Making School Inclusive PDF

MAKING SCHOOL INCLUSIVE Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education  OBJECTIVES: Identify the characteristics of an Inclusive School. Site the differences of an inclusive school from a regular school. Identify the policies in an inclusive school...

MAKING SCHOOL INCLUSIVE Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education  OBJECTIVES: Identify the characteristics of an Inclusive School. Site the differences of an inclusive school from a regular school. Identify the policies in an inclusive school and its practices. INCLUSION Inclusion in education is the term used to describe the goal of treating everyone equitably and contributing fully to an institution’s mission. This term describes the ongoing engagement with diversity, whereby individual differences are engaged to achieve excellence in the classroom. Inclusion in education describes how all students can be equally valued, treated with respect and provided with fair learning opportunities. Educators work to meet the needs of all students by considering a range of learning modalities such as auditory, visual and kinesthetic when designing instruction. Concept of Inclusive Education Inclusive education is a basic human right and it provides the foundation for a more just society. All learners have the right to education, regardless of their characteristics or difficulties. It is mainly a purposeful effort to provide educational opportunities to all those groups which in the past, have been excluded from having access to education.  index FOR inclusion The Index for Inclusion (2002) by Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow helps schools and educational institutions that want to set out on the path of establishing and expanding inclusive cultures, policies and practices. The guide helps to identify attitudes, barriers, potentials and efforts. Based on this, own cultures, policies and methods can be further developed and improved in the sense of inclusion. THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE INDEX Creating Inclusive Cultures Producing Inclusive Policies Evolving Inclusive Practices DIMENSIONS AND SECTIONS OF THE INDEX DIMENSION A - CREATING INCLUSIVE CULTURES SECTION A.1 - Building Community SECTION A.2 - Establishing Inclusive Values This dimension creates a secure, accepting, collaborating and stimulating community, in which everyone is valued as the foundation fo the highest achievement of all. DIMENSIONS AND SECTIONS OF THE INDEX DIMENSION B - PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES SECTION B.1 - Developing the school for all SECTION B.2 - Organizing support for diversity This dimension makes sure that inclusion permeates all school plans. DIMENSIONS AND SECTIONS OF THE INDEX DIMENSION C - EVOLVING INCLUSIVE PRACTICES SECTION C.1 - Orchestrating Learning SECTION C.2 - Mobilizing resources This dimension develops school practices which reflect the inclusive cultures and policies of the school.  I. creating inclusive cultures INCLUSION - is as much responsibility of society as it is the responsibility of schools. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION - is an ongoing collaborative process that needs to be dynamically revisited. I. creating inclusive cultures Stakeholders - are those who are “invested in the welfare and success of a school and its students” Teachers Administrators School Staffs Parents and Families The community The government  What Stakeholders can do? A. Set the parameters for inclusion - the government has identified key people and professions, and highlighted important factors leading to the success of inclusive education. B. Build key people - the government recognizes the need for teaching training, both in the special needs education and general education levels.  What Stakeholders can do? C. Identify and eradicate barriers - UNESCO’s Guide for Inclusion (2005) advocates for the identification and removal of obstacles that have to do with transforming prevailing attitudes and values on a systematic level.  COMMON BARRIERS TO INCLUSION 1. Attitudes, values systems, misconceptions, and societal norms 2. Physical Barriers 3. Lacks of teacher training and low teacher efficacy 4. Lack of funding 5. Lack of policies 6. Organization of educational systems  special education vs. inclusion vs. mainstreaming SPECIAL EDUCATION - regarded as segregated and exclusive MAINSTREAMING - shares more similarities with inclusion than special education special education vs. inclusion vs. mainstreaming Differences Between Inclusive Schools and Regular Schools CRITERIA INCLUSIVE SCHOOL REGULAR SCHOOL Focuses on equity and Often uses a one-size-fits-all Philosophy inclusion for all students. approach to education. Differentiated instruction Standardized curriculum with Curriculum tailored to diverse needs. limited differentiation. Accessibility may not be a Fully accessible environments Physical Accessibility priority or consistently for all students. provided. Integrated into regular Students with special needs Special Education classrooms with support are often segregated into services. special classes. Continuous training in inclusive Limited or no training in Teacher Training teaching practices. inclusive practices.  II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES UNESCO (2005) realistically acknowledge that a societal change in attitude need not be initially present in a community before inclusion can be fully practiced. Rather, it must be viewed as a perspective or an ideal to work toward. Without this realization, difference in standards are quality of education may surface as a potential problem. II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES INVOLVE OTHER SECTOR OF SOCIETY Current training and awareness campaigns seem to limit the movement of inclusion to a mere-home school relationship. At most, there are extended to the departments for social welfare and health. However, for an inclusive set-up to truly be successful, active involvement of the entire community must be ensured.  