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Chapter 11Characteristics of Effective Teachers in

Inclusive Programs

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Teacher Professional Development

• Teacher training in child development is a must.

• Teachers also need to be a member of the interdisciplinary team.

• They will share their knowledge and implement plans set forth by other professionals to meet goals in the IFSP/IEP.

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Teacher Professional Development (continued)

• Teacher concerns– Teachers feel unprepared to work with

children who have disabilities.– Supports are available to help teachers.– Teachers need to want to seek out

information to help them help the child with disabilities.

– The more informed the teacher is, the better prepared that teacher will be for the classroom.

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Teacher Professional Development (continued)

• Supplemental professional development– Teachers need additional training as each

child is enrolled in the school.– On-the-job experience is also necessary.– State support agencies have resources

available to help teachers learn about the different disabilities.

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The Applied Developmental Approach

• A child is a child– Teachers need to view each child as a child.– Blaming a behavior on a disability is

unfounded.– Children are children first and need to be

treated as such.

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

• Review of developmental principles– Developmental sequences

• Understanding that a child moves through skill sequences is more important than knowing how far a child is behind or ahead.

– Interrelationships among developmental domains

• Recognize that the whole child needs to be taught, not just the cognitive domain of the child.

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

– Developmental inconsistencies• This is when a child seems to be progressing then

begins to slow or regress.

– The transactional process• Learning goes on directly and indirectly.• Teachers need to examine the environment to see

the full effect of their teaching.

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

– Contingent stimulation• The more a child is rewarded for communicating,

the more the child will communicate.• Self-esteem develops, attachments are more

secure, development is smoother.

– Readiness to learn• Given the opportunity to learn in a quality

environment will give the child skills needed to be ready for school.

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

– Teachable moments• Those naturally occurring opportunities when a

child is most likely to learn something new.

– Milieu teaching• The child initiates a learning activity by asking a

teacher for help, materials, or information.

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

• Characteristics of effective teachers– Enthusiasm– Sense of humor– Patience– Consistency– Flexibility– Trustworthiness– Provides limits– Facilitate experiences

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The Applied Developmental Approach (continued)

• Teacher as mediator– The teacher is the mediator between the child

and the environment.– The teacher decreases support as the child is

ready for more independent learning.• Also known as scaffolding