Of Bunsen Burners and Equal Participation for All

"mom, I HATE it when I have to work in groups in science class. They ALWAYS put me with either someone really dumb or someone who just wants to goof off, and then I have to work twice as hard as anyone else to make sure I get an OK grade in spite of the rest of my group."

This was said by a 7th grader in a class of regularly developing students, but it brings up an issue that should be considered by parents and teachers of children with disabilities as well: How can group projects be set up so that each member of the group is successful, and each member of the group contributes to the project?

As I have scanned ideas about ways to make inclusion successful, I have seen lots of suggestions for having the normally developing students "help" their peers with disabilities, but rarely, if ever, does anyone suggest having the student with a disability do anything to "help" the other students. Why not? In order to become a responsible adult, the child with a disability needs to develop a sense of competence and self-worth, and learn how to interact with equals in a group setting, just as a normally developing child does, if not more so. I think the reason why we don't see this recommended often enough are

1. assumptions of passivity and helplessness about students with disabilities, and
2. we simply aren't sure how to set up a group learning experience that is successful for all the students involved.

Since we already covered the topic of expectations in a previous article, in this article we'll take a look at the way group learning is often set up, and then look at specific ways we can make it better.

In the typical group learning situation: a group project, science lab, or group presentation, students are generally paired together by the teacher. Conventional wisdom recommends this, so that it does not become a popularity contest. So far, the typical plan is a good one. Pairings are generally made, however, with the hope that putting a "good student" with someone who either has behavior issues or "needs some extra help" will help the "good student" to rub off on the other child. Little thought is given to what the struggling student can contribute to the group. The groups are then turned loose to do their work without any specific job descriptions for group members, and very little, if any, instructions on how to work together as a group. Assessment of the activity usually involves giving each student the same grade, based on the final outcome of the project.

Using this typical model generally results in the following: a response like the one I quoted above from some students, and a position of passive watching for others, especially the students with disabilities. The overall grade achieved by the group may be good, but the group activity was not successful in achieving active participation of all members of the group, and grades may not reflect the individual student's actual contribution to the project.

What can be done to improve the participation levels of all the students? Using the typical model we can make one very critical adaptation: we can introduce job descriptions for the members in the group.

For instance, if students are working in groups of 4 on a chemistry lab, the job assignments might be: Foreman-keeps the group on task and reads the instructions aloud, Lab technician—does the actual lab work under the direction of the foreman, Equipment monitor—gathers the required equipment as directed by the foreman and lab technician, Data Recorder-writes down the data that is collected.

In our example, let's assume that one child in the class has cerebral palsy and uses AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) to speak. We will also assume that one child is visually impaired and one has a reading disability. As job assignments and group designations are made, the student with CP is given the job of Foreman within his group, and uses the AAC system to give the group directions. (Someone will need to have access to the directions ahead of time to program the AAC system-preferably the student). The student who has a reading disability can be given the job of lab technician or equipment monitor for her group. The student with visual impairment can record the data for her group, using assistive technology as needed. Students can have different jobs at different times, using different pieces of assistive technology as required. (An example: the student with severe reading impairment could also use an AAC system to give directions as the Foreman, the student with visual impairment could use Braille instructions as the Foreman.) The only restrictions to job assignments would be for safety reasons.

Since each student has a job, less time is spent working out how the work will get done, leaving more time available for completing the task. Students who need a more structured environment will find the added job assignments help provide that structure. Teams have more leverage to make sure that all members of the team do their part of the work. Grading can be done according to how well each individual job was accomplished, allowing for more individualized assessment of accomplishments. But most importantly, each student now has an active role in the success of the team, and is developing an appreciation of his own worth as well as the worth of the other team members.

Job titles and descriptions will vary depending on the type of project involved. You will notice from our example chemistry lab that the job descriptions and titles are very similar to those students might find in the work force. Adding this tie-in from a school activity to something in the work force can help build an understanding that what we do in class is practice for having a job after school is out. Students can also gain a greater sense of what type of job they might be interested in through this exposure.

Group learning situations can be a great opportunity for students to learn to work with each other and develop skills they will need later in life. By adding these adaptations to the typical way of setting up group activities, ALL students' learning and participation in the group projects can be enhanced, and all members of the group, including those with disabilities, are valued participants in the success of the project.

ABOUT THIS COLUMN
SERCH is excited to bring you a new monthly column that focuses on children with disabilities and the math/science curriculum. Children are all different; children with disabilities may have learning differences that require a re-thinking of the usual methods of teaching science and math. But children with disabilities can grow up to get higher education and hold jobs in science in science and math fields. This column is dedicated to the proposition that success in science and math is possible, and is dedicated to making that success possible by helping parents and school staff learn about the many ways to achieve learning for students with disabilities.

This column is written by Robin Hurd, who is a mother of 4 boys, ages 13, 11 and 8 year old twins. The combination of disabilities at her house includes non-verbal physical impairments, sensory issues, Autistic spectrum disorder, Tourettes syndrome, auditory processing disorder, anxiety disorder as well as talented and gifted. In spite of this list, Robin, David and the boys enjoy life and learning to the fullest! Robin serves as parent support liaison for the AAC Institute, a non-profit organization supporting people who communicate using alternatives to speech. She writes a monthly column for parents at the AAC Institute, moderates a parents' on-line group, and is available for support to individual parents. If you would like to contact Robin about this column, you may e-mail her at parents@aacinstitute.org.