What is Assembling Inclusion?
Assembling Inclusion is a space for free professional learning about topics in special education, co-teaching, and inclusion. The courses are built with the microlearning concept in mind and structured to meet the needs of all learners. Our mission is to share, explore, support, and celebrate supporting the needs of all learners in our classrooms.
Our Story
"It's really hard to modify the work discreetly for students with may be having difficulty."
"Inclusion is great, but I feel like it could be done better. Gen ed and special ed teachers should be trained on working together."
"We [my co-teacher and I] do not share responsibilities."
"Lack of trained staff is an obstacle in inclusion classrooms."
"Inclusion is great for all learners, but I really wish there was more PD and coaching for it."
"Unfortunately, some teachers are placed based on availability and not specialty. This hurts the students when a teacher is made to teach a subject they're not comfortable with."
"I'd love to learn how to collaborate more."
- Feedback from our initial survey of co-teachers on inclusion
Assembling Inclusion was created by Katie Nieves Licwinko as her Google Innovator project. When Katie was initially completing her application for the VIA20 cohort, she had originally set out to propose an idea about professional learning for teachers. At the last minute, she revised her application to inclusion after speaking to her students. It was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and her students took it upon themselves to create a list of reopening concerns they had, which led to lengthier conversations about how they felt about being accepted and included in their classrooms. Katie's students, paired with her experiences and research as a special educator, helped inspire her challenge/problem statement on her application.
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After interviewing and surveying general and special education co-teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals, Katie realized the problem with inclusion was that there was minimal training and professional development available within these areas. Co-teachers wanted to learn more about successful partnerships but felt they didn't have enough opportunities to explore these areas. Katie decided to create a platform that provided free learning experiences for educators that centered around inclusive practices for students with disabilities. Because training can sometimes be time-consuming (and teachers don't have enough time as it is), the courses were developed with microlearning in mind. These bite-sized sessions were meant to provide just-in-time learning while providing multiple ways to access the information.
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We hope you enjoy and take something away from our microcourses or blog posts! We look forward to growing and expanding our platform and continuing to celebrate supportive education for all learners!
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