Monisha is concerned that if she makes special accommodations for a student in her class who has been diagnosed as learning disabled, that his classmates may perceive the accommodations – and by extension, her – as being unfair. Currently, Monisha struggles in making lessons that engage her grade 9 students, and her class also has some behavioural concerns. She is also a relatively new teacher, having recently graduated from university. The student with a learning disability is named Brian, and Monisha feels a desire to assist Brian in his learning.
Being a new teacher myself, I have a lot of empathy for Monisha’s dilemma. Even considering the possibility of offering Brian special accommodations and support in class, Monisha is cautious of the effect it may have upon how other students perceive her teaching. If I received complaints similar to those suggested in this case, I would likely undergo the same struggle that Monisha is facing.
Monisha should open the discussion of equality and fairness to the whole class. Without being intentionally specific to Brian’s learning disability, she should speak with her students about the guidelines for in-class behaviour, and perhaps just as importantly, the reasoning behind these expectations. For example, why would a teacher enforce a rule in the class such as ‘raising your hand if you have a question,’ or, ‘not speaking when another student is presenting to the class?’ Having the students explore these relatively standard classroom expectations will get them understanding the universal idea behind such guidelines, which is closely connected with any accommodations Monisha might make to help Brian. Every student is attending school to experience success in the different subjects and disciplines. At times, this goal necessitates an unequal treatment of students in order to achieve the outcome. Why should any student be left to knowingly suffer or struggle in this environment, when action can be taken to help support a student? Why would a teacher allow a whole class of students to talk over an individual student’s class presentation? Why wouldn’t a teacher allow students – without waiting or listening or asking – to shout out questions during class time? Monisha’s dilemma can have an easy answer, if she is deliberate in how and why she is supporting Brian.
The question of whether there is a possible situation in which accommodations made for a student with a learning disability would be unfair to those students without a disability brings up a good point. What if Brian’s classmates require teacher support, but are unable to get it because Monisha is spending her time solely with Brian? I believe that this situation – which could be described as unfair – raises a good point about student advocacy. One of my previous professors in education Dr. Field made frequent mention of the concept of N+1 as an important educational concept. In Monisha’s dilemma, there is a possibility of Brian’s classmates complaining. In and of itself, this type of communication is showing the advocacy skills of Monisha’s students who don’t have learning disabilities, and who may see something possibly unfair unfolding in their class. What could Monisha say to these students to help direct their advocacy into a more productive form? Do they need help? Are their comments a desire for answers to particular (unasked) questions? Why isn't Ms. Khan helping us? "Ms. Khan, I have a question, but have been waiting here for 20 minutes, not asking."
According to the facts of this case, Monisha is having difficulty creating lesson plans that engage her class. Could Monisha’s concerns regarding student complaints be alieved through redesigning her lessons to strengthen individual student control and direction of their learning? The way in which this case was written suggests that students in Monisha’s class may be motivated to complain about Brian’s accommodations in part because Monisha’s lessons are not engaging.
I think that teachers should always communicate to students that the goal of the school environment is to support students to produce their best. This should be the goal for every student in every class, for which the curriculum is a great resource to exploit. In the case of most of Monisha’s students, who don’t have learning disabilities, this means that she should support them through well-designed lessons that don’t put any upper limit on what students can produce. A student who complains to Monisha, saying something along the lines of “Ms. Khan, I’m finished, now what do I do?” is communicating a legitimate complaint; that the lesson had a finite end that was likely within their zone of proximal development. Additionally, Monisha may be planning herself into her lessons, as a necessary component, which doesn’t allow her the time she would wish to spend helping Brian.
For Brian – or any student with a learning disability – I think that the expectations should be exactly the same, that each student be given the opportunity and expectation of doing his or her best. If that requires an unequal allocation of resources, I believe this only reflects the reality of an inclusive classroom and an inclusive society; not all people are identical. In the case of any student, Monisha should develop strategies and skills for student self-advocacy to make sure that she is really putting her students in charge of their own learning.
