Creating an Inclusive, Student-Centered Learning Environment - Literature review Example

Name: xxxxx Tutor: xxxxx Title: Creating an Inclusive, Student Centered Learning Environment Institution: xxxxx Date: xxxxx Introduction Inclusive teaching means accommodating, meeting and recognizing the learning needs of all the students. It translates to acknowledging that the students possess a variety of individual learning needs and belong to diverse communities. Inclusive teaching does away with pigeonholing students into particular groups with fixed and predictable approaches to learning. According to Lehmann (2004), inclusive teaching has a strategy for delivering diversity policies and equal opportunities, matches student needs provision, take into account the entire institution, adopts a coherent approach that is proactive and anticipatory, integrates regular review, refinement and reflection of methods and strategies that involve disabled students actively. Even students with the same disability features will have different preferred style of learning and different strengths. Inclusive teaching practices motivate the application of multiple strategies for information delivery and provision of multiple ways for students to demonstrate the acquired knowledge. Implementing strategies for teaching that are inclusive of diverse preferences, strengths and styles is something that is primarily considered in planning of curriculum, but there is always a way of being more inclusive (Shaddock et al., 2007). Theoretical Framework of understanding the learning needs Partnering with parents The best teaching practice involve teachers having a working relationship with parents to provision of the best education for the students. This particularly applies to students having special needs. The parents understand the child better than anyone else; they are able to tell the teacher the child strength and areas of needs. Parents can be very supportive in providing the services that are needed by the teacher. Parents play the role of a teacher at home by being consistent with rewards, communication, and practicing skills while at home. In particular cases parents need to be informed or educated concerning inclusion and the importance of the home-school relationship (Kronberg, 2002). In most cases students’ parents may feel reluctant to expose their special need to an environment that is unknown. Parents need to be invited to have a look at the inclusive classroom to get a clear understanding of how crucial inclusion is to social, personal, and academic needs of their child with special needs. For a teacher to have a grasp of the need of the student more comprehensively he needs to understand the parents’ perspective concerning, initial interaction with schools, stress of taking care of a child with special needs, their personal belief concerning the future of the child, financial stress, the reaction of the parents towards disability chat may include ambivalence, optimism, or grief (Mcleskey & Waldron, 2000). Secondly, as a teacher there is great need to collaborate with the parents with the goal of helping the parents participate in school. There is need to be sensitive to the point of view of the parent and convey to parents that they are welcome in the classroom. There should be preparation of conferences that will clarify the purpose of inclusive teaching, involve parents in discussions actively, have needed material provide, keep notes and follow up with the parents. In order to get to know the needs of the students with disability it is vital to enhance communication through use of technology (telephone, computer, audiotapes, and videotapes) and send written communication home using newsletters, notes and checklists. The needs of the students can also be identified by knowing the parents’ educational and cultural background that will include differences in attitudes towards school and differences in ways of communication. Ways through which effective parent interaction can be blocked is through being insensitive to differences in family, viewing parents as adversaries, not partners, seeing parents as less perceptive, intelligent and observant, having expectations and priorities of parents not matching those of professionals (Biggs, 2003). Collaboration It is expected that a general education teacher will enter up interacting with a variety of professionals in field of special education. These include school psychologists, teachers for special education, speech/language therapists, counselors, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, administrators, nurses, paraprofessionals and many other specialists. Teachers for special education will be more often in contact with general education teachers. A resource or special education teacher is responsible for coordination of services of students and Individualized Education Program (IEP) for every special education individual student. In order to attain success and effectiveness in inclusion, collaboration among the various professionals is very vital. Collaboration involves working in a group in such a manner that all the group members equally contribute. As it has been rightly indicated, collaboration entails how people work together as opposed to what they do. Collaboration can exist in a variety of forms, commencing from a teaming convening to sharing the responsibility of teaching. The features of collaboration include parity in relationship, voluntary, decision making shared responsibility, goal sharing, outcomes accountability sharing, shared resources, growing trust and respect. Collaboration that is effective will involve supportive environment (time and administration), shared value in working with others, interaction and communication skills. The collaboration teaching models that can be used to facilitate inclusion include; co-teaching, teaming, and consulting. Teaming: In this particular model the teacher of special education is assigned to a grade level team to give support in behavior strategies, instructional strategies and adaptations. Co-teaching: The general education teacher and special education teacher teach at the same time in a shared classroom. The teachers are both responsible for working with students having special needs and all responsibility of teaching. Consulting: The teacher for special education acts as the consultant for special education students in order to practice new skills or learn difficult skills. The model is more appropriate to schools which are smaller and have few students with special needs. Inclusive Teaching practices Planning for