Steps towards creating an inclusive classroom

learning-knows-no-bounds-sped

Teaching and learning can only be considered fully effective if it allows every single child in the classroom to succeed. It is a challenge to ensure all learners are not only included but also stretched in order for each pupil to make progress regardless of their perceived ability level. It is equally as important to stretch the higher achieving pupils as it is to ensure the lower achievers are able to access the subject content. In order to achieve this, we as teachers must place a huge emphasis on differentiation, both when planning and teaching our lessons. Differentiation will therefore be a key theme within this page.

Why do we need to differentiate? Well, children do not all learn in the same way, with some children facing more noticeable obstacles than others. It goes without saying that children with additional needs must be considered during the lesson planning process in order for the lesson to be inclusive (see section on barriers to learning). Yet we must take our planning even further to include each and every child in the classroom, including those we do not have additional concerns for; we need to consider the children who would otherwise be considered ‘off the radar’.

The Center for Teaching Excellence at Cornell University state “inclusive learning environments are ones in which students feel that their contributions and perspectives are equally valued and respected” (n.d). In order to create this sort of environment, we need to be continually reflective and engaged within a cyclical process involving formative assessment and subsequent implementation through differentiated teaching.

But how can we put this into practice? We have compiled a number of points to consider when developing teaching and learning strategies within an inclusive learning environment:

 

Differentiation strategies

 

As we have mentioned, a kbowling-onesizefitsall-241x300ey way of ensuring that a learning environment is inclusive is through effective differentiation. We have discussed how having a secure pedagogical understanding of individual pupils’ needs is essential when planning inclusive lessons, but what about the children with no additional needs? There is a real danger of not focusing enough on children who sit quite comfortably within the middle ability range of our pupils. Similarly, we need to give equal consideration to children who demonstrate higher academic ability and those on gifted and talented programmes.

The government addresses these issues in the new national curriculum:

 “Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. They have an even greater obligation to plan lessons for pupils who have low levels of prior attainment or come from disadvantaged backgrounds.Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious” (Department for Education, 2014, Section 4.1).

 

In an ideal world, the best way to achieve this may be to set each child individual pieces of work. Yet considering teachers’ workloads, this is rarely a feasible reality. So how can we address this issue?

 

  1. Allowing children to self select the level at which they engage with a task can allow for a ‘one topic/skill fits all’ approach whilst still catering to a wide range of abilities.I want to make clear that I am not suggesting the whole class should crudely be given the same task; rather that it is possible to ensure all pupils are able to access the same subject content, but just at a level that is suitable to them. This strategy resonates with the aims of the new national curriculum of deepening pupil’s knowledge, particularly in the core subjects such as mathematics, rather than moving them onto a new skill. Through this mastery approach, “differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention” (NCETM, 2014, p.1). My current placement school successfully achieves this by making ‘extension activities’ available to all students, rather than just those deemed higher ability. These extension activities are centred around problem solving, which means children will naturally engage with this at their own level, with some going into more detail than others..
  2. Prepare to be flexible! Children each bring with them a different set of prior experiences and pre-existing knowledge/understanding. They then build on this existing knowledge by incorporating the new knowledge being presented by the teacher. Therefore, because each child starts at a different place, there is no guarantee they will all finish on the same page. Constructivist theorists suggest that “people learn through an interaction between thinking and experience, and through sequential development of more complex cognitive structures” (Pollard, 2005, p.145). The need to be flexible in our approach to teaching becomes clearer when we consider Piaget’s (1964) argument that children build on and develop their understandings by assimilating aspects of their experiences. So in order to be inclusive, we need to be mindful of childrens’ individual experiences and beliefs so that we can scaffold their learning in a way that rectifies misconceptions and fills gaps in their knowledge. Furthermore, it is useful to be aware of Piaget’s (1964) theory that children actively construct their knowledge and understanding of the world through a set of different phases. As teachers, we therefore need to consider these phases in order to adapt our teaching so that it matches the development phase the child is going through at the time.

 

 

Although it seems obvious, it would be no good teaching a child something that requires a set of skills they have not yet developed. Similarly, we may find that a child does not possess the skills we expected them to have, so we need to be prepared to be flexible in our approach and adjust our teaching accordingly to include all learners.

 

Classroom organisation and orientation

It is important for teachers to not only ensure their planning and teaching is inclusive, but to also put consideration into the orientation and organisation of the classroom. Visuals, displays, role play areas, working walls and activity areas are essential if we want our classrooms to be stimulating and interactive, yet a key question to ask ourselves is ‘are all children able to access these?’ Furthermore, are there opportunities for all children to engage with their surroundings in a way that enables them to make progress? This is particularly important if we have children with physical difficulties and we need to make sure that all areas are accessible for all children.

