4 Proven Inclusive Education Strategies for Educators (Plus half-dozen Helpful Resources)

Academic Director, Master of Pedagogy

10 Inclusive Education Strategies

Full general educational activity teachers and special didactics teachers alike are recognizing the benefits of inclusive education. This arroyo to learning aims to cultivate learning environments that are equitable and nurturing to every student.

What is Inclusive Pedagogy?

Inclusive learning provides all students with access to flexible learning choices and effective paths for achieving educational goals in spaces where they feel a sense of belonging. In an inclusive education environment, all children, regardless of ability or inability, learn together in the same historic period-appropriate classroom. It is based on the understanding that all children and families are valued every bit and deserve access to the same opportunities.

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Inclusive learning goes paw in hand with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a ready of principles for curriculum evolution that gives all students an equal opportunity to learn. According to the National Center on Universal Design for Learning, "UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone — non a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs." UDL shares many commonalities with the Theory of Multiple Intelligences espoused by Harvard Professor Howard Gardner, whose work documented "the extent to which students possess dissimilar kinds of minds and therefore learn, call up, perform and understand in unlike ways."

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Benefits of Inclusive Education

Studies have shown the benefits that inclusive classrooms offer for children with disabilities and their peers. Instead of pulling children out of the classroom to offer them specialized instruction, in an inclusive classroom special educational activity teachers come into the classroom. This allows for full general education teachers and specialists to work together in the same learning environment, benefiting all students, who are offered additional resource and support. This support oft results in greater bookish gains for students with disabilities as well as students without disabilities.

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Think Inclusive reported on a 2001 written report that examined "bookish progress for students with disabilities in full general education and self-contained classrooms over two years. 47.1% of students with disabilities in full general teaching made progress in math, compared to 34% in cocky-contained classes. Reading progress was comparable in both settings. Interestingly, the study establish typical peers made college gains in math when students with disability were present. Researchers hypothesized that extra help and supports in these classes created gains for all students."

Additional benefits include amend communication skills and improved social skills for students with disabilities, as well equally fewer incidents of disruptive behavior and absences.

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Inclusive Education Strategies

Are you set to introduce an inclusive education environment into your classroom? To do and then means challenging the status quo, removing curriculum barriers and presenting educational goals in interesting ways to engage all learners and serve all students equitably. Beneath are iv important strategies to consider when designing an inclusive classroom and curriculum.

