Inclusive Practices in Your Classroom

Summary

This video guide by Raynee and Tyler, graduate students from the University of Montana, offers insights on creating inclusive classrooms. It covers the benefits of inclusion, legal implications, best practices like Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and strategies for classroom community building and Response to Intervention (RTI), emphasizing the importance of high expectations and collaboration for all students.

Takeaways

• 🏫 An inclusive school integrates general and special education, ensuring all students have equal learning opportunities.
• 🌐 Inclusive classrooms replace pull-out services with supports that are portable and brought into the regular classroom.
• 📚 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is implemented to accommodate all students' instructional needs, enhancing the curriculum for everyone.
• 🤝 Inclusion benefits all students by fostering teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, not just those with special needs.
• 🌟 Inclusive environments naturally promote equality, reduce bullying, and help students feel accepted and part of a community.
• 🔍 Inclusion is distinct from mainstreaming or integration, focusing on the child's right to participate and the school's duty to accommodate.
• 📈 Legal requirements, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandate appropriate degrees of inclusion in education.
• 💬 Person-first language is crucial in inclusive classrooms, emphasizing the individual over their disability and promoting acceptance.
• 🔄 UDL guidelines in education require multiple means of representation, action, and engagement to cater to diverse learning styles and needs.
• 👥 Classroom community building is essential for creating a welcoming environment where students feel a sense of belonging and can collaborate effectively.
• 🔄 Response to Intervention (RTI) is an inclusion model that identifies and addresses students' support needs early, using a multi-tiered approach.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video made by Raynee and Tyler?

The main purpose of the video is to guide teachers and administrators in developing an inclusive classroom, covering topics such as the benefits of inclusion, best practices, and tips for implementation.

How is an inclusive school defined in the video?

An inclusive school is defined as one where general education and special education are no longer separate, and all students have an equal opportunity to learn together in a restructured environment that promotes community and equal participation.

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and why is it important in an inclusive classroom?

Universal Design for Learning is an approach that accommodates instructional needs by providing a flexible blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone. It is important in an inclusive classroom as it helps ensure all students have equal learning opportunities.

Why is inclusion beneficial for students, including those without special needs?

Inclusion is beneficial for all students because it promotes a high-quality curriculum with UDL strategies, fosters experience working with peers of various ability levels, encourages natural conversations about equality and belonging, and helps combat issues like bullying by creating a sense of community.

What is the difference between inclusion, mainstreaming, and integration according to the video?

Inclusion focuses on the child's rights to participate and the school's duty to accept the child, rejecting the use of special schools or classrooms for separation. In contrast, mainstreaming and integration are primarily concerned with disability and special educational needs, implying learners must become ready for accommodations.

What legal implications does the video mention regarding inclusion in schools?

The video mentions the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires schools to offer a continuum of services for students with disabilities and to provide a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

What are some best practices for developing an inclusive classroom as mentioned in the video?

Best practices include using person-first language, implementing UDL, creating a welcoming classroom community, using Response to Intervention (RTI) models, maintaining natural proportions of students with special needs, and providing multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement.

How does the video suggest creating a classroom community that supports inclusion?

The video suggests starting the school year with ice breaker games and 'get to know you' activities to help students see their commonalities and understand their differences. Teamwork skill building activities can also help create a strong sense of community.

What is Response to Intervention (RTI) and how does it relate to inclusion?

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered approach that identifies a student's support needs early in their academic career. It differentiates instruction by offering increasing intensities of support and interventions, which is beneficial for inclusion as it provides tailored support to students.

What is the importance of maintaining natural proportions in an inclusive classroom?

Maintaining natural proportions ensures that the percentage of students with special needs in a class does not significantly exceed the percentage in the school or community as a whole, preventing clustering and promoting meaningful interaction among all students.

What are some quick-start tips provided in the video for implementing inclusion in a classroom?

The video provides tips such as practicing person-first language, making supports and assistive technology available to all students, eliminating learning barriers, promoting collaborative work, holding high expectations, providing varied expression methods, and developing lessons that cater to a range of academic abilities.