Inclusive classroom what does it look like

Knowing this will help you consider every aspect of your classroom, and how you make it inclusive, safe and purposeful. Some inclusion strategies are so universally beneficial for all students, that they are worth doing in every classroom! For example, many children with dyslexic traits struggle to read pure black text on a pure white background.

Simply changing the colours you use on your slides, avoiding black on white, can help not only children with a dyslexia diagnosis, but all children. What if you have children with mild dyslexic traits that are unlikely to be diagnosed? Changing your slides will help them, too! Changing the colours of your slides to ones which are less high-contrast makes them less tiring to view and read, too: better for everyone — you included! This is just one example of an inclusive change which benefits all children, but there are many, many others.

This is another big one which promotes inclusion for all in your classroom. We all need calm in order to learn. But creating a calm environment in class is a tricky thing to master, particularly if you have a class of children who have come up from a previous class where low-level disruption such as chatter was tolerated.

Ensure you clearly define when group discussion or working is required and acceptable, and when it is most certainly not. Make it clear that preventing others from working during independent learning time is unacceptable add it to your basic rules.

A calm environment is inclusive for many of your children, regardless of whether they have a special need for it or not: every child's home life can be chaotic at times — that's life. This is one of those little changes you can make which helps everyone, and makes all children feel included.

Some children with dyslexic and dyspraxic traits struggle with organisation, as do some with Autistic Spectrum Disorders ASD.

Clearly displaying timetables visual timetables are great, especially for younger learners helps them, and all your children, feel involved in the school day. With a clearly displayed timetable, children can look ahead to their favourite or least favourite activities, and mentally prepare accordingly: they may think to themselves 'How will I show everyone how good I am at History later on? The same is true for key vocabulary, facts or concepts relating to what you're currently learning in class.

Stick this information up for all to see on display boards. This helps remind children of prior learning, and to answer questions or tackle tricky tasks. You might be thinking to yourself: 'What has this got to do with inclusion?

Don't just assume what your children already know or don't know when you're planning a new topic; ask them! That way you'll identify areas which children are curious to learn more about, and avoid going over very familiar learning.

Pre-assessing children's prior knowledge, and interests around a subject, in this way shows them that they have been listened to, and included in their own learning. It's a powerful tool for inclusion in the classroom. Inclusion works by finding the best way to ensure all children can access the learning, and have the opportunity to achieve.

Setting exactly the same task for all children may not help you to achieve that, particularly when it comes to assessing learning. When you get to the end of the topic, it might be tempting to assess children's learning with a written test.

Don't do this at least not every time, anyway! Instead, offer children a choice of ways of presenting what they have learned. For example, at the end of a topic about the Arctic, give children the choice of showing their learning by:. Of course, you'll need to provide sufficient resources and support, plus encourage children to choose a way of showing their learning which plays to their own strengths.

Giving children a choice empowers them. It's inclusive, because it creates equal opportunities to show learning and progress in a way that a standard test which many children struggle with may not.

Brown has been working closely with the special education teacher, Mr. Lopez, and reading a great deal about the benefits and the challenges. Determined to be successful, she is especially focused on effective inclusive classroom strategies.

Her hard work is paying off. Her mid-year and end-of-year results are very positive. Her regular ed students are excelling. A spirit of collaboration and positive energy pervades her classroom and she feels this in the whole school as they practice inclusive education. The children are happy and proud of their accomplishments.

The principal regularly compliments her. The parents are positive, relaxed, and supportive. Brown knows she has more to learn and do, but her confidence and satisfaction are high.

The future is very bright indeed for this approach. The evidence is mounting that inclusive education and classrooms are able to not only meet the requirements of LRE for students with disabilities, but to benefit regular education students as well. We see that with exposure both parents and teachers become more positive. Training and support allow regular education teachers to implement inclusive education with ease and success.

She was a K public school special education teacher for many years and has worked at universities, state agencies, and in industry teaching prospective teachers, conducting research and evaluation with at-risk populations, and designing educational technology. Currently, she is President of Parent in the Know where she works with families in need and also does business consulting. You may also like to read Mainstreaming Special Education in the Classroom.

Cultivating Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. Effective Teaching Strategies for Special Education. 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.

This can go a long way in helping kids know that difference is just a normal part of life. It can also help kids build and maintain friendships.

An inclusive class often brings speech therapists, reading specialists , and other service providers into the classroom. These professionals can provide information and suggestions to help all students. Those standards lay out what all students are expected to learn in math, reading, science, and other subjects by the end of the school year.

Differentiated instruction and co-teaching in a general education classroom make it easier for students with standards-based IEPs to be taught the same material as their classmates. In some schools, only certain classrooms are designated as inclusive. In that case, schools may assign general education students randomly to inclusive or noninclusive classes.

Other schools may choose students who benefit from the emphasis on meeting the needs of all learners at all ability levels. Investigate the supports and services that might be available in an inclusive classroom. Explore the various models of collaborative team teaching. And read an interview with an inclusion specialist about what inclusion looks like in action. The special education teacher can help all kids in an inclusive classroom, not just students who need special education support.

That's the bottom line. Her Sendco column for Tes runs every second Tuesday during term time. Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and like Tes on Facebook. It only takes a moment and you'll get access to more news, plus courses, jobs and teaching resources tailored to you.

Already signed up? Log in. Gemma Corby is a freelance writer and former special educational needs and disability coordinator. Think about how you present material It's a myth that teachers need to produce a thousand different worksheets in order to meet the needs of individuals.

Consider environmental factors While it is important to have engaging visual supports around the classroom, there is a fine line between supportive and distracting, particularly for students with ADHD or autism.

Take care in how you communicate The tone, pace and volume of your voice can all affect how well young people with additional needs follow what you are saying, but it may not always be obvious that an individual has not understood.

Have the right equipment Some young people may need specialist equipment such as a particular type of seat, pen or writing slope. Build confidence gradually We are there to teach our students, not to be their chums, but there is a thin line between exerting a healthy amount of pressure in order to get our students to excel — and pushing them too far. Her Sendco column for Tes runs every second Tuesday during term time Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion?

Register to continue reading for free It only takes a moment and you'll get access to more news, plus courses, jobs and teaching resources tailored to you Register. Gemma Corby.