Why is inclusion in the classroom important

In an inclusive classroom, teachers weave in specially designed instruction and support that can help students make progress. These strategies are helpful for all students. Kids may be given opportunities to move around or use fidgets.

And teachers often put positive behavioral interventions and supports PBIS in place. Another key teaching strategy is to break students into small groups. When teachers use small groups, they can tailor their teaching to the way each student learns best. This is known as differentiated instruction.

Teachers meet the needs of all students by presenting lessons in different ways and using the Universal Design for Learning UDL framework. For example, they may use multisensory instruction. In math, that may mean using visual aids and manipulatives like cubes or colored chips to help kids learn new concepts. See more examples of multisensory math techniques.

Some classrooms may have an interactive whiteboard. On it, kids can use their fingers to write, erase, and move images around on the large screen. Inclusive classrooms are filled with diverse learners, each of whom has strengths and challenges. Inclusion gives kids a way to talk about how everyone learns in their own way. They may find that they have more in common with other kids than they thought.

Making sure all students feel safe in their classroom is one of the many ways you can help your LGBT students. Also keep in mind that LGBT students are not the only ones who can experience bullying. Any student may be bullied. Creating a more inclusive classroom can be difficult if you are underprepared or do not have enough resources. Thankfully, modern classrooms are much easier to make inclusive than those in the past.

This is because of technology. Educational technology, also referred to as EdTech, is an easy solution to help create this inclusive classroom. EdTech allows teachers to easily breakdown barriers that can hold students back. Whether this is assistive technologies for students with certain needs or using video-assisted learning to help students understand minority traditions, all of this is much more accessible than ever before.

But also keep in mind that not every student has access to technology and the internet. Provide a solution for these students by talking to your administrators to provide city library cards or laptops so that the student can learn in a safe and comfortable environment.

There are quite a few different strategies you can use to make your classroom more inclusive. However, with the use of EdTech, it is much easier to use diverse materials and share among different students. Video-assisted learning is a great way to help your classroom be more inclusive. This is because many videos were made with diversity in mind, so it is easy to find videos starring casts of children with different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Even better, there are great free resources and paid platforms like myViewBoard Clips , available for teachers.

If you feel that videos may be helpful in teaching your students about one another, this article provides you with tips, insights, and a 6-step guide on how to use effective educational videos in the classroom. Hybrid Learning implements synchronous lessons taught simultaneously in-person and online. This means that some students are in the physical classroom, while others are at home or other educational institutes. Hybrid learning is a great option for inclusivity as it helps break down geographical barriers.

Whether they are students with special needs, from lower economic backgrounds, or students with other needs, hybrid learning allows everyone to be present in the classroom, even if they are not physically there. It also allows for students to develop self-scheduling and self-confidence due to the need to collaborate and be fully engaged in the classroom. Assistive technology AT is defined as any device, piece of equipment, or system that helps to enhance lives and accommodate people with special needs, impairments, or disabilities.

While assistive technology can be low-tech or no tech at all, blending assistive technology with EdTech can help your classroom become more inclusive. Using assistive EdTech can make it easier for you to accommodate and include students in that many of these tools act as supplements for students with certain needs.

For example, augmentative and alternative communication like text-to-speech for students who are hearing impaired is an easy way to include those students in general education courses. A study published in the International Journal of Special Education found that students with autism performed better in inclusion classrooms than in special education classrooms.

The authors noted the findings indicate students with autism should be provided a challenging curriculum to encourage academic learning as opposed to one based solely on developing functional skills. When schools use evidence-based practices in implementing inclusion classrooms, it can lead to academic and social improvements for both sets of students. Schools with these practices found that disabled students had higher school satisfaction and felt a better sense of belonging.

Non-disabled students in turn got the chance to learn alongside those who were different from them, building acceptance and understanding. All students respond differently to academic instructional methods, including special education students.

Some may excel in collaborative settings while others may learn better by working on their own. Universal Design Learning UDL offers insight from cognitive neuroscience research that helps teachers create atmospheres and lessons that support all learners. With UDL, teachers can better engage with every student in class, regardless of learning disability. Whether using UDL or not, the opportunity to create diverse and inclusive lesson plans helps teachers grow in their career and become more in tune with what students need to perform well.

Often, traditional and special education teachers work together in collaborative classes. These collaborative settings can take many forms, including assistant teaching, parallel teaching, station teaching, and team teaching, among others. Ask your school principal what is being done to support teachers to include students with diverse needs in the classroom.

You can expect the school to provide a plan to support teachers and students through good inclusive practices —like collaboration, team work, innovative instructional practices, peer-strategies, and more.

The fundamental right of children with developmental disabilities to receive an education was the first issue to mobilize the community living movement in the s. At the time, it was widely believed that children with developmnetal disabilities could not learn.

The government, therefore, accepted no responsibility for their education. Parents of children with developmental disabiliteis, understanding the potential of their sons and daughters to learn and grow, responded by creating their own schools in places like church basements and private homes.

In , parents created a provincial organization, which eventuall grew into Inclusion BC. Ever sinces, families have steadily advocated for changes in government laws and policies so that their children with disabilities would have the same right to be educated as other school-aged children.

Government slowly accepted responsibility for funding parent-run schools and eventually agreed that not just funding, but public schooling, should be avialable to children with disabiliteis.