From Possibility to Success: Achieving Positive Student Outcomes in Inclusive Classrooms

In the book Possibility to Success, by Patrick Schwarz he made a passionate and compelling argument for the inclusive classroom, by developing strategies for teachers who deal with students with disability and to give hope, direction, and inspiration, so as to obtain successful goals and constructive achievement in a day by day classroom, which takes this matter to the next level by providing teachers with powerful new tools in order to make inclusive education work positively, along with guidelines for incorporating them into classroom practice. Students, who have learning, cognitive, or physical disabilities have ADD/HD, some need English language support, face emotional or behavioral challenges, others lack interest or engagement, may have autism or Asperser syndrome. As such, I believe that teachers need to have a common miracle to improve student’s life. Everything is possible with the proper and acceptable support, with formative assessments and with individual goals, all according with the student’s needs and/or disabilities. The author’s made compelling stories of real kids that have helped teachers to provide confront and support in a classroom, by applying the universal design technique to set goals of all, as well as for some and for even a few students, which may include all students in the same general education classroom, and permit them to belong ubiquitously and with everyone else in the school; which in turn allows them to belong in all places and with everyone else in the community. In order to achieve success, the curriculum must work consistently for all learners. The Universal Design helps all students to obtain the individual education and offers multiple ways of making the learning process work well for everyone. The Universal Design helps education to be supplementary smooth and is effective in achieving student’s goals. This book makes a special focus in this widespread access in education, so as to offer all students equal opportunity in education; regardless of their social class, gender, ethnicity background, physical and/or mental disabilities, at the same time it helps students to decide how they will complete their assignments, applications, and various responsibilities, by encouraging them to participate actively and effectively. When teachers perceive that students are developing their assignments in the correct and accurate way, it means that students are receiving the proper and acceptable education in the classroom. In my opinion, a teacher can only gain success and feel personal satisfaction, when students can master their program with a successful learning progression; therefore, in my view this Universal Design curriculum is helping all students to achieve their individual goals. Also, the author empowers educators to teach with passion. He said, “Embracing learner interest and passions is an outstanding way to make connections and establish relationships” I personally worship this chapter, and whole-heartedly agree with the point it makes. It is true that we as teachers need to work with a sincere and dedicated motivation to engage students in their learning development. Students can easily mislay their interest, and we need to be loyal and dedicated educators with up to date techniques and new learning tools in order to promote their participation in the development of their minds by teaching and thinking big, with the purpose of attaining big achievements. Also, teachers can apply experiential instructions of the real life to engage students in their learning agenda, this help to break the ice with some students that are afraid for learning. In conclusion, I agree with the author’s message, in that with the goal of building lifelong skills, Patrick offers templates and genuine forms that help to plan instructions and units while at the same time embracing students’ interests and passions, working toward students’ dreams, promoting leadership, self-advocacy, self-determination, and membership in both school and the community. With an explicit overview of each tool, a fundamental principle for using them, and compelling stories of how they have helped real students in real classrooms, Patrick empowers educators to combine the science and art of teaching all learners. I feel that every educator should try them out and will discover hope, direction, and inspiration, which will turn a possibility into success. In addition, as Patrick himself had articulated: “It’s easy to feel hopeless in the face of statistics indicating that students with disabilities have fewer educational successes and greater quality-of-life issues than their classmates without disabilities. Yet every week I meet students, teachers, and families who transcend these statistics and are making exciting educational progress, from disability to possibility. This book takes this concept a step further, from possibility to success!”

Great advice for teachers in a very readable style. It covers the inclusion of students with a disability in the mainstream classroom from both social and academic perspectives and demystifies the process of including ALL students in the SAME lesson material using universal design for learning and a range of other strategies. A key bit of advice for teachers: plan your lesson around what you want all students to know; what you want most students to know; and what you want some students to know. With just this one piece of advice teachers can ensure that everyone (including a child with a significant disability) can gain the core material, most will gain a lot of supporting information, and some will be challenged to take their knowledge much further. Gems like this make the book a must have for teachers.Robert Jackson PhD

This is a nice short read that will inspire and encourage every teacher to believe that all children can be successful with the appropriate environmental supports.

Pretty useful. I like the included forms.

As an consultant, I get a lot of questions about which resources to use in inclusive schools. I have long recommended From Disability to Possibility as the first purchase for parents, teachers, and advocates learning about inclusive schooling or needing some added inspiration. For this reason, I was delighted when Patrick Schwarz's new book came out as all of the fans of Disability to Possibility now have a whole set of tools to use in implementing their plans for schooling, inspired living, and success in general. You will love this guidebook filled with forms, planning tools, and worksheets all designed to move students from "possibility to success". Trainers and administrators in particular MUST have copies at the ready when working with teams!!! Another great contribution from Dr. Schwarz-- just fantastic!!!

As a parent of a child who has Down syndrome I appreciated this book so much. I have recommended it to my child's team at school in the hopes that someone would read it and come away with a different view of how they are teaching my daughter. In other words, I was hoping for them to think outside the box on how inclusion can work. There were so many times throughout this book that I thought, "Yes!" or "If only my child's teacher thought this way!" I really think this is a book that would benefit all teachers, general ed and special ed, principals, special ed directors etc. It would open some eyes as to why an inclusive education is so beneficial and do-able. If only Mr Schwarz could come speak to this school district!