Providing Peer Coaching in Inclusive Classrooms: A Tool for Consulting Teachers

Increasing numbers oi students with special needs are being included in general education classrooms, causing the role of special educators to change. Strategies that reflect current best practice in inclusive settings have been identified in professional literature, including planning carefully for inclusion prior to implementation, ensuring sufficient administrative support, providing additional focused training for classroom teachers, and developing a wider range of curricular options within classrooms (Including Students, 1993; King-Sears, 1996; Roach, 1995). It is also suggested that general and special educators must work together to effectively plan and implement heterogeneous instruction in inclusion classrooms (King-Sears, 1996). Some special education teachers are working as collaborative partners with their classroom teacher colleagues by serving as consulting teachers, providing support, advice, and guidance to general educators (Baker 8k Zigmond, 1995; Idol, 1993). One way for consulting teachers to