  1. Employ universal design principles to create accessible classrooms
         UDL is a prepare of principles that were built-in from the desire to offer every pupil an equal opportunity to acquire, based on the idea that every person has their own unique and individual learning style. According to UDL, there are three primary brain networks that are responsible for how a person learns: the recognition network, the strategic network and the affective network.     The 3 chief principles of UDL — Representation (the what of learning), Activeness and Expression (the how of learning), Engagement (the why of learning) — were formed based on these 3 brain networks. Understanding the foundation of UDL — the principles and encephalon networks — is imperative for teachers who wish to implement UDL in the classroom. The National Centre on Universal Design for Learning has a plethora of resources and information for educators interested in universal blueprint. You lot'll observe videos offer helpful implementation tips and ideas in the "UDL Principles and Practices" section of their YouTube Channel.
    Luis Perez, author ofMobile Learning for All,  suggests starting small. In an commodity inThe Journal, he said, "You're not going to apply every single (guideline) to every single lesson. It depends on which ones are relevant to your learning goals. Start with a single lesson or activeness and then build success from that, and so start to look at other parts of your curriculum."
  2. Apply a multifariousness of instructional formats
         The first principle of universal design theory is the "what" of learning. It says to apply "multiple means of representation." While some students are visual learners, others may grasp information better when it is presented through text or when information technology is spoken orally or taught through kinesthetic learning. Some students do best with a combination of the in a higher place. While these differentiated education methods may support the needs of students with disabilities, they also offer multifariousness of instruction to the entire classroom, giving each and every pupil an opportunity to acquire in the way they exercise best.     Similarly, using unlike mediums to present information and engage students is important in inclusive classrooms. Remember that principle ii of universal design theory calls for utilizing "multiple means of activeness and expression." Some students may find that their best outlet and means of expression comes through writing, while others may prefer to give an oral presentation, act out a play or create a piece of art. Each pupil is different and should exist given the opportunity to express their knowledge through the methods that piece of work best for them. Additionally, teachers tin can utilise a diversity of materials and mediums to engage students. Examples of mediums could include theater, art, video and computer software in addition to the traditional mediums of lecture and text. Through using varied teaching techniques and mediums, teachers can increase the engagement of their entire class, not just the students who respond to a item style of learning and expression.
  3. Know your students' IEPs/504s
    To create an equitable learning surroundings for anybody, it is important to familiarize yourself with students' IEP or 504 plans. If you have a student with a 504 or IEP plan, you lot are legally required to make whatsoever necessary accommodations as outlined in the 504 or IEP. You can piece of work with the school counselor or teaching specialists to better understand the educatee's specific needs. Much like the concept of inclusive learning, 504s were designed to ensure that students with disabilities are immune to acquire in a regular classroom environment, while still being provided with services, educational aids or accommodations they may require. An IEP is merely slightly dissimilar than a 504; the departure beingness that students with an IEP may require additional educational services outside of the regular classroom. These services are typically provided and monitored by additional support staff.
  4. Develop a beliefs management plan
    Disruptive classroom beliefs can touch not just the teacher, merely the other students in the classroom too. Developing a behavior management plan tin help you lot set for the inevitable moment a pupil or students exhibit disruptive behaviors — with the agreement that some behaviors are of much less result than others (talking out of turn vs. beingness defiant or aggressive).     The behavior plan should be shared with parents and students, so that everyone is aware of the expectations and consequences should those expectations non be met. The most effective plans typically involve a great deal of positive reinforcement and a clear understanding of the expectations. There are several different types of beliefs direction plans you lot tin can implement depending on the needs of your classroom, including a whole group plan, a pocket-size group program, an private plan or an individual plan designed for particularly challenging students.

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Inclusive Learning Resources for Teachers

  • Inclusive Schools Network– ISN is a digital resource for families, schools and communities looking to blueprint and implement constructive inclusive schools. They offer a wide variety of resources including assessment tools, collaboration strategies, technology communication and much more.
  • National Centre for Learning Disability – NCLD advocates for people with disabilities offering programs and resources for parents, young adults, professionals and educators. They also publish reports and studies on a range of topics related to inability and offer scholarship information for students with learning and attending bug.
  • Wrightslaw– Wrightslaw is a great resource for those looking to learn more than or stay up-to-date on special education constabulary, teaching constabulary and advancement for children with disabilities.
  • TASH – TASH works to accelerate inclusive communities through advocacy, enquiry, professional development, policy and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates. They offer several different publications including a blog, annual reports, a podcast and more than.
  • ASCD – The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) covers a range of educational topics not limited to inclusive learning. This is a dandy resource for educators beyond all disciplines and course levels, whether they are looking to create an inclusive school or to merely find new strategies to improve their effectiveness in the classroom.

At the University of San Diego, nosotros believe in the power of inclusive learning. We likewise understand the importance of an educated instruction force when information technology comes to inclusion and special education. That's why nosotros offer a 100% online Main of Pedagogy degree with a specialization in Inclusive Learning, Special Didactics and Universal Design. To learn more than and view the curriculum, visit the USD Master of Education plan page.

Joseph Lathan, PhD

Academic Director, Master of Teaching

Dr. Lathan has 20-plus years of experience in Higher Education Assistants and Online Teaching Administration. His areas of expertise include online learning pedagogy and online educational activity and learning all-time practices.

As an advocate for quality online didactics, Dr. Lathan earned all his advanced degrees at notable fully online programs. He received his B.Southward. in Psychology from Empire Land Higher, his M.S. in Education Assistants from Michigan State Academy, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.