
a. Support: Students who are mildly disabled are the main benefactors; they gain not only academically, but also socially. These tudents are given the extra time to complete tasks and usually their grades improve by a letter grade. b. Support: Kochhar, West and Taymans (2000) draw from the research to conclude that the benefits of inclusion across grade levels far outweigh the difficulties inclusion presents.
2. Subpoint: People say that mainstreaming can harm students. However, the “harm” that may come from inclusion is miniscule in comparison to the benefits. a.
Support: Students with “Education Plans” are not allowed to fail, they are usually passed even if they haven’t learned the coursework.3. Even though these students aren’t allowed to fail, some of these students are the more severely handicapped and are gaining social skills that would not be developed in the self-contained classroom. Transition: The tool that aids in making this process a smooth transition is the use of the Individual Education Plan (IEP).
B. Main Point II: An Individual Education Plan is a formal written program developed by school personnel, the child’s parents and the child in order to delineate assessment, placement, goal setting, special services and eval- uation procedures (Quirk, 1981, p 9).1. Subpoint: These IEP’s are instrumental in assuring that all of the child’s special needs and goals are met, not only by the child, but by the teacher and inclusion teacher.2. Subpoint: Children with education plans can receive a one on one inclusion teacher (depending on the child’s disability) that would cater to this child’s individual education plan requirements.
Transition: There are multiple factors that should be considered when dealing with a special education student. These factors include a child’s IEP as well as his/her social development.III. ConclusionA.Restate Central Idea: The No Child Left Behind Act is assuring that children with special needs achieve the education level they are capable of.
B. Summarize Main Points: While special education students may encounter some ridicule while participating in inclusion, the benefits of a being a successful student with growing social skills far outweigh the negatives. IEP’s are vital tools in helping these students achieve success in and out of the regular education classroom. C. Clincher: The next time you encounter a special needs child, please think of all the advantages this child will have available to him/her thanks to the NCLB Act.
