Self-Determination in the Classroom  

When you examine the set of constructs for self-determination you quickly realize that this is not something just for special education students to be taught in resource classrooms.  Every Alaskan student needs to develop skills for self-determination for successful school-to-adult life transition.  Students must leave our buildings with an awareness of personal needs and preferences, a knowledge of how to set goals and work toward them, creatively look for solutions to problems and resolve conflicts, speak up for him or herself, and evaluate their own decisions and behavior (Eisenman and Chamberlin, 2001).  Self-determination is a valuable and desirable outcome for all students, not just those with disabilities.

Building skills for self-determination begins when a child is young.   Parents play the greatest role in promote these skills for their children, but educators also must create an environment in which students have multiple opportunities over time to develop skills in goal setting, plan development, self-monitoring, and adjusting.  This is not something taught as a unit in isolation from the rest of the student's educational experiences.  For younger students it begins as evaluating and making choices and evolves into meaningful decision-making for older students (Wehmeyer, Agran, and Hughes, 1998).

Teachers can do many things to promote self-determination in inclusive classrooms.  Involving students in decisions that affect their school experiences promotes ownership and individual investment.  Some ways that teachers can create this climate include:

  1. Allowing students to participate in determining what the class rules, consequences, and expectations might be
  2. Developing structures that lead to self-directed learning
  3. Allowing students to select from a range of materials to explore concepts
  4. Identifying and working toward group or class rewards
  5. For units that are not hierarchical, allowing students to select the sequence of study
  6. Providing opportunities for students practice self-assessment
  7. Explicitly modeling decision-making
  8. Providing frequent, rewarding opportunities to practice self-determined behavior

These are a few suggestions that can be applied across grade levels.  They aren't separate lessons or units, but practices imbedded in day-to-day activities.  The key is to promote a class and school climate in which students feel supported and respected as they practice being self-determining individuals (Hapner, 2002).

The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Process

Students of all grade levels and abilities should be actively involved in their IEP process.  How each student participates is influenced by a variety of factors including age, communication skills, teacher and parent support and student interest. 

Before the IEP Meeting.  From an early age, students need to be given opportunities to gradually build decision-making skills.  Prior to the IEP or transition plan meeting, the student should  be supported  to discuss the plan with the special educator or case manager.  The educator should ensure that the student understands the sequence of events, any unfamiliar vocabulary, and has an opportunity to express his or her preferences about goals, objectives, and accommodations or supports.  For meaningful student participation in the process, specific instruction on strategies, vocabulary, and expectations are crucial (Agran, Blanchard, and Wehmeyer, 2000).  Students should be given the opportunity to practice what they might say during a meeting, frame questions and identify all the people they want at the meeting.  Student checklists for self-assessment are useful tools to help prepare students for their role during the meeting.  Other techniques include mock IEP meetings with other students taking roles, and video modeling.  Resources for these techniques are included in this toolkit.

During the IEP Meeting.  Student participation should be viewed as a continuum that is influenced by prior experience, opportunities to prepare and practice, age, and disability related issues.  For some students, meeting privately with the educator and discussing ideas with parents prior to the planning meeting and simply doing the introductions during the meeting may be the extent of their participation.  Other students may feel comfortable leading the IEP meeting and facilitating the process. For more detailed information on student-facilitated IEP meetings explore Student-Led IEP's:  A Guide For Student Involvement" in the toolkit or  "A Student's Guide to the IEP" on the Web at http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/stuguide/st1book.htm.

Encourage other participants to interact directly with the student during the meeting.  It may be useful to prepare other educators who will be involved in the meeting about the student's role and how to support it.  One of the educators may be enlisted to observe the student's behavior during the meeting and make note of specific instances when the student practices self-advocacy or use a checklist to document self-determining behaviors.

After the IEP Meeting.  Meeting again with the student after the IEP or transition planning meeting is crucial.  To develop skills for meaningful participation and increase levels of self-determination, students must have the opportunity to reflect on the meeting, the plan, and the role they played.  Again, use of video or checklists for self-assessment, and feedback from other participants are useful tools.  It's this feedback loop that allows the student the opportunity to practice, perform, evaluate and adjust as their self-determined behavior evolves over time.

Self-Determination in the Classroom | Table of Contents | Ideas for Lesson Plan Adaptations