Inclusive education systems provide equal access to quality education for all students while ensuring that the needs of all kinds of learners are met. It involves an opportunity to learn for all students regardless of their abilities, background of learning styles.
If you are a teacher who wants to create an inclusive learning environment, here are a few things that can help:
Individualized Education Plans (IEP)
Children with special needs in inclusive classrooms have IEPs that the teacher can use as a guiding tool. IEP of a child is based on their clinical assessment (conducted by a psychologist), interventions, and accommodations required (suggested by a special education teacher). The teacher can then set up monthly/yearly goals, in consultation with the special education teacher, for the child based on their IEP.
The goals in the IEP are based on the child’s capabilities and needs and are not in relation to other children’s performance in class. The teachers can use the individual child’s strength to work on their goals in the IEP.
Collaborate With Special Education Teacher
If children in your classroom go to a special education teacher, it is essential to stay in touch with them and collaborate to meet the learning goals of the students. This ensures that the classroom teacher and special education teacher are reinforcing the same concepts and the child does not get confused by different teaching approaches.
Group Activities
When pairing children together for group activities, the teacher can pair students of diverse learning needs together. This allows children to learn from each other through peer tutoring.
Encourage discussions within groups or in the classroom as a whole, so all students get to share their perspectives and learn from one another. This also helps the teachers evaluate and assess the progress students are making in class.
Multiple Ways Of Engagement
To cater to all kinds of learners in classrooms, content can be taught through different mediums that cater to all learning styles. A multi-sensory teaching approach is useful for inclusive learning as it engages different senses (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic) and improves recall and learning abilities.
Technology is a great tool that the teachers can use in classrooms as it engages multiple senses and helps in reinforcing the concepts taught through conventional teaching methods. WonderGames can facilitate learning in classrooms through its inclusive augmented reality educational games. It also helps in improving motor and cognitive skills of children with special needs and can be a great tool for teachers in inclusive classrooms.
Positive Classroom Environment
Teachers need to provide a safe and positive learning environment in the classroom for students. Acknowledgment of efforts put in by children and frequent praises and rewards for hard work can improve the child’s confidence and motivation to learn. Checking in with students individually and asking how they are doing can help teachers build a positive and good relationship with their students.
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