6Unit 6 – Curriculum development for inclusive practice
Definition of curriculum
In formal education, a curriculum (; plural: curricula,) is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults.
Inclusive curriculum refers to the process of developing and designing a programme of study to minimise the barriers that students may face in accessing the curriculum. By focusing on the core requirements of a course it is possible to identify aspects of the curriculum that might prevent some students from achieving. The task is then to redesign the course to
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Working in this particular industry requires an amount of whole group involvement as does learning in the classroom. It is at this stage that I can assess how the learners learn and look at how they interact with each other. A taster session is the best way to do this. Learners can be split into groups or teams, maybe even pairs to solve, plan, create. Following this initial test I can gather more information from the special educational needs department to help me create resources to meet the diverse needs of the learners, should there be any.
Our high level of ethnicity at Djanogly City Academy and the cultural differences located in the immediate catchment area pose a variety of barrier to learning. We have a high number of learners in receipt of free school meals, this has implication when learners from poorer backgrounds cannot afford the kits and equipment needed for the course of study. Many of our learners are Muslim and cannot remove their headscarves in front of male members of the group, which can have implications in relation to inclusivity also, as someone may miss out on a practical aspect because they themselves cannot take part.
The impact of social, economic and cultural differences leads me on to behavioral elements that can affect the learning process and how the curriculum is designed. Due to our unique learning environment in the Academy being more like a salon and not a
Inclusive practice is identifying and understanding any barriers that are stopping children from completing the activity. We have to make sure that whatever the child’s background they are able to fully join in with everything within the school. This will make the children feel valued and have a sense of belonging.
Furthermore, knowledge of social disadvantage, cultural diversity, and inequality of students can broaden educators' understanding. Knowledge in these areas can be understood as forming part of the ‘hidden curriculum’. Blaise & Nuttall (2011) describe the hidden curriculum as unintentional actions which surround curriculum (p. 82). Due to the importance of the impact of factors in the hidden curriculum, it can be understood that it is critical for teachers to develop a broad understanding of the hidden curriculum so that they can be mindful while interpreting and delivering curricular experiences. Teachers need to consider the hidden curriculum to ensure children's needs are acknowledged and that a safe environment that is free from stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination is
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
Inclusive practice is about adapting what is being delivered to make learning accessible to everyone regardless of ability, special education need (SEN) or any other barrier that might exist. When planning to meet the needs of everyone in the group it is essential that the teacher has as much information about everyone as possible. (The City and Guilds textbook level 3 Award in Education and Training). Features of inclusive teaching and learning starts with knowing which learning styles your learners prefer, to do this you can use VARK (visual, aural, read/write and kinetic) test which was designed by Neil Fleming to help learners and teachers know what learning methods they are best suited to e.g. in the first lesson my tutor asked for us
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
The origins of the word curriculum date back to ancient times and in fact the work comes from the Latin word of currere: a course or race or to run (Smith, 1996,2000). Over many decades, people have argued over the various definitions. Tanner (1980) defined it as “the planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes”, whilst Pratt (1980) defined it as a written document describing goals planned, objectives, content and evaluation. So s it a course of study? Or can it be defined as content or a product( Marsh, 2008). Marsh (2008) goes on to include that at a variety of learning sites are a set of objectives for student learning. We can also relate this to Tyler’s objective curriculum model being that the first step to curriculum is always to set the objective. The Model of Taba from 1962, is the same model at Tyler’s but includes interaction and flow between all four stages, so we do not always need the objective before we start writing the content to the curriculum.
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).
Ralph Tyler (1957) describes curriculum as “. . . all the learning experiences planned and directed by the school to attain its educational goals (Glatthorn, 2011, p.3). Going by this definition, one can regard curricula as encompassing what is taught in the classroom, as well as
This report will analyse some of the theories, principles and models in education and training. I will report on how these can be applied, and how they can enable inclusive learning, through exploring my own research. The report will also show how learners preferences should be taken into account as per of inclusive teaching and learning.
Creating an inclusive learning environment is an extremely important aspect of modern education, which, according to Gravells (2008: p18), ensures that “[…] all learners are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone is an individual, with different experiences, abilities and needs.” She also offers a brief explanation of inclusivity (2008: p18), which is “[…] involving all learners in relevant activities rather than excluding them for any reason directly or indirectly.” Inclusion has also been defined by John Tomlinson (1996: p26) as “the greatest degree of match or fit between individual learning requirements and provision”. In the other words, inclusive learning environment nurtures individual potential of all learners,
Inclusive learning is about making sure that every learner in the classroom has their needs identified and met. It is about realising that every learner will have specific individual needs and it is the job of the teacher to accommodate the needs of all of their learners. Booth et al. (2000) state ‘Inclusion is seen to involve the identification and minimising of barriers to learning and participation’ (Booth et al., 2000: 13).
Teachers must learn about their student’s cultures if they want to educate them to the best of their ability. Many of the students in culturally diverse classrooms will want to learn in different ways. Some will want to learn in pairs, groups, as a class, or just alone. If the teacher is educated in their culture then lessons can be adjusted to appeal to every student as much as possible instead of forcing some to forget about their culture and learn like others. Students from
Not everybody is the same. "Research indicates that individual learning styles vary, that all people do not learn in the same way. Of particular interest to multicultural education is research suggesting that learning styles may be related to ethnicity in some ways (Hale-Benson 1982; Shade 1989). On the basis of this research, schools can reject the notion that all students learn in precisely the same way. For too long, educational practices have reflected such universal views of learning and have expected all students to conform to them. Schools should recognize that they cannot treat all students alike or they run the risk of denying equal educational opportunity to all persons. Educators should be aware of behavior that is normative and acceptable in various ethnic and cultural groups. The practices of multicultural schools must be both responsive and adaptive to ethnic differences". They have said that different ethnic groups may have different studying or learning abilities. Also, in the classroom, there will be the task of seating everybody in a spot where there will be no trouble. The idea of favoritism may come up, along with the idea of racism. There are many ways the schools can be affected.
Introduction: When one thinks of a curriculum what is it that comes to one’s mind? Is it just an official document or is there something more than that. The term curriculum has various perspectives in general it constitutes the teaching and learning process or one can say that is the intended curriculum that is usually presented in an official document and is employed as a guiding document . Within a classroom setting the curriculum can be altered through a range of interactions and what is delivered is the “implemented curriculum “ and what the learners actually learn or achieve is the achieved or learned curriculum. In addition to this there is the hidden curriculum which helps develop moral values and beliefs that is unintended. Therefore while developing curriculum different dimensions must be taken into consideration especially those that represent the vision of the society, the written curriculum should not be exhaustive but comprehensive and user friendly document which has a framework, syllabus and a set of learning materials like textbooks, guides for teachers and assessment guide. Many people see curriculum in terms of subject to be taught or as a set of textbooks and usually forget its wider goals
When children are getting ready for their first day of school, they have no idea what is in store for them. Their mom’s and dad’s take them to get their first school supplies and new backpacks. What they don’t realize is that at the same time, their soon-to-be teachers are making the curriculums for the upcoming school year. When the word curriculum is used people have a general idea of what it means, but there has never been an agreed upon definition of the word. It has been said “Educational practitioners, theorists, and researchers have used the term curriculum in various ways, with no definitions universally accepted. Among the definitions currently used are the following: A course of study; derived from