Pearl's Reflection
Teachers must create a space for students to be academically and socially accepted. Building a positive relationship amongst students is key. This, in turn, may motivate students intrinsically to reflect, take initiative and participate in proactive behavior towards creating an inclusive space. Through personal experience, I have discovered that learning is acquiring knowledge through various experiences. I love the rewarding challenge of discovering each student’s strengths and passions. Learning happens when students recognize their potential and they are intrinsically motivated to behave a certain way to further their knowledge and skill. The “agenda of inclusive classrooms is to overcoming barriers to participation” (Mittler, 2012). As a teacher, I am active, inclusive, and a lifelong learner. I strive to provide a knowledgeable platform for students to explore, practice, analyze and grow.
The term “disability” has created a gouge in the academic and social sphere of education. Its levity had left educators unsure, and ambivalent. Teachers feel “ill-equipped” to handle these students (Maxam & Henderson,2013). My goal as an educator is to help transition the mindset of fellow teachers to a “social model of disability”, which posits that disability is seen as “socially and culturally constructed”, rather than looking at the disability as needing “fixed or cured” (Capper et al., 2010). The transition from segregation to integration is arduous and on-going. It is important to note that learning disabilities, in particular, are seen as an “invisible handicap"(Hutchinson, 2014). Parents "delay identification and acceptance of their child’s exceptionality”; and because of this may not receive the same support as they would if their child had a “more visible disability” (Hutchinson, 2014). It is now our time to make a positive change for the future; by eliminating categorized barriers to success through the mindsets of teachers and students. Knowledge is not fixed, but emergent in all forms.
I am an advocate for inclusion. I believe all teachers can work in an integrated classroom as long as they are equipped, flexible, patient and have a positive attitude. Education is evolving, and so should our student support system. It is no longer stationary, rigid and filled with prosaic ideas. There is now a wave of strategy toward an inclusive space. Integration will soon be the norm. Teachers must prepare and develop a growth mindset towards the change. Differentiated learning ensures that all students have optimal learning opportunities (Hutchinson, 2014). We must work together to create a strong and consistent relationship between student, teachers, parents and EA’s to help promote student success. Equity and inclusive education policies and practices will support positive learning environments so that all students can feel engaged in and empowered by what they are learning, supported by the teachers and staff from whom they are learning, and welcome in the environment in which they are learning (Ministry of Education, 2009). Through my years as an EA, I have seen the positive effects of integration. In the right context, it enhances the learning environment not only for the learner but the individual students that surround them.
Teachers can foster a climate of inclusivity while creating conditions aimed at the academic success of all students. By using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teachers and students collaborate to create flexible goals, methods, and assessments to meet their needs (Hutchinson, 2014). I am confident that incorporating information during new teacher orientations and addressing disability issues at various workshops can be one of many steps we can take to reach this goal. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals that work for each student as an individual (Maxam & Henderson, 2013). From my experience, I must say, once inclusivity becomes a norm in a classroom setting, it elicits a form of aesthetic beauty that cannot be recreated in any other environment.
Inclusion is the future, and it is effective if done efficiently and effectively, provided the proper resources and support for students and staff. Creating strong and consistent relationships between teacher, student, EA, and parent is a baseline for setting students up for success. Exposure to the exceptionalities undoubtedly would beneficial for all students. I would like to conclude with a quote: “Inclusion is for life, not just for a class or a term or a year. In order to prepare our students with special needs to live within society as contributing adults, and in order to prepare society to accept them as an integral part of the community, we need to structure our educational organization to best serve all students” (Hutchinson, 2014). My job is to present materials fostering multiple representations as an effective form of teaching; to be imaginative, pluralistic and inclusive.
References
Capper, C. A., Rodriguez, M. A., & McKinney, S. A. (2010). Leading beyond disability: Integrated, socially just schools and
districts. In C. Marshall & M. Oliva (Eds.), Leadership for social justice: Making revolutions in education (2nd ed., pp.
175-193). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hutchinson, N. L. (2014). Chapter 2, The Teacher’s Role in an Inclusive Classroom. Inclusion of Exceptional Learners in
Canadian Schools: A Practical Handbook for Teachers, Fourth Edition (pp. 37-66). Toronto, ON: Pearson
Maxam, S., & Henderson, J. (2013). Inclusivity in the classroom: Understanding and embracing students with “Invisible
disabilities”. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 16(2), 71-81. 10.1177/1555458913487037
Ministry of Education (Ed.). (2009). Realizing the promise of diversity ...: Ontario's equity and inclusive education strategy.
Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/equity.pdf
Mittler, P. (2012). Working towards inclusive education: Social contexts. Routledge. Chicago
Inclusion is a never ending process (Mittler, 2012).