The Inclusive Class

Accommodations and modifications are two different types of strategies teachers use to help students with learning needs access the curriculum.  These strategies are used frequently in an inclusive education system. With the goal to include students of various abilities in a general education classroom and have the same learning opportunities, the teacher needs to adjust either the objective of a lesson and/or the materials used for the lesson. Accommodations and modifications are determined by the school support team (including the classroom teacher and parents) and written into a plan usually outlined in a 504 Plan or Individual Education Plan. To help clarify the difference between the two, here is a brief overview below. (Note: Click on the image for a free download.) To help you further understand the difference, here are some examples: Accommodation An overlay is used to help the words on the page become much clearer for the student to read.  ...

Confused about inclusion? Use this handy chart to help you understand what inclusion is and isn't!

Inclusive classrooms are not only classrooms that physically include students with special needs. They are classrooms where lessons and programs are also designed with learning needs and differences in mind. Creating an inclusive curriculum means acknowledging that students learn in various ways, at different rates and have diverse interests. It means that different resources are brought together to allow students greater access to curriculum and more successful learning outcomes. Here are some tips to help you design your inclusive language arts program: Many Kinds of Books An inclusive language arts program begins with recognizing that children learn to read at different rates and at different times. To support this reading development, a variety of books are available for the students to read during lessons and unstructured time. These include books that are at different reading levels (from beginning reader to fluent reader), books that are fiction and no...

Children with special needs require extra attention during the shift from one school year to the next. A change in environment or routine can be disruptive.  Without proper planning, adjustment to a new school year can be challenging. When a significant change is about to take place for a special needs child, schools will often set up a transition plan. A transition plan is designed to help ease the student into a new situation. It is important for parents to know that they can also help transition their child into a new school year. More importantly, parents should begin preparing their child for the new school year before the old one is over! Preparation and support can continue through the school break, right up until the first day back to school. This strategy is known as “front-loading”. By “front-loading”, you are giving your child information and skills in order to make an experience or activity as successful as possible. Here are some ways in which parents c...

The door to my Kindergarten classroom in urban, multicultural and economically diverse Burnaby, British Columbia Canada opens on the Tuesday after Labor Day in September. The children in my classroom come from a school community with 24% of families with an annual income of under $30 000. Housing in this community consists of both rental and homeowner properties.  The neighborhood consists of two-parent, single parent and blended families with most parents working. Many of the children who attend this school are in daycare or left on their own before and after school. Within this community there is a diverse multicultural population, where the home language for 34% of students is not English. Approximately 26% of the students in this school receive English as a Second Language support.  My learners are VERY diverse.  In this class, depending on the needs of the year, there might be: children with ADHD, Hard of Hearing, Selective Mutism, Fetal Alcohol Syndro...

#1  Don’t put students with special needs at the back of classroom or away from other kids. Do seat your student with special needs in an appropriate spot with the rest of your students. Physical proximity indeed facilitates inclusion. There becomes increased opportunities for peer and teacher interaction, learning experiences and teacher observation of the student's progress. In  addition , students feel valued, a sense of belonging and develop confidence. #2  Don’t expect the Paraprofessional to work independently and without support. Do work collaboratively with the Paraprofessional in your classroom!  Together, plan for the support programs in your classroom as well as assessment strategies, expectations of routines and lines of communication between school and home. This will allow for the best use of the Para's skills and create a culture of respect and teamwork in  the  classroom. #3  Don’t expect all the s...

As Pinterest becomes a popular way for teachers to share and find resources for their classroom, I would like to give you a list of my favorite Inclusion boards!  The number of boards dedicated to inclusive education is growing daily and I’m sure I have missed out on some very noteworthy mentions. For that reason, please let me know in the comment section below, of any pinners or boards that you find very helpful. However, for the time being you can’t go wrong following these Pinterest boards, where you will find so many ways to enrich and enhance your inclusive classroom! 1.   Brenda Schottmuller -  The mother of all inclusion boards, Brenda’s Pinterest board has over 3500 pins related to inclusion! You’ll be sure to find lots of tips, advice and  information for all age levels here. Give yourself a lot of time to look through it! 2.   Lisa Friedman - Lisa’s Inclusion board is a collaborative board where several inclusion advocates (includin...

1.  Before School Including children with various needs in a general education classroom can be a concern for some teachers who have not had any experience with inclusion. It can be an overwhelming task with IEPs to follow, adaptations to make, and differentiated lessons to create. Not to mention, inclusion is rumored to cost a lot of money! How can general education teachers ever make this work? First and foremost, inclusion is an attitude not a program. Just by starting to think that all children in your class will be included as much as possible is the best way to begin! In fact, one of the most effective, inclusive behaviors is to use inclusive language! Rather than using the word “them” when referring to children with special needs , start using the words “we” or  “us”.   And, second, start small.   Making a few tweaks to your curriculum and daily schedule each  week will set you on your way!   In this article, I list several ways...