The Views Parents And Teachers Have On Inclusion And How These Views Impact On Classroom Inclusion Strategies

As a teacher when delivering any lessons planned we have to make sure that each students individual needs are met, so they will feel included in the lesson. “Inclusion is about creating interesting, varied and inspiring learning opportunities for all learners, ensuring all learners contribute and are never disadvantaged by methods, language or resources” Wilson (2008).

In a contemporary Australian school setting, inclusion is the ongoing collaboration of all members of the school community to effectively meet the diverse needs of all students, including those with additional needs (Blackmore, 2009; Lyons, 2014). All students regardless of their cultural background or ability level should experience an enriching education where they feel included and supported. Creating inclusive cultures, producing inclusive policies and evolving inclusive practices are the best ways to promote learning and participation in schools for all students (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2012; Dempsey, 2014).

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.

Some people may ask what inclusion is well inclusion makes it possible for children with and without special needs, interact and learn with each other on a daily basis in a classroom. There are many children in the world today that have special needs. Some of those children do not get to play with “typically developing peers” (NAEYC) or children their age because some schools do not offer inclusive classrooms. There are many reasons why inclusive classrooms are good for everyone involved.

The notion of inclusion is progressively being accepted as a vital method of learning in our growing school systems. I believe that every student, those with and without exceptionalities, have the right to be included in a general education classroom. Students with learning, social and behavioral exceptionalities or varied abilities deserve the right to be provided with the same opportunities as any other students in the regular general education classroom. The information that I have acquired through my own experiences (in my observations and my classes) have molded my goals as a future teacher. I believe that teaching and education are fundamental in getting students to grow, learn, and flourish;

Inclusion is the act of having students with disabilities and abled body students in the same classroom. In concept this has many benefits not only for the students but it also saves time and money for the school, however in practice I do not think inclusion works the way it was hoped to. Inclusion in theory will put light strain on the classroom because of safe guards such as helper teachers are in place to help out. In my experience these teachers are in the way most of the time when students are trying to learn, and students feel cheated when the special needs students are handed a supplemented test making the students feel bad. Lastly that the pros of inclusion in the classroom are set in perfect conditions with good teachers on both sides special education and general education, however most of the time that is not the case.

Inclusion is about ensuring that everyone has the equality of learning opportunities for all children and young people, regardless of disabilities or background. Meeting their needs is an important right which needs to be met, and children need to be seen be part of the community. Promoting including is important, valuing diversity is an important way of doing this, and by been open to others we can include everyone in activities in a way which doesn’t exclude anyone. A number of different policies and procedures are in place are in place to make sure that this is done. Legislation’s are legal documents that are put in place for setting to follow and offer guidelines for this.

Creating an inclusive learning environment is an extremely important aspect of modern education, which, according to Gravells (2008: p18), ensures that “[…] all learners are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone is an individual, with different experiences, abilities and needs.” She also offers a brief explanation of inclusivity (2008: p18), which is “[…] involving all learners in relevant activities rather than excluding them for any reason directly or indirectly.” Inclusion has also been defined by John Tomlinson (1996: p26) as “the greatest degree of match or fit between individual learning requirements and provision”. In the other words, inclusive learning environment nurtures individual potential of all learners,

Inclusion can be defined as the act of being present at regular education classes with the support and services needed to successfully achieve educational goals. Inclusion in the scholastic environment benefits both the disabled student and the non-disabled student in obtaining better life skills. By including all students as much as possible in general or regular education classes all students can learn to work cooperatively, learn to work with different kinds of people, and learn how to help people in tasks. “As Stainback, Stainback, East, and Sapon-Shevin (1994) have noted, ‘...the goal of inclusion in schools is to create a world in which all people are knowledgeable about and supportive of all other

Inclusive learning is about making sure that every learner in the classroom has their needs identified and met. It is about realising that every learner will have specific individual needs and it is the job of the teacher to accommodate the needs of all of their learners. Booth et al. (2000) state ‘Inclusion is seen to involve the identification and minimising of barriers to learning and participation’ (Booth et al., 2000: 13).

While it is important to consider the attitudes of current teachers, it is also important to be informed of future teacher’s perception of inclusion because they will be the driving force of a school or classroom. Forlin and Chambers (2011) wanted to see the attitudes of pre-service teachers and their

Inclusion is becoming more and more needed for children with disabilities because they want to be able to learn and play with the other children and establish a relationship that will help them to become strong teens as well adults. Inclusion takes on many different forms of involvement therefore, the teacher and parents must be willing to work together to assure that the child’s needs are being met.

In spite of the varied conceptualization of inclusion, the philosophy of inclusion is largely rooted in meeting the educational needs of all students instead of particular groups of students in an equitable manner and inclusively within their natural environment. Shore et al. (2011) identified belongingness and uniqueness as two important components of inclusion. They argued that the success of inclusivity depends on treating individuals as insiders and allowing them to retain their unique identity within a working group. Farrell (2016) emphasized this by pointing out that how inclusive the school system is depends on the extent to which students are welcomed and accepted by other students and staff, and are able to actively participate in school activities, and their ability to successfully gain academic and social skills.

I believe that there are many benefits to inclusion but I have limited experience in this area so I can’t really judge how well it translates in the classroom. I think that

Inclusive education is concerned with the education and accommodation of ALL children in society, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, or linguistic deficits. Inclusion should also include children from disadvantaged groups, of all races and cultures as well as the gifted and the disabled (UNESCO, 2003). Inclusion tries to reduce exclusion within the education system by tackling, responding to and meeting the different needs of all learners (Booth, 1996). It involves changing the education system so that it can accommodate the unique styles and way of learning of each learner and ensure that there is quality education for all through the use of proper resources, suitable curricula, appropriate