Creating A Welcoming And Inclusive Classroom

Our conceptualization of inclusive pedagogy focuses on how to extend what is ordinarily available in the community of the classroom as a way of reducing the need to mark some learners as different. This is underpinned by a shift in pedagogical thinking from an approach that works for most learners existing alongside something ‘additional’ or ‘different’ for those (some) who experience difficulties, towards one that involves providing rich learning opportunities that are sufficiently made available for everyone, so that all learners are able to participate in classroom life.

Inclusion is the act of placing students with disabilities into the general education classroom. Students are given the tools, time, and resources necessary to actively participate in all aspects of the general education classroom. Inclusion is not just adding a student with disabilities into the classroom, but genuinely including them as valued members of the classroom. Inclusion is not an easy system to put into practice because it requires a great deal of teamwork and cooperation between teachers, administrators, and parents. Positive Inclusion programs closely supervise the social and academic progress to ensure the students are thriving. When inclusion is done correctly, the teacher finds a way to meet the student’s needs in a way that is natural and unobtrusive. The resources and supports in an inclusion classroom benefit all students, not just the students with disabilities.

She did this based on a belief that it would help ELLs and non-ELLs alike. The students in the second class reported that classmates were “friendly and nice” and the teacher “likes other cultures.” The results of this study indicate the very important role that a teacher plays in creating and modeling an atmosphere where ELLs are accepted, encouraged and participatory in a learning community.

When an educator walks into her classroom for the first time, she needs to be prepared to encounter students that come from a variety of backgrounds. The children will be in different stages of language development, and the educator must accommodate for each of these students. Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera (2013) state, “The US Census Bureau projects that by the 2030s, children whose home language is other than English will increase from roughly 22 percent to 40 percent of the school-age population” (p. 9). This increase in second language learners will cause the educator to accommodate for those needs. Second language learners “need teachers who welcome them and recognize their unique abilities, what they know, and what they need to learn” (Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera, 2013, p. 10).

Three ideas for teachers to support new immigrant students in a classroom will be images and games, friendly conversation, and the power of stories. When it comes to images and games, teachers should decorate their classroom or school walls with photos of diverse role models, including those of immigrants (Burnett, 2015). As a teacher, you should make sure your class is unique and comfortable for young students. When I become a teacher, I will make sure I decorate my class and make it colorful. Furthermore, I will have some type of diverse theme in my class so I can make all students feel welcome in my class and welcome by me. Now when it comes to friendly conversations, teachers should create mixed-student small groups. Students may feel

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

In order to implement this into my future class I first need to recognize the variety of individual culture, gender, background, socioeconomic status, learning style, developmental stage and other factors of students, families and colleagues. Establishing that my classroom is a safe zone and a place where differences are celebrated and embraced will help me create an environment where everyone’s diversities are respected.

When asking the question, is the inclusive classroom model working, the answer is yes. Inclusion is the right direction to go; however, the model that is in place is not the most effective for education. The Education Law for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 mandate that schools provide free public education to all students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 ended the idea that a free public education meant segregating students with special needs in separate classrooms or wings of the school, and thus began the “inclusive classroom” movement. What does the law actually mean in regards to “inclusion”? All learners between the ages of 3 to 21 with handicaps, defined as students with hearing impairment, visual impaired, physically disabled, emotionally disturbed, or having special learning disabilities, will be provided a free public education. Furthermore, each of these students will have in place an Individualized Educational Plan where the educator and parent decide on the least restrictive environment possible (which in most cases is the regular classroom) as well as set educational, behavioral, or social-emotional goals for the student.

