Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms

by Mara Sapon-Shevin

Widening the Circle is a passionate, even radical argument for creating school and classroom environments where all kids, including children labeled as "disabled" and "special needs," are welcome on equal terms.

In opposition to traditional models of special education, where teachers decide when a child is deemed "ready to compete" in "mainstream" classes, Mara Sapon-Shevin articulates a vision of full inclusion as a practical and moral...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807032808
• ISBN13: 9780807032800
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Benefits for All from Inclusive Classrooms

Widening the Circle is a book that speaks to all of us and asks us to think about what kind of education is necessary to preserve a democratic society. Offering an inclusive definition of inclusion- encompassing race, gender, class, sexual orientation, as well as ability- Sapon-Shevin describes the multiple benefits of including all children in the mainstream of education. These include learning to live together in community, embracing difference and learning from the many different ways of being smart. Her conceptual principles and personal accounts together show how,without sacrificing anyone's educational success,truly inclusive classrooms can both enable all children to achieve academically and to develop the experiences and values for maintaining a democracy. This book is very accessible and useful for teachers, administrators, parents and general readers alike.

Excellent and useful

This is definitely a book with a message: ALL MEANS ALL. Each of us matters. If you have had the experience of being excluded or isolated because of who you are, or know someone who has, this is a good read. It is free of edu-speak, passionate, and has lots of good stories making points in response to common objections to school inclusion. It presents the big picture that disability is an interesting way to be alive along with other aspects of us that society may limit with restrictive labels (race, class, gender identity, ethnicity, etc.) Teachers and parents will find thought provoking and practical ideas in this book.

Provocative, essential, and important

Sapon-Shevin's book raises many questions about the quality and efficacy of today's education and how we integrate all students in our classrooms. Her argument rests on the premise that all students are best served when they all have opportunities to work together in the classroom. As she eloquently explains, not only are classroom communities more vital and alive but more (and different types) of learning occurs. Academic content is integrated with social justice, caring, and holistic learning opportunities. This book offers not only an eloquent argument for such classrooms but also offers insights into how to create and achieve such classrooms. If you're a teacher (or a pre-service teacher) or a parent, I recommend that you read this book in conjunction with her previous book, Because We Can Change the World. That's a powerful combination-- It will give you a real understanding of the power of classrooms, the power of teaching, and the opportunities we can create to make meaningful changes in the lives of all of our students. I'm a teacher-educator and I am using this book in my Methods class this semester-- I am asking my pre-service teachers to read this book and take some of these ideas into their own classrooms. I know that this book will change the ways they understand their practicum and will help them revision themselves as agents of change within their new profession.

impassioned, funny and full of stories

I read this book because I'd met the author at a Children's Music Network event. The book sounds like Mara: impassioned, funny, and full of stories. What she is impassioned about here is including students of all abilities in a regular classroom, and teaching so that everybody learns what they can. It's not only good for the physically- or learning-challenged students, it's good for everybody. We all have different learning styles, so we can profit from a variety of teaching methods, and we all live in a world where we deal with people with different abilities. I see a lot of classrooms in my vocation as a storyteller and songwriter, but I didn't know a whole lot about education of children with disabilities, so I passed the book on to a friend who raised three kids with polio. She essentially agreed with Mara's thesis, that children given the help they need to survive in a regular classroom do better in life than children who are separated out.

a book teachers have been waiting for

I read this book in one sitting and have since recommended it to dozens of families and colleagues. It is a book we have waited for-- one that sees diversity as something bigger than disability or race or ethnicity. This author describes difference as something that every child brings to the classroom and as something we can embrace and use in our teaching, in our curriculum, and to build our school communities. This author understands inclusive school as something beyond a space where all students are educated together. In this book, she helps us, as teachers, see inclusion as something we DO (vs. someplace we go)and as a catalyst for our own professional growth. In addition, the book is well written, engaging, and filled with rich and memorable stories. Sapon-Shevin provides not only the inspiration to teach to the differences around us but the tools as well.