individual students Some students, particularly those who possess complex learning needs or developmental disabilities, should have some kind of individual plan. These plans carry different names in different states such as ‘Individual Education Plan’ (Tasmania), ‘Negotiated Education Plan’ (South Australia), and ‘Learning Support Plans’ (New South Wales). Loreman et al (2005), trans-disciplinary approach is used where by teams of individuals that involve parents, education consultants, therapists, advocates and students themselves draw up the plans together with the teacher. As it has been described the approach entails persons from different disciplines. The positive aspect of this approach is that many points of view are taken into account. Nevertheless, the teacher being the person in contact with the student daily, he will end up with the bulk of the work. This may not be of main concern to the teacher but he should be on the look out for individual planning meeting to make sure that consultants and specialists do not expect him to implement interventions that are elaborate without availing support that is practical (Kronberg, 2002). Individual plans are helpful but if they based on the school, the objectives they might possess may not be closely related to the curriculum. Besides the burden bestowed on teachers (delivering an individual curriculum in a group context), having a student on a curriculum that is alternate may alter the focus of the student negatively, disrupt the other students learning, unnecessarily complicate the teacher’s life and ‘Velcro’ the student to the teaching assistant. Whereas territories have their own curriculum guidelines and policies, many of them are navigating towards a curriculum that is common for all students-one that is differentiated sufficiently to a degree that there is something appropriate and relevant for each student. The approach is founded on the ‘universal design’ principle which means that the design of instructional material, activities and curriculum itself, provide students with alternatives considering their differing abilities. The teachers work together with other teachers so that a specific skill is reinforced in a variety of contexts. The teachers organize groupings in class in order to make the student be major contributor to performance of the group and that can have a huge effect of the student’s acceptance and self esteem. In some circumstances the students are paired up in order to make their skills complementary such that if a student has a problem with reading, she or he is paired up with a reader who is capable and they are made to discuss the answers. Curriculum overlap entails teachers embedding additional curriculum content in a unit of work or lesson. The main challenge is ensuring that curriculum overlapping entails students in gaining the understanding and the skills that are more relevant and it is not simply a way of their appearing to participate in activities in the class. Differentiated Instruction/Differentiation Differentiation permit one to plan and accomplish a variety of approaches to content (what is learnt by student, product (the way student demonstrate what they have learned), process (how the student learn and how is taught) in response to and in anticipation of student differences in interest (the passion and curiosity of the student), learning profile (how the student best learns), and in readiness (prior mastery of understanding, skills and knowledge). Setting up the inclusive classroom A crucial part of proving an classroom is to set standards that are positive for behavior and make sure the class tone is affirming and supportive for all the students. Firm but fair behavioral standards are to be set at the beginning of the year. A very clear message should be send that the teacher expects the classroom to be a place of learning, civility and respect. If a team is being taught all the members of the instructional team are supposed to use discipline practices that are consistent. Students become frustrated and angry when they are given different consequences and behavioral expectations in the same setting. Class management tools should be introduced such as teaching students to make decisions collaboratively and hold class meeting on a range of events and items each week. The classroom rules should kept sweet and short. The rules of the classroom should be few in number to be more effective (3-5) and stated in terms that are positive whenever possible such as “work at your desk quietly” as opposed to “Do not disturb other students”. Students respect rules if they are incorporated in their formation. Rules should be posted prominently and should be reviewed occasionally to remind students that the teacher value behavior that are appropriate. The students have to be known from the beginning. Students are likely to behave well and act respectfully toward the teacher if they a relationship which is positive with him or her. The teacher has to know the individual students in the class by making a simple survey of interests of students and reward preferences to complete at the commencement of the school year. It should be at the back of the mind of that they are powerful role models for their students. The classroom crisis plans should be drawn up by the student with the help of the teacher. The crisis plans are prepared in anticipation of any crisis that may happen (Biggs, 2003). Differentiation strategies The availability of ‘scaffolding’ and ‘respectful tasks’ in a classroom setting may make limited adaptation necessary. Respectful tasks These are tasks that are engaging and interesting for each learner. They provide access to essential knowledge, skills and understanding and they are tasks that are neither bring nor frustrating. Scaffolding This any kind of differentiating that avail the support required for the student to accomplish work that is challenging. It also means that the teacher is presenting materials and planning student work from simple to complex in a manner that forms layers in order to build the confidence of the student hence their mastery. Mcleskey and Waldron (2000) note that if the scaffolding is provided and tasks are respectful in a way that is non-labeling, students respond in a positive manner, getting involved in independent ways increasingly. The differentiation strategies that teachers may find helpful in making work challenging and success attainable include: Finding Entry points This strategy permits the student to explore the topic that is given through as many as five entry points or avenues like presenting