Inclusion and Teaching in Chicago

The inclusive environment is new to Jahn this year. This means that students are used to seeing their peers leave the classroom for chunks of a time. Some use words like resource, pull out, and special education. Some don't. All know that some students need more help and they get pulled out. Now all of a sudden students who disappeared during math or reading time are back in the room! Now there's a second teacher who teaches lessons! Now work is differentiated! These changes are wonderful BUT we have to keep in mind that this change can be confusing or uncomfortable for students. Without getting into specifics, teachers have been telling me about language and complaints that they have overheard. Generally, the students are not meaning to be well... mean. They're confused by this new environment and don't have the language or background knowledge to understand the change. Below is a list of my favorite ways to do this: 1. The Bandaid Activity.  I got this f...

My official job here at Jahn is the Inclusion Facilitator. My role is to support the middle school specifically and the school in general in the switch from what you might call a resource room model to a more inclusive, co-taught, heterogeneous one. This year is much more about supporting and coaching staff. I don't have a case load and I don't have a co-teacher. But I LOVE co-teaching. I absolutely love it! I have been providing supports in Ms. Shultz's social studies class and it's just been the most fun! We co-taught the other day and although it wasn't a particularly fancy or frilly lesson- it was affective. Below is my step by step process for how to think about co-teaching a lesson. Beware- it's pretty gushy! Step for Co-Teaching According to Julia Snider: 1. Each co-teacher comes to the table with a particular expertise. Ms. Shultz sent me this video  to introduce her early explorers unit. Ms. Shultz came to the table with resources and content know...

Clean your tables. Dust your libraries. Put together a powerpoint. It's back to school night! This is my first year at Jahn supporting inclusive classrooms and schooling. Since we've only been here at school for a week and a half, a few of the Learning Specialists mentioned that we should talk about inclusion. They are so right! A huge part of creating a fully inclusive school that celebrates all forms of diversity and unity is to talk about it! Families make up an important part of the inclusive schooling. Inclusion is all about community building and families have so much to do with it. Our principal, Mr. Herring mentioned inclusion and supporting diverse learners in the classroom during his opening remarks to Jahn families. I created (with the suggestion of my awesome colleagues) a flyer explaining what inclusion is. I emailed every general education teacher and learning specialist that is co-teaching this year and asked them if they wanted a copy. Teachers handed this o...

Tip of the week: Make a time to plan face to face with your co-teacher at least once a week every week! This is hard and takes a lot of time at the beginning, but will help you build your professional relationship. You can also use this time to bounce ideas off of one another and make solid lesson plans even better, more creative, and student focused! Here is a link (and some screen shots) to my Prezi on co-teaching in the inclusive school! 

Happy Friday! Our first week back to school is coming to an end for the Chicago Public Schools. One of my favorite things that we've done this week in middle school is creating and setting up binders for each student.  As teachers, we spend a LOT of time telling students what not to do. Don't lose this paper. Don't forget to bring materials to class. Don't leave your work in your backpack. Don't leave your homework at home. Creating a color-coded binder system is a great way to teach students what they should do.  How to create 105 perfectly organized tweens and teens in a few key steps: 1. Purchase 3 ring binders, clear folders with pockets, and a supply pouch for each student. You can get these materials at Office Depot, Staples, or Target. We purchased ours from Office Depot. Zipper Binder : Ours is a Five Star brand 2 inch trapper keeper. It's made to last the hustle and bustle of being a middle schooler. It includes an inside zipper ...