II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES COLLABORATION AMONG STAKEHOLDERS Whether creating an academic program specific to a child with additional needs or creating a new legislative bill for the PWD community, collaboration is crucial;. Each member of the inclusive education team would have their own strengths and weaknesses, and these have to be used wisely to benefit the child with additional needs. II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES COLLABORATE Del Corro-Tiangco(2014) states that general education teachers are trained in the general curriculum but would not know how to teach and manage children with additional needs; and so with the special needs education teachers. True collaboration would guarantee an inclusive program that would cover as many areas as possible. II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES RECOGNIZE THE SHIFT IN ROLE OF THE TEACHER With the shift to inclusive education, the role of Special Education (SPED) teacher suddenly seems to be reduced to only "as needed". It also becomes the responsibility of the general education teacher to know what to do when faced with a learner with additional needs in his/her classroom. II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES RECOGNIZE THE SHIFT IN ROLE OF THE TEACHER Conversely, general education teacher must go through skills training and capacity-building workshop to ensure that they are supporting all types of learners in their classrooms appropriately. II. PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES INCLUDE TRANSITIONS IN PLANNING An abrupt systemic change that is not well- planned or that disregards practices whether existing or implied – may hinder the shift to inclusion and cause resentment from all stakeholders. Instead, current practices have to be respected and honored so as to facilitate a gradual shift to inclusive education.  Booth and Ainscow(2002) recommend that schools reflect on their current policies and practices to check their readiness for an inclusive set-up: - Students admissions - Accessibility to utilities and facilities - Support available to students, parents, and school personnel -Learners Accommodation - Exclusionary or discriminatory incidents -Number of Bullying cases - Faculty and staff promotion  III. EVOLVING INCLUSIVE PRACTICES Booth and Ainscow (2002) it is the third dimension for school wherein the administrator must try to create an inclusive culture among its stakeholders, then build better, more all-encompassing policies. Moreover, the term "evolving" assumes that we already have strategies in the place which we just have to revisit for possible tweaking. There are two effective evidence-based inclusive practices that can be used in the classroom: 1. UNIVERSAL DESIGN for LEARNING (UDL) 2. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION UNIVERSAL DESIGN LEARNING (UDL) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) refers to the design instructional materials and activities to make the content information accessible to all children (Rose & Meyer 2006 as cited in Turnbill et al. 2023) Through the provision of delivering content and allowing students to construct learning in more than one way, UDL ensures that all students learn genuinely. three elements to udl Multiple Means of Representation (The "What" of Learning) This element focuses on providing various ways for students to access and perceive information. This might include text, audio, video, diagrams, or hands-on activities. By providing content in different formats, UDL ensures that all learners can understand the material, whether they have language barriers, sensory impairments, or cognitive differences. three elements to udl Multiple Means of Action and Expression (The "How" of Learning) This principle emphasizes offering various ways for students to demonstrate what they have learned. UDL encourages allowing students to choose different methods of expression based on their strengths. This might include writing essays, giving oral presentations, creating art projects, or using technology. three elements to udl Multiple Means of Engagement (The "Why" of Learning) This element focuses on stimulating interest and motivation for learning by offering choices and adapting to students’ emotional needs. UDL seeks to provide flexible options that appeal to different interests, encourage autonomy, and foster engagement. This might involve offering varied activities or giving students choices in how they approach learning tasks. Differentiated instruction According to Tomlinson (2010), differentiating instruction is a teacher response to students varying needs, interests, and learning styles. It refers to a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners. When teachers differentiate instructions, they use a variety of teaching and learning strategies that are necessary to meet and diverse needs of students in any class( Friend and Suck 2009) Why differentiate instruction? Every learner is different, with different needs, interests, abilities, and skills. It is crucial that educational opportunities represent this diversity. Teaching and learning experiences must be planned in a way that gives students the chance to learn and exhibit their understanding in a variety of ways if they are to guarantee engaged, successful, and flourishing learners. Differentiating instruction (DI) aims to give students a variety of learning opportunities that both meet their needs and play to their strengths. It also helps to guarantee that students are working on assignments that are courteous of others. how is instruction differentiated? Bender in 2002 (as cited by Gentry el. Al 2013) identified elements of the curriculum that can be differentiated (1) Content, (2) Process, (3) Product, and (4) Learning Environment in response to the students characteristics, interest readiness, and learning profile.  END OF DISCUSSION