Simple, Effective Tips to Make Inclusion Happen

So over the past few weeks we've covered a lot of ground . We've talked about breaking down barriers to inclusion . I shared five steps to build inclusive teams . Megan and Jen talked about reverse inclusion , and we also took time to really define what inclusion is and why it's so important for all students , not just those with disabilities .

But there's still one really important piece we haven't touched yet , and that's how you actually do inclusion . I think for the most part , we can all agree that inclusion is important , but when it comes time to put it into practice , it's not always clear how to make it work , and that's what today's episode is all about .

I'm going to walk you through some practical , realistic tips you can start using right away to make inclusion more doable and more meaningful for everyone involved . Let's get to it . Hey , special educator , are you overwhelmed by the absurd amount of paperwork on your to-do list ? Do you wish you had the skills to build a rock solid team with your staff .

Do you find yourself scouring the internet for how to meet the needs of each student on your caseload ? Well , hey there . I'm Jennifer Hopperberg , an award-winning veteran special education teacher and current instructional coach , who has walked in your shoes through each of these challenges and , yes , I have the metaphorical blisters to prove it .

I have cried your tears and felt your pain , and now I'm here to support you in the way I wish someone would have been there to support me .

Listen in each week as my guests and I dish out practical wisdom to help you handle all the classroom curveballs that are thrown at you and learn how to laugh in spite of the chaos , to celebrate those small yet significant victories that only a special educator can understand . So are you ready ?

Wipe your tears and put on your superhero cape , because together we are going to learn how to survive and thrive in the ever crazy , completely overwhelming laugh . So you don't cry . Profession of being a special education teacher .

So if you've been wondering all month , okay , but how do I actually do this and make it work in my school and with my paraprofessionals ? Today's episode is for you . What do you actually do during inclusion . Well , throughout my career , I've provided inclusion services to many , many students . I have also supervised paraprofessionals who have provided inclusion services .

Sometimes it was just one student , sometimes it was two or three . I've even had as many as five students who were identified in the same room at the same time . Those services were mostly for academics , but some were also for behavior or social skills .

And my biggest pet peeve through all of it , and something that I stressed heavily with the paraprofessionals , is that I do not like to sit right next to a child . I feel like it brings undue attention . I feel like it creates undue attention . I feel like it creates learned helplessness .

I feel like it limits their real interaction with peers , and I've taught the paras how to back off , to give students space , let them try things on their own , let them engage with peers on their own terms , without someone always hovering over them . Our goal as special educators and paraprofessionals is to help our students become as independent as possible .

My mantra is actually the less you are doing for a child , the better you are doing your job . Students can and will become dependent on prompts from adults .

If you're going to do something for them , they're going to let you so , when working with students , refer to a prompting hierarchy and always use the lowest level prompt the student needs in order for them to be successful .

If you receive my weekly newsletter , I will be sending out a prompting hierarchy I used in my program , so be sure to grab that if you're interested . If you don't receive the newsletter and want to go to spedprepacademycom slash podcast , that's spedprepacademycom slash podcast .

With that being said , though , if that close support is truly something your student needs right now , then by all means continue to provide it , but I would urge you to evaluate the need for it , because our ultimate goal should be to help our students be accepted by their peers and to help them be included naturally , and when someone is sitting right beside them

hovering , they aren't being included naturally , and when someone is sitting right beside them hovering , they aren't being included naturally . Instead , I have done a variety of things over the years . The first thing I did early in my career was to simply roam the room , and at first , I'll admit , I

felt like I wasn't being productive or like I wasn't needed , but later I realized I was being very beneficial to that teacher while I was helping the students become more independent . If I had ever been a general education teacher , I would have loved to have had another teacher or paraprofessional in the room to intervene when I couldn't .

Whenever you have another set of eyes or ears in the room , you can catch some of the things that are going on that the general education teacher might not see . You can see if other students are struggling with something and intervene . You can prevent discipline problems from occurring .

Of course , your first priority is always going to be that student who is on your caseload and if they need you , that's where you put your focus . But that shouldn't prevent you from stepping in to support the overall flow of the classroom when needed .

Sometimes that means giving a quick redirection to a student who's off track , offering a simple clarification if another student looks confused , or even helping to manage materials or transitions to keep things running smoothly .

Now you can see that that model just roaming is kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to sitting right beside a child , and while it can be very helpful , it might not always be the best use of your skills either . So there are other options as well . One effective method is working with small groups .

If the general education teacher is leading whole group instruction . You might pull a small group that includes both students with and without disabilities to work on a related skill in a quieter , more supportive setting , or , better yet , you can both be teaching smaller groups of students .

You can be working on different skills , or you could be working on the same skill with differentiation . I once provided inclusion to three students .

