Perspectives
After
researching this topic in depth, it appears that the majority of current
research suggests that inclusion is both beneficial and necessary in a
classroom environment. Various advantages were listed for inclusive education
which included, but were not limited to, the following:
Although it appears to be the minority opinion, some people suggest that schools should not be fully inclusive for the following reasons:
- Increase of social skills as a result of immersion with peers rather than separation
- Encourages all students to develop characteristics such as empathy and acceptance
- Teachers have higher expectations of students when in a traditional classroom rather than in a separate ‘special education’ room Fosters feelings of competence in children with disabilities
Although it appears to be the minority opinion, some people suggest that schools should not be fully inclusive for the following reasons:
- Staff often do not receive adequate training and therefore do not know how to effectively teach students with unique learning needs
- Time consuming for teachers
- High student : teacher ratios can make it difficult to give students the extra attention that they need
- Students with cognitive disabilities may
benefit more from content that is better suited to their abilities than the
mainstream classroom. Ex. Some students would benefit more from learning life
skills rather than concepts taught in Math 30 that they will likely never use.