Inclusion, in the world of education, is an approach or teaching strategy that focuses on including students with disabilities in the general education setting. The goal of inclusion is to educate students who may struggle with a variety of disabilities. The views on inclusion differ. Some educators are very receptive to the ideals of inclusion and all that it in tells. “The teachers (a) had favorable views of the concept of inclusion; (b) differed in their efficacy in achieving successful inclusion, and (c) faced challenges in their inclusive practices” (Hodge, Ammah, Casebolt, LaMaster, Hersman, Samalot-Rivera, & Sato 2009, 402). Some educators believe that it takes away from student learning for the non-disabled student. Jana Kratochvílová states: teacher have to address the fundamental question: how to most effectively organize the learning process for a diverse community of pupils within the class and therefore he needs to think through the possibilities of internal differentiation in the organizational aspect” (Kratochvílová 2015, 640). It is true, not all students with disabilities can be included in a general education classroom successfully. The student’s placement may require reevaluation in order to help provide the student with the best opportunity to succeed. Reevaluating the staff and their level of understanding and education concerning inclusion may increase the changes for a student to be successful. The staff should not

Villegas suggests six qualities leaders should implement to respond effectively to the increase of diverse populations. First, teachers must understand how learners construct knowledge. The best ways teachers can achieve this concept is by helping these students bridge the gaps in what they already know about a topic and what they need to learn about it. Next, the teacher should learn about the students’ lives. When teachers know the cultural makeup of their students they can assess their prior knowledge of a subject. Teachers must also be socioculturally conscious, meaning the awareness that a person 's worldview is not universal but is profoundly influenced by life experiences, as mediated by a variety of factors, including race, ethnicity, gender, and social class (Villegas & Lucas, 2007). Many teachers see students of diverse cultures as not being able to achieve. Villegas (2007) suggests teachers should see students from an affirming perspective and truly respect cultural differences. If teachers can set their differences aside their students will have better ways to communicate and succeed. It is important for teachers to use appropriate instructional strategies to help English language learners. They can give these students with material in their native language, provide graphic organizers, and hands on activities to help assist these students. Lastly, teachers need to advocate for these

Ladson-Billings (1994) describes the culturally responsive classroom as “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” I’m in total agreement with their definition because I’ve personally witnessed the power of embedding relatable aspects of students’ daily lives into the curriculum. Four years ago, I moved from Memphis, TN to the Bronx, New York for the sole purpose of diversifying my teaching career and expanding my repertoire as an educator. I had very knowledge about the community of students I served. As a matter of fact, I had never seen a Dominican, Haitian, or Puerto Rican in my whole life. I had a complete culture

Fay and Whaley provided some wonderful comments on tactics with which to establish respectful learning communities. Their thoughts on celebrating strengths and complimenting others were very helpful to me. While I am respectful of the contributions of others, it is not in my nature to hand out compliments, but the authors illuminate the power of not only the teacher openly acknowledging the students’ strengths and achievements, but additionally the importance in building a community for the students to also be able to identify and proclaim the successes of one another. Furthermore, the concept of allowing students to use their native language in the classroom was intriguing. The authors explain the usefulness of allowing students time to

The first day of a course is essential to the success of the course. It is important to start the course on a positive note by making sure all of the participants feel comfortable and get to know each other as soon as possible. The activities the trainer or facilitator uses at the beginning of a course to help the participants get to know each other are known as icebreakers or introductions. Here are a number of icebreakers and introductions you can use.

As teachers we should focus on the importance of creating supportive learning environments which instil the notion of inclusivity of all students, with or without disabilities. As students enter the classroom they bring a mixture of cultural, academic and behavioural diversity with them (Watkins, 2005). As teachers we need to embrace the unique qualities that each student holds and make the most of this diversity to enhance the learning outcomes of all students. This critical reflection aims to identify how teachers can set up the learning environment to specifically maximise teaching and learning for all. In correspondence to each idea mentioned, I will also reflect on some potential advantages and challenges that beginning teachers may

When I think about my role as a teacher, one of the most important things I consider is the relationships I build with my students, parents, colleagues, and community members. In the classroom, I need to ensure that I create a safe, loving, and positive learning environment. In order to make all students feel welcome, I get to know their names, the correct pronunciation and spellings, learning their culture and background, and their