a story about the topic, logic-quantitative, foundational, aesthetic or experiential. Each entry point can be made one for exploring and learning and student are asked to share acquired insight to the topic. Complex Instruction Tasks This is a strategy for differentiating instruction in classrooms that are heterogeneous. Complex instructions need students to work together in small groups, are designed to outline the strengths of each student in the group, are interesting intrinsically to students, are open-ended, involve real objects, are uncertain, provide instructions and materials in English that is modified if needed, require a variety of talents in order to be completed sufficiently, draw up multiple intelligences in real-world manner, integrate writing and reading in ways that make them a vital means to the accomplishment of a desired goal (Thomas & Vaughan, 2004). Compacting This is a strategy for differentiating instruction, originally derived from the gifted education field. It encompass a three step process which entail assessing what the student still needs to master and what he knows about the topic, planning for learning what is not known and exempts the student from what is known, and planning for freed-up time to be spent in catch-up, accelerated and enriched study (Mcleskey & Waldron, 2000). Cubing A strategy that is versatile that allows the teacher to plan different activities for group of students or different groups basing on student learning style, readiness and interests. A cube is created for a variety of group of students. On every face of the cube a different task is described related to concept or subject being learnt. Flexible grouping It is a strategy that provides for students to be a part of a variety of groups basing on the match of the task to student learning profile, interest and readiness. The teacher makes sure that all students have the chance to work with student are dissimilar from themselves or like themselves. The groups can be selected by the student or by the teacher (Westwood, 2004). Group investigation This strategy for differentiating instruction puts student in active roles of solving problems. Students are presented with complex problem, for which they must look for additional information, define the problem, appropriately use and locate valid resources, pose solutions, make decisions concerning solution, communicate the solution to others and assess the effectiveness of the solution. It offers a chance to address learning profile, interest and readiness. High-level questioning Is a strategy for presenting questions that calls for an advanced levels of information, challenges the student thinking and need leaps of understanding. Deepening of questioning intellectually requires that all learners defend their answers and think at high levels. Learning stations/centers This is a strategy for differentiating instruction that provides for ‘stations’ or ‘centers’ or collection materials that learners use to practice skills or explore topics. Data-Driven decisions This is strategy where by the teacher records and uses the data of the student to plan instruction and make judgments. Quantitative and qualitative measures to a basis that is more objective for instructional decisions. Conclusion Integrating learners who are disabled entails making quick changes to teaching or the provision to individuals with equipment or other form of support so that they are accessible to what has not been designed from the beginning with their needs in mind. Inclusive teaching is prepared in a manner that is accessible to all learners. It is important to identify the needs of the learners and design teaching practices that that will emphasize the strength of the special needs student as opposed to the weakness. This paper has explored the various teaching practices that can be used to meet the needs of students with special needs and how to identify these needs. Bibliography Shaddock, A., Giorcelli, L. & Smith, S., 2007, Students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, A resource for teachers, A.CT, Canberra. Thomas, G. & Vaughan, M., 2004, Inclusive education: readings and reflections, Maidenhead, Open University Press. Biggs, J., 2003, Teaching for quality at University: What the student does, Open University Press, Buckingham. Mcleskey, J. & Waldron, N., 2000, Inclusive schools in action: making differences ordinary, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria. Loreman, T, Deppeler, J & Harvey, D., 2005, Inclusive education: a practical guide to supporting diversity in classroom, Routledge, New York. Westwood, P., 2004, Learning and learning difficulties: approaches to teaching and assessment, David Fulton, London. Lehmann, K., 2004, Surviving inclusion, Scarecrow Education, Lanham. Kronberg, R., 2002, Reaching and teaching diverse learners through differentiated instruction, Paul H. Brookes Publishing co., Baltimore. Critical reflection Attaining inclusive teaching involves carrying out an impact assessment in order to think through consequences of whatever the teacher is doing, in advance, so that students who are disabled are not disadvantaged. Inclusive teaching needs attention paid to the pace, structure, length, materials used and methods of delivery. Throughout this paper it has been demonstrated the various inclusive teaching practices to special needs students are a crucial part in the school curriculum. The need to create an ideal atmosphere for the students with special needs to participate in class has been emphasized. It will be important as the other school think of expansion they should have the needs of disabled students at heart so that they are incorporated in every step they make. The role of the parents and the various specialists as far as the education of students with special needs is concerned has been portrayed to be a crucial part of the paradigm navigating towards catering for the students with special needs in the best way possible. Partnering with parents and collaboration with other stakeholders has been seen as the best way of getting to understand the responsibility of bringing up a child with special needs. This paper will help in giving insight in to the proper way of handling students with special needs. Due to limited resources and time factor it was not possible to carry out survey and actual research on the ground pertaining to inclusive student environment and consequently most of the information is drawn from literature. With more resources and adequate time the report would have been more comprehensive in its presentation. Read More