Why is My Kid in an ICT Class

“Why is my kid in an ICT class when he doesn’t have a disability?” If you’ve taught an ICT class yourself, or administered a building with ICT classes, you’ve probably encountered this question at some point. Here’s the simple answer: ICT classes are not just for students with disabilities. Everyone can benefit from having two teachers in the classroom and a diverse community of peers. This setting is for everyone and anyone. If this answer is enough for a parent, congratulations. That was easy. But many parents need more than this in order to get on board with their kid being in an ICT class. Here are some tips for teachers and administrators on what to say when a parent just isn’t buying it.

First of all, it’s important to make sure that parents know what an ICT class actually is. Many of them believe it is a service model that exists for the sole benefit of students with disabilities; they think it is specifically a special education class. Some parents believe that it detracts from the education of students without disabilities. This is, of course, a myth. While the quality of education in any classroom depends on a lot of factors, the educational philosophy behind classes made up of diverse learners can’t really be argued; all kids benefit from learning alongside peers who don’t think like them. And all students can certainly benefit from having more than one teacher in their classroom.

Research has shown that students at all levels of ability benefit from being in an inclusive setting, where students with different strengths, backgrounds, and learning styles work side by side. These benefits are both academic and social and apply to everyone, regardless of ability or disability.

In addition to students benefiting from class heterogeneity, one of our favorite things about co-taught classes is how much easier it is to teach students in small groups. A vast majority of students learn better in a small group setting with fewer peers and closer proximity to the teacher than in the large group. While small groups are still possible in a class with one teacher, students get half the attention. We always encourage the ICT teams that we work with to use small group teaching models as often as possible.

While all of this makes an ICT placement great for everyone, a few things still need to be in place for all students to actually have a great experience. The teachers need to be able to work together productively, communicate, plan, and execute. Students need to see the teachers as equals from day one, and they need to have the building support to be able to make that happen. When teaching pairs don’t get planning time or an opportunity to build their partnership, it’s easy for tensions to build and for important co-teaching elements to fall through the cracks. It’s not always easy, but when done well, ICT classes often provide the richest and most dynamic learning experience for all students.