What are ways to be more inclusive of children with disabilities into educational/outdoor programs?

Question

I am currently working on creating a curriculum for one of my outdoor education classes to use with children with a wide range of abilities. I am looking for any suggestions or experiences you might have with teaching children who may or may not have disabilities (physical, or learning) together in one group/ program/activity.

Answer 1

there are three types of learners - the audio type (learning by hearing) - the visual type (learning by seeing) - the manual type (learning by doing) - find it out and then continue with an adequate speed, one kid comprehends faster than another - and above all discover the positive peculiarity of each individual, tell it to him/her and go on from that point step by step

Answer 2

Well one thing you need to consider is that every child that requires sped (Special Education) is going to learn differently. It also depends on the activities. Some kids work very well with a physical activity while others have a very hard time.

I would create the assignment for your regular kids and then alter it specifically for the needs of each sped student that you have. This is what has worked best for me.

Answer 3

Socialism is when the charity is run by the central government. It's simply charity when people take it upon themselves. Tithing isn't giving your money to the church, it's giving to God what is God's. The leaders of the church are then charged to take care of the money. They answer to God as far as how they manage this money. As far as the tithe is concerned, it was never yours. It's not socialism because I'm not giving up 80% of my income to the church so the church can take care of my needs. I give up 10% and that wasn't even mine to begin with. I don't have to stay with that church if I believe they're doing something wrong with God's money. I can't exactly leave the country if I'm only bringing in 20% of what I earn. Having an income tax is the faster way to promote socialism as opposed to any church based practice. No offense ment by this next statement: Jesus was a Jew and most of our Capitolistic ideas come from Jews. Jesus had a lot of money, how in the world would Judas have gotten away with skimming money off the top if there wasn't much to begin with. People faught over Jesus' clothes while he was on the cross. It wasn't because He is holy, it's because His clothes were worth a lot of money... even though it was torn and bloody. We as Americans pay more in taxes than we're expected to in tithes. Think about it... socialism is more likely to be promoted by the U.S. government than God. Socialism is very much anti-God.

Answer 4

I'm not sure what kind of outdoor education program you have, so I'll just offer what I know from my experience with nature programs and classroom teaching. Consider the physical, social, and learning needs of your children. Starting at the physical level, think about where you will have your program. Is it accessible? What physical demands are you placing on students? If you don't know the kids very well, a short walk on level ground is a safe bet. But don't let fear stand in your way--I've taken wheelchairs down to streams--it takes some flexibility and a sense of adventure, but everyone has had fun. In these cases, I check in frequently with the student to make sure that they are comfortable with what's going on. A health form in which participants or parents jot down any medical concern is a great way to find out if any kids have problems like asthma or allergies.

Once the physical is taken care of, there's the social element to consider. I keep in mind to go from activities of low risk to high risk, from a social point of view. Low risk activities don't require students to give away too much of their deeper feelings, and don't carry the risk of being made fun of. They also don't require many words for students to generate, and follow an easy to understand pattern. For instance, going around and telling how you feel as part of a weather report--are you sunny or partly cloudy?--is low risk. Even kids who don't know much English, or learn differently, can respond. The high risk activities, like where kids would share a deep experience they have had with nature, need to wait until you've done some more teambuilding and everyone feels more cohesive as a group. Asking kids to find partners for themselves is high risk, because it carries the risk of being excluded, so finding a random way to assign partners or groups for activities is a good idea. Four corners is a quick way to assess a group's mood and attitude. Designate different corners as 1, 2, 3, and 4. "How do you like to learn?" might be the questions, and participants would go to corner 1 if they like to do hands-on activities, 2 if they like to read about things, 3 if they like to hear things, and 4 if they like to use a combination. (It's fun to throw in some silly questions to lighten the mood!)

Once you've dealt with the physical and social, there's the learning issue. What do you want participants to learn as a result of this experience? The best way to appeal to a wide range of abililties is to use multi-sensory activities. Use the physical, visual, tactile, and auditory methods. Avoid lengthy texts, long written answers, or compulsory reading aloud--this might spotlight someone's learning differences. If you are giving directions for an activity, appeal to multiple learning styles by using visual cues as well as just explaining. And "every-pupil response" techniques like thumbs-up, thumbs-down help you to see what participants are thinking in a low risk kind of way.

I hope this helps!