Although I have written about Inclusive Education in a previous post, seeing the benefits of the theory in action during 491 Practicum helped to solidify my understanding. One of my classes during this practicum was daunting, with many IEPs, adaptations, and modifications that I was expected to handle. The students were all unique, with different learning concerns, but because I had the background knowledge to use the ADAPT strategy (Hutchinson 2004, pp 24-28) to plan for them, all of us were able to be successful.

One student in particular posed a challenge, being a student with selectively mutism, a history of not speaking at school, and limited connections with adults or peers. However, because I knew about these learning differences early on, I could plan effectively.

One of the elements I used was teaching hand and arm motions to indicate certain things. For instance, during class discussion, students were allowed to “pass” by waving their arm from one side of their body to the other, without needing to speak. Although building this into the exercise of a discussion may seem counterproductive, it actually made it so that this particular student could participate at their comfort level. Since “passing” was paired with the expectation of active listening to students who chose to talk, this student and others paid more attention to their peers. The result was that the group became more interested in each other, built empathy for one another, cared about what each person had to say, and wanted to say more in return. Even though the student who the adaptation was designed for rarely contributed, and in writing when they did, the class community as a whole benefitted by becoming more close knit.

Additionally, because the class was paying attention, myself and the students became more attuned to the communication style of the initial student, and opportunities for interaction increased. One of my highlights occurred after a particularly funny comment, when the student burst out laughing. None of us had heard them laugh before, but it was contagious and the student’s peers loved it.

Photo by Max Fischer from Pexels

Another, more subtle highlight for me, was during after school bus duty when I noticed the student in the parking lot, looking around as if they were lost. As I walked over to see if I could help, another student from my class called them over told him to walk with them. Over the next few days, I began to see the students spending time together at lunch, watching videos together, and the like.

Seeing the connections between students progress outside the classroom was profound for me and sparked a passion for inclusive education that I intend to honor throughout my career.

References:

Hutchinson, N. L. (2004). Case 21: What a puzzle! In N. L. Hutchinson, (Eds.). Teaching exceptional children and adolescents: A Canadian casebook. essay, Prentice Hall.

Links for further information:

What is Inclusive Education? – from Inclusive Education Canada
https://inclusiveeducation.ca/about/what-is-ie/

What is Inclusive Education? – From Inclusion BC
https://inclusionbc.org/our-resources/what-is-inclusive-education/

Inclusive Education Resources – BC Ministry of Education
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/inclusive-education

Special Education Policy Manual PDF – BC Ministry of Education
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/inclusive-education

Teachers of Inclusive Education (TIE) – British Columbia
http://www.tiebc.com/

SOGI 123 – British Columbia
https://bc.sogieducation.org/