Inclusive Education

What is Inclusive Education? 

This area of focus revolves around welcoming all students in age appropriate general education classes in the school, to ensure they are supported in their learning. It is about programming, planning, and organizing our educational practices in such a way that students with varying backgrounds can participate and learn together. Successful inclusion orientates around accepting, understanding, and attending to student differences and the diverse needs in our classroom, to ensure they recieve high quality instruction, regardless of the challenges they may face.

How Will I Implement This in my Classroom?

While the list could go on forever, here are a select number of inclusion strategies that I would incorporate in my classroom:

• Differentiated Instruction- the lessons that I create will reflect an open, student-focused learning style. It'll allow students the opportunity to practice their knowledge through multiple learning styles, in order to retain the content in the most personal and meaningful way.

• Groupings- groups will be created one of two ways: either all learners with the same cognitive level will be in the same group, or there will be a mix of cognitive abilities and personalities. This would be dependent on the nature of the activity. For something like guided reading, students would definitely be situated in groups with peers of the same level. However, experiments/research groups would involve students of varying abilities, so that they can learn from one another, and take on important individual roles. Both types of groupings ensure that all students are involved in the activity, and nobody gets left behind.

• Students with Behavioural Difficulties, Disabilities, or IEP Plans- I am a firm believer that students who show these characteristics should not be removed from the classroom setting. Removing them from the classroom puts a label on their back and sends the message that they are different than everyone else. While their capabilities may be hindered, I think it is up to the job of us teachers to plan for modifications/adaptations to face these issues, rather than pull the student out and not involving them with anything.

• Adaptations- adaptations are the changes to a students learning plan to support their learning set backs, but still in a way that encourages them to complete every curricular outcome. It is about ensuring equity not equality. Some adaptations that I would include in our classroom to help my students succeed, are:
  
• Flexible Seating
• Fidgets
• Sensory Supports (weighted blankets/toy animals)
• Collaborative Class Playlist
• Calming Corner

• 
  Find Their Interests- this is really important idea to take into account when working with students who are not motivated to complete their work. They shouldn't be punished or disciplined by having to be removed from the classroom, or sent to dentention. This response would not be consistent with the inclusion theory. Instead, I would resort back to my student-focused idea and find out what they are passionate about. Sometimes, the problem can be as easy as having no connection with the task at hand. To engage students in our classroom, I would make sure students are able to relate to the material. This can be done through student choice (choice board) and voice. Include students in their learning process; after all, it's them who we are supporting in their educational path. 

• Discipline Procedures- this topic facilitates around the same idea of not removing students from the classroom, unless they need physical intervention in the event that are at a risk to harming themselves, others, or employing a great deal of destruction to property. I am a professional that believes in the "Dreikurs Model of Discipline". I align with the idea that students misbehave because their needs are not being met. Misbehaviour may be a result of: attention seeking, seeking power and control, seeking revenge, and feeling inadequate. I feel that all things happen for a reason, and their actions are a response to something inside. Children don’t act out just because, there is always a reason. Maybe that is a disability, a lack of attention from home, anger, or even frustration. Doesn’t matter what it is, there is always a reason/purpose, and I feel that we as teachers need to figure out the root of the misbehaviour before automatically turning to consequences and discipline. In other words, find out why the misbehaviour is occurring (because all behaviour is a form of communication) and deal with that, head on, rather than removing the student from the classroom. 

• Promote Cultural Awareness- another method that I would include in our classroom to ensure an inclusive education, is promoting cultural awareness. Now more than ever, students in our classrooms are coming from all different backgrounds with all different family make-ups. I would bring the topics to the students attention, educate them, and celebrate who they all are as individuals!