When considering the classroom environment we should also be mindful of children with additional needs such as autism that may require a space in which to feel calm or safe. “Children with an ASD will benefit from a quiet, distraction-free learning area. Because of their sensory issues, too much noise, movement, bright colours and pictures, etc may be difficult for some children to cope with” (The National Autistic Society, 2011, p.4). However, I am aware that not all classrooms have the space required to facilitate this effectively. If this is the case, it is important to introduce the child to a space outside of the classroom such as a room designated for children who require additional support. Liaising with the school’s SENCO as well as relevant support staff is a good way to ensure that the school environment is organised in a way that is inclusive of all children.

We have noted how differentiation is an integral part of inclusion. “In classrooms where the instruction is differentiated, teachers move around the room, monitoring each group’s progress, spending their time where they are most needed” (Pardini, 2005, p.16). Teachers can factor the orientation of the classroom into their planning processes by implementing a seating plan. This allows you to more easily target groups of children that would benefit from greater input.

 

Children’s views

As teachers, we can observe and analyse endlessly, yet it is perhaps the children themselves who can teach us the most valuable ways to include them. Alexander (2010) argues that children’s views need to be listened to and put into action more, saying that schools can play a positive role in doing this. If we encourage children to play a role in inclusion, then perhaps they will feel more included as a result. Simply asking a child what works best for them in regards to the way they approach their work may elicit some valuable information. In our page discussing barriers to learning we have mentioned a similar approach being taken towards establishing classroom rules whereby the teacher asks the class to agree on a set of guidelines that they will all follow, with the agreement being sealed by the children and the teacher ‘signing’ a ‘class rules’ poster or display. The idea is that the children then feel more obliged to adhere to the rules as a result of being included in the decision process. Similarly, if a child has been included in the approach a teacher takes to helping them to learn, perhaps they will invest more into their own learning as a result of feeling included.

Whilst listening to and incorporating children’s views is a useful way of establishing the needs of our pupils, we should also be mindful that some children may feel unable to communicate their needs effectively, especially in regards to social situations where they may not feel as included as some of their peers. To address this, I have seen sociograms used as a way to monitor children’s social relationships. The sociograms used in my current school provide visual representations of peer relationships based on pupils’ answers to questions regarding classmates they would most and least like to work and play with. “Recording the positive and negative nominations received by each pupil helps staff to be aware of patterns of acceptance and rejection within the peer group” (Banerjee, http:/www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/robinb/socio.html). Teachers can then use this information to ensure all children feel included socially.

 

sociogram image

Resources for inclusion

Turvey et al. note that ICT is empowering for all different types of children and their learning needs because it is adaptive and interactive, especially for SEN children; “technology has a significant role to play with regards to inclusion and facilitating accessibility in education” (Turvey et al. 2014, p.3). In my current year 4 class, there are a number of pupils who really struggle when it comes to recording their written work in literacy lessons. One particular child, who is diagnosed as autistic, is able to demonstrate some very eloquent ideas orally, but becomes incredibly frustrated and anxious when asked to write these ideas down. He has recently been provided with a laptop to use during literacy lessons and it has been a joy to watch his confidence grow in regards to his written work. He no longer feels unable to partake in the lesson as a result of his struggles with writing by hand, which was an issue we addressed by incorporating ICT (a subject he excels in) into his literacy work.

Although ICT resources can be an invaluable tool to boost the inclusivity of our lessons, there are also many much more basic resources that can help. For example, word mats containing key vocabulary can really help lower ability children to work on their written work more independently, providing them with perhaps a greater sense of accomplishment than if they have to work with more direct adult help. Furthermore, if children become too accustomed to working with an adult, they are perhaps also less likely to develop their thoughts independently in an autonomous way. So providing children with resources that help to facilitate their learning can foster a separate set of skills to those developed through one-to-one or group work that is heavily guided by teacher input.

We have stressed that inclusion should not just be centred around meeting the needs of lower attaining children; children of all abilities and backgrounds need to be considered. Therefore resources should also be developed and incorporated to stretch children who are high attainers. For example, a ‘challenge box’ containing tasks that require children to develop higher order thinking skills is one way of including children who may not receive additional support due to the fact that other children in the class are seen to require more urgent input.

challenge box

There are countless numbers of ways to use resources to boost inclusion and there are some really useful resource ideas available online. We have researched and compiled a list of some useful websites that you may wish to browse through:

Final thoughts

We have argued that differentiation is synonymous with good teaching due to the fact that it promotes inclusion. We have highlighted the fact that pupil progress can be influenced by a range of factors which teachers need to address to ensure that learning is inclusive of all children. Teaching and learning strategies, such as those presented in this page, should not be interpreted as a ‘one glove fits all’ approach; as teachers we need to reflect on the needs of our class and differentiate effectively by adapting the approaches to suit the varying needs of our own learners.

 

References

 

  • Alexander, R. (2010) “Childhood today”, in Children, their World, their Education: Final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. London: Routledge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Turvey, K. Potter, J. Allen, J. Sharp, J. (2014) “Introduction”, in Primary Computing and ICT: Knowledge, Understanding and Practice, London: Sage/Learning Matters.

Leave a comment