Belongingness And Uniqueness In The Classroom

Inclusive learning is about ensuring all your learners have the opportunity to be involved and included in the learning process. It’s also about treating all learners equally and fairly, without directly or indirectly excluding anyone. Inclusion is about attitudes as well as behaviour, as learners can be affected by

1.1. Inclusive learning is about recognising that all your students have the right to be treated equally and fairly, have the same access to all products, services and have the opportunity to be involved and included. As a teacher you need to be aware that all students are not the same as they all do not learn in the same way, the ways in which a teacher can overcome this is using the Teaching and Learning Cycle, using visual, auditory and kinaesthetic materials (VAK) and agreeing on individual learning plans (ILPs). Other features could include self reflective exercises, quizzes and providing opportunities for students to reflect on their own

As a teacher when delivering any lessons planned we have to make sure that each students individual needs are met, so they will feel included in the lesson. “Inclusion is about creating interesting, varied and inspiring learning opportunities for all learners, ensuring all learners contribute and are never disadvantaged by methods, language or resources” Wilson (2008).

In a contemporary Australian school setting, inclusion is the ongoing collaboration of all members of the school community to effectively meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with additional needs (Blackmore, 2009; Lyons, 2014). All students regardless of their cultural background or ability level should experience an enriching education where they feel included and supported. Creating inclusive cultures, producing inclusive policies and evolving inclusive practices are the best ways to promote learning and participation in schools for all students (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2012; Dempsey, 2014).

The notion of inclusion is progressively being accepted as a vital method of learning in our growing school systems. I believe that every student, those with and without exceptionalities, have the right to be included in a general education classroom. Students with learning, social and behavioral exceptionalities or varied abilities deserve the right to be provided with the same opportunities as any other students in the regular general education classroom. The information that I have acquired through my own experiences (in my observations and my classes) have molded my goals as a future teacher. I believe that teaching and education are fundamental in getting students to grow, learn, and flourish;

Inclusion is about ensuring that CYP’s, whatever their background or situation are able to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. They should be provided with the same opportunities and access to a high quality of education.

I believe the teachers group fit in the stage called belonging. The main goal of the need for inclusion is the inner drive to establish and maintain a satisfactory relationship with people with respect to interaction and association. For example, Lola who's a new teacher has a strong need to feel included in the group when she's sitting in the teachers room with her colleagues. She's anxious about being excluded and ignored as the teachers engage in conversation which she doesn't know how to join in. I think this is where she needs to feel important within the

One of the most effective ways to encourage belongingness in the classroom is asking the students at the beginning of the year their opinion on how they feel the classroom should flow. One reason why I believe this is an effective way to promoting belongingness in the classroom is because it gives the students a voice. For example last semester I had professor ask on the first day of class how we would like lectures to be ran. He gave us the choice of taking notes the whole class period, some notes with small group discussions, or large groups discussions. Not only did we feel as if we had a voice and a say so in things it also was a good way to start a positive relationship with him a professors. Positive relationships really can make a classroom run smoothly with both the peers and the teachers. One way to promote positive relationships amongst peer in the classroom is allowing students to work together on assignments. Students are getting to know each other more and students can learn to value one another’s opinion.

In the Education discipline, there has been a long debate for many years over the topic of inclusion. Inclusive education is defined as students with disabilities, being supported in age appropriate general education classrooms, at their home school, and receiving specialized instruction as needed per the student’s IEP (Individualized Education Program) within the general education class curriculum and activities. Inclusion is there to help student with special needs in attending school regularly with their friends and peers while being accommodated as needed, per their IEP, to help achieve the student’s academic goals and be successful. The topic of inclusion has been researched for many years. Inclusion will continue to be researched, so that faculty and teachers at elementary schools can continue to better themselves in inclusion practices for students with special need, and also to continue to progress towards full inclusion of these students with special needs in a general education classroom. Since there is a lot in the news about inclusion in schools across the U.S., for this essay, I began my search about inclusion in the Education discipline by finding scholarly articles on the subject, along with other online news sources concerning this subject in my area of study. By doing so, I hope to have a better understanding of inclusion than I have already attained, so that I am better able to create possible ideas for topics to write future essays throughout this

In an inclusion setting it best facilitates learning and students were more motivated in that it provided and allowed for differentiation of instruction. I decided to implement a classroom strategy into my own classroom to study how I can address a group of diverse learners. These are students who are performing below, at, and above grade level in a general education inclusion classroom to help with providing instruction in depth while also keeping each student motivated and engaged.

(2010) expanded my thinking and knowledge of inclusive education. The concept of inclusion of all, as defined by Armstrong et. al. (2010) means that inclusion is relevant for all groups and individuals, not just those with disabilities previously excluded from the mainstream of school and society. This new way of thinking provides an opportunity to reflect on how I view inclusion. In the past, there was a delivery system for mandated services for students with disabilities. Now, the notion of inclusion expands to all students. Services for all students is ideal for academic achievement; differentiating the services in a strategic way will make all the

As time passes, society is growing and changing every minute. There are significant changes in school systems frequently, such as the change from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). There are new rules or programs that get implemented into the classrooms frequently to improve student learning. Inclusion is a program that has been desired to be used. For inclusion to work properly, teachers, parents, and administrators must know the meaning of inclusion. Inclusion means to include children of special needs in general education classrooms instead of having them in a separate classroom that adjusts to their learning needs. For years, children with disabilities have been educated in separate classrooms. These classrooms are set away from students without disabilities. Research shows that inclusive is an excellent way for students to learn. “True inclusion, where students with learning disabilities are fully included in the general education classroom, can help to reinforce new assumptions” (Kirby, 2017).

Inclusion in the school systems is important for all people within the school systems, including the parents of students. One parent of three school aged children does not share this perspective. This mother believes that inclusion within the classroom is an expensive form of education in that it takes away from the potential learning for every individual. I believe that inclusion within the classroom actually helps all individuals to have a better education in and outside of the classroom.

Creating an inclusive classroom can be challenging, but it is so rewarding. This gives all students the opportunity to be in the least restrictive environment and truly grow. However, affective teachers cannot generalize or peg-hole students, so deliberate planning and instruction is required to create an inclusive classroom. As a future teacher, I lack the experiential knowledge needed to adequately plan and create an inclusive classroom. Speaking with an experienced educator allowed me hear of successful ways to teach diverse learners. I was then able to create a plan for my own classroom.

One thing that doubtlessly comes to mind when discussing inclusion, is the integration of students with special needs. As Dr Andrew Azzopardi suggests :