S11 E16 Promoting Peer Engagement and AAC in Inclusive Classrooms

Tim Villegas56min

Tim Villegas

00:16

Hi friends it's Tim Villegas from the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education and you are listening to think inclusive, our podcast that features conversations about inclusive education and what inclusion looks like in the real world. If you've been following think inclusive for a while you know that we talk about the many benefits of inclusive education for everyone. Academics is one benefit, but this week, our guests are going to highlight why relationships with peers are often an overlooked byproduct of inclusive classrooms and how augmentative and alternative communication can fit into this equation. Dr. Elizabeth Biggs is an assistant professor of special education at Vanderbilt University, where she acts as a researcher it also teaches classes focused on inclusion and general education access for students with disabilities, who have extensive support needs. She also is an affiliated faculty member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, which is an interdisciplinary hub for research, advocacy and service focused on improving the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Her research focuses on augmentative and alternative communication, AAC, and students with complex communication needs particularly supporting belonging and inclusion for this group of students by improving social communication language and literacy outcomes. Aaron Turner is an educational consultant for the enhancing peer networks project at Vanderbilt University. As a special educator for 12 years, Erin served diverse schools and districts across many roles. She taught both general and special education classes led an inclusion program and served as a district wide Special Education coach she now collaborates with and provides training to educators and school sites to implement the enhanced peer networks intervention. On this week's episode, Elizabeth and Erin discuss the importance of fostering friendships and peer relationships, and inclusive classrooms. They emphasize the need to prioritize social emotional learning and provide practical tools for supporting peer engagement. The conversation also touches on the role of augmentative and alternative communication and facilitating communication and connection among students. The enhancing peer network project research initiative focused on building capacity for friendship and social communication development is highlighted as a valuable future resource for educators and families. This episode sponsor isn't really a sponsor, I just really want to tell you about this magazine called good tape. It's a real physical print magazine, all about podcasting, with great writing, and incredible art. And it's just so cool. And something we really need as an industry. I've been podcasting for over a decade now. And I wish that this resource was around when I first started, and I'm so glad I have a copy of their first issue. It's sitting on my desk right now. If you want your own copy, go to good tape.com and use promo code podcast 15 for 15% off. That's godt a p e.com. Using the promo code podcast 15 at checkout. After a short break my interview with Elizabeth Biggs and Aaron Turner and for free time this week, I have a very short rant. At least I'm going to try to make it short. Stick around. We'll be right back.

Tim Villegas

04:14

Elizabeth Biggs and Aaron Turner, welcome to think inclusive. Thanks

Unknown Speaker

04:18

for having us, Tim. Yeah, thanks

Unknown Speaker

04:21

for having us. I'm so excited.

Tim Villegas

04:22

So I was introduced to Elizabeth actually, we didn't actually meet at the cloud 21 conference in Pasadena. But somebody I did meet, told me to go to your session and that was Eric Carter. And he said, You really need to go to Elizabeth's session because she knocks it out of the park. And so I went to the session and you were talking about appearing engagement friendships. In using AAC or augmented It is an alternative communication. And I was only able to listen to like half of it. But I was like, Oh my gosh, I need to talk to you, I need to have you and your colleague on the podcast. And so what I would love to start off with is, you know, a lot of educators listen to think inclusive. And we all know that a benefit of inclusive classrooms is, you know, academic progress, but we don't really talk about relationships or, or peers. So why are relationships with peers, often overlooked when thinking about inclusive classrooms?

Speaker 1

05:39

Yeah, man? That's a really good question. I think for a number of reasons. So one of the things I think about is, is sort of like the history of how inclusion has come to be. And I think we started thinking about inclusion, thinking about like, socialization feels like the word that comes to mind, right? Like, oh, we've got to get kids socialized. So we need them with their peers. I think we really quickly realize like, okay, that's not our only goal, like that's a that's a pretty small goal. And we want to do things like build self determination, build authentic belonging, and, you know, in the last couple decades, we want them to have access to the general curriculum. I am so thrilled that we have started talking about all those things. But what I think we've lost is that focus a little bit on peer relationships, that, that the general education curriculum isn't actually just academics. But the general education curriculum is this well rounded curriculum designed to support students in becoming college and career ready? And how we relate to peers is a tremendous part of that. So why is it overlooked? I think it's just that teachers are busy, right? I know that teachers are juggling so many different priorities. And even though there's language in the law around these things, like well rounded education within ESA, this idea of being college and career ready, I think these things take a backseat to academics.

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