Of course , all three of them were on different levels , because that's always how it works out , and it happened to be a time of day where I had a free para as well , so we had three adults in the room and all three of us ran a center with a fourth of the class , while the other fourth was working independently . This was a very successful inclusion model .

The kids rotated through us and therefore benefited from the different teaching styles , and they got more individualized attention without feeling singled out .

It also gave us the opportunity to work with not just the students on IEPs but with all of the students , which helped build relationships , normalize support and promote that true sense of belonging that we're always striving for .

Plus , by running small groups like that , we could better target the skills each student needed , whether it was academic , social or even just practicing group dynamics like taking turns and listening to others . It was efficient , effective and , best of all , it felt natural

to the kids . No one stood out in a negative way and everyone was able to learn and grow together . You can also implement a co-teaching model . A true team teaching model is where both teachers are actively delivering instruction to the whole class together . The biggest thing to remember with co-teaching is that it should feel seamless to the students .

It's not about my kids and your kids . It's about our students and our shared responsibility to help every child succeed . Whether you are officially co-teaching or simply pushing into the classroom to provide support , the key is collaboration and finding what works for both the students and the staff .

And then there are some important do's and don'ts for providing inclusion support that can make or break your effectiveness , and you're going to want to share these with your paraprofessionals as well . First , do be prepared .

Know what the lesson is , know what's going to be taught that day and know your students goals , and then figure out how to incorporate those goals into the instruction . Do have a good attitude . Flexibility and positivity are very good tools to have . Next , do provide instruction . Follow the lesson plans of the general education teacher .

Hopefully you had a part in creating them , and then be consistent with the classroom rules and expectations and provide the accommodations and modifications listed on the IEP . Another one is do facilitate engagement .

Know when to step in and help the student interact , whether it's slipping them the correct answers so they can raise their hand and feel success , or asking a typical student to involve them in an activity . There are many ways that you can facilitate engagement with other students . And then the last do is do model for students .

Show them instead of telling them For the what not to do's during inclusion services . The first one is don't be on your phone . Being on your phone during instruction time sends a message that you are not engaged and it can be very distracting to both students and staff . Plus , it models the wrong behavior for students who are expected to stay focused .

So save personal phone use for breaks or emergencies . Another don't is don't leave the room unless it's an emergency . Your presence in that classroom is critical and it's also providing minutes that are legally supposed to be provided as per their IEP .

If you leave unexpectedly , not only are your students losing their support , but it can also disrupt the flow of the lesson and the classroom environment . So , unless it's an emergency or something that's been pre-planned with the teacher , stay put and stay engaged .

Another don't is don't engage in conversations with students that lead them to off-task behaviors and I've had many conversations with paraprofessionals about this topic and it's not because they are doing it intentionally or even really realize they're doing it , but it's easy to get pulled into

casual chatter with students . Kids want to talk , especially if you have good relationships with them , but during instruction the focus must stay on learning . The conversations you're having should support instruction and not distract from it . And then , don't overstep your roles and responsibilities .

This ties back to the importance of clear communication with a general ed teacher . Know your role in the classroom and respect the teacher's instructional lead . If you are unsure about something , ask privately , but avoid taking over lessons or making instructional decisions without collaboration .

And then the last don't is don't undermine the general education teacher in front of the students . Even if you don't completely agree with the approach being used , it's critical to present a united front to the students . Challenging or questioning the teacher publicly can create confusion , divide the classroom and weaken the authority of both adults .

If needed , you can address those concerns respectively in private after class . And that's a wrap for our April Inclusion Series . I hope today's tips help you feel a little bit more equipped and maybe even a little more excited about how to bring inclusion to life in your own classroom

or school . With the end of the school year drawing near , you might have some time over summer break to brainstorm and make a plan for either introducing inclusion of some type into your program or tweaking your current practices to make them even better for everyone involved . Remember , inclusion isn't about perfection , it's about progress .

It's about taking small , intentional steps to create learning environments where every student feels seen , valued and supported . Next week starts Teacher Appreciation Week , but because I know you need to be celebrated more than just one week out of the year , I have something special for you . This week only , I have some amazing free resources that I want to share .

12 special education teachers , myself included , have teamed up to provide you with some extra love in the form of free downloads and helpful tools . So if you are listening to this episode in real time , which is April 2025 , you have until May 3rd to get access to these resources . Each of these resources can be useful in a special education program .

There are task boxes , there are life skills resources , iep communication forms , organizational templates , support for writing strong impact statements and so much more . So what you're going to do is click on the product you want , sign up and then receive the free resource .

I will leave a link for that in the show notes and then I'll be sending out that link in this week's newsletter as well . Remember , if you want to receive the newsletter , go to wwwspedprepacademycom . Slash podcast . I'll be back next week for a brand new month and a brand new theme .