Making Classrooms Inclusive
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*Activity*
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Think about your own classes. Specifically, think about one of your subject area classes (e.g., math, science, Spanish, etc.). Complete the chart below by thinking of activities in which your class usually participates and ways that you might provide support to another student during each of those activities. Use what you know now to think of strategies and think outside of the box! One example has already been given for you.
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Class (Subject): |
Typical activities in your class |
Ways you could provide support during
that activity | | 1. Small group
work
| Encourage
your peer buddy to interact with the other group members and share his/her
ideas
| 2.
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| 3.
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| 4.
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| 5.
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| 6.
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| 7.
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| 8.
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| 9.
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| 10.
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Two pioneers in the field of Peer Buddies are Carolyn Hughes
and Erik Carter. In their books, Success for All Students:
Promoting Inclusion in Secondary Schools through Peer Buddy Program and Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School
Inclusion, the emerging power of Peer Buddies is discussed. It is this power that
is reflected in the opening vignette above!
The key goal in the Peer Buddy
Program is to form relationships. As you may know, students with disabilities
may often feel isolated from peers. This isolation can be magnified even more
if a paraprofessional has been assigned to the class
just
to work with that student alone. Paraprofessionals and other kinds of
student assistance that may be “out of the ordinary”, such as certain types of
adaptive equipment, may prove to be distracting to other students and can fuel
that sense of isolation. These additional types of assistance, though they may
be necessary, serve to accentuate differences between students. For these
reasons and many more, it is so important for students with disabilities to
feel as though they are accepted and that they belong with their peers and that
they are a part of the class! Peer Buddy Programs bring students together to
work through some of the barriers that exist and to form meaningful
relationships with one another.
Typically, peers are paired with students with
disabilities in the classroom and serve as “buddies” who are there to provide
support with school work (working in small groups, responding to questions,
summarizing key ideas, etc.), offer advice, and just be a friend. The peer
buddy is usually a student like you who is interested in providing support, who
understands the requirements of the classroom, is comfortable with the subject
matter, and would like to bring the student with a disability into his or her
circle of friends. The benefits of Peer Buddy Programs are valuable for all
students involved. The biggest benefits gained from the Peer Buddy Programs are
the building of friendships and relationships, development of social skills,
positive academic outcomes, and developing a more positive outlook on life
(Carter & Hughes, 2008).
In the past, students with
significant disabilities may have been provided with a one-on-one
paraprofessional to assist in many aspects of their schooling. While the
support given by a paraprofessional may be extremely helpful (and the presence
of the paraprofessional may be necessary for both the class and that student),
one-to-one paraprofessional assistance can unintentionally create hurdles for
students with disabilities when trying to build friendships with peers if the
paraprofessional is always working with
just
that
student. The ideal role for a paraprofessional (providing support to students
as needed) may look more like the situation described in the opening vignette.
Of course, teachers and paraprofessionals both want students with disabilities
to have friendships with their peers and to successfully build relationships.
*Reflection* Look at what you
have written in your activity above and perhaps share your thoughts with
another peer buddy—it is precisely
your
ideas
that are essential for a successful Peer Buddy Program! While inclusion in the
classroom is necessary (and it is the first step), being a part of the group is
very important in other places as well. For example, are there times during the
day in which you could introduce the student with a disability to your other
friends? Consider lunch time, after school, or during extracurricular
activities. Think about the things that
you
look
forward to each day—the important parts of school that do not take place necessarily
in the classroom! Sometimes it is the little things that really matter, the
things that start small. You will find that the relationships built from Peer
Buddy Programs can be fulfilling and enduring. And they can make a real
difference!
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