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My classroom philosophy focuses on inclusion and having a safe, welcoming space for diverse learners. As a new teacher, my knowledge on Special Education is very limited. The value in diversity is what I encouraged the most in my classroom. Therefore, my lessons centred around Universal Design. However, I only had a thin line of understanding of Special Education terms. Throughout this course, I was able to expand my knowledge on core concepts and designs that are valuable in teaching.

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BC Ministry of Education affirms that, "all student with special needs should have equitable access to learning opportunities for achievement, and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of educational programs" (2016).

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My understanding and perspective of SUPPORT shifted after listening to Shelley Moore's at Heart and Mind Cultivating Resilience (2016), Sweeper Van talk. Her cupcake analogy of various supports was described as inefficient, whereas we could provide students with a "layer of cake" that contains all the supports in one. She also mentions that support is there so students can use them whenever and not making them "exclusive".  All students can access supports regardless of ability in the teaching and learning phase. I began to see why universal support is critical in all classrooms.

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Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education

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"Inclusion is a FEELING, while it encompasses what we do or not do, it is much more than the physical environment" (Satchel Paige).

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1. Multiple Means of Representation (What of Learning)

2. Multiple Means of Expression & Action (How of Learning)

3. Multiple Means of Engagement (Why of Learning)

UDL design is needed in the classroom to support all learners.

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This t-chart includes strategies that teachers can use in their classroom, when supporting universal design.

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RTI is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behaviour needs. RTI is a "proactive approach to measuring students' skills and using this data to decide which types of targeted teaching to use" (Morin, 2014).

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Support Planning Process in SD36 is called as a UDL Framework.
The phase goes from 1 to 5 (Guide to Inclusive Education for Surrey Schools, 2019).

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Teachers can differentiate 4 classroom elements based on student's readiness, interest, or student profiles.

content: What the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information

product: culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and

process: activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;

learning environment: the way the classroom works and feels

Excerpted from: Tomlinson, C. A. (August, 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.

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Adaptations: Teaching and assessment are accommodated according to students' needs.

Modifications: Changes are made for students with special needs that are unable to access the curriculum.

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Identification and assessment begins in the classroom.  For the first phase, it is known that teachers will initiate an in-depth observation of the student. Teachers should consult the parent and communicate to them from the very beginning. It is noted that for many students, collaborative planning and resulting interventions should resolve the concerns, but if this is not the case, teacher will move to phase two.

Phase two is when teachers contact SBT (School Based Team), for extended consultations on classroom strategies, planning and having access to additional services outside and inside the school.

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This year was my first time attending a meeting for IEP.
Teachers are responsible for attending IEP meetings to determine appropriate goals for a particular student. It is also a teacher's responsibility to work with parents and students regarding IEP goals.

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How will I ADAPT what I learned in the classroom?

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How will I ADAPT what I learned in the classroom?

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My focus is to provide universal support for my students in the classroom. I will differentiate my learning environment with flexible seating and Reggio inspired classroom. I strongly believe that the classroom is the third teacher and it is valuable to create that space.

By producing more Universal Design lessons, students would have the opportunity to learn and show in various ways.

Many of my lessons will rotate as guided groups. In that way, students are receiving materials (manipulative) and working with peers, similar to their level. I will have the opportunity to meet with small groups, re-teach an idea for struggling groups and extend an idea for advanced learners.

With my guided groups, I can identify my at-risk group and start targeted intervention.

With Shelley Moore's video, I learned about growth mindset and would like to adapt the concept in my classroom.

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I still want to learn more about finding critical objectives when writing IEP's.

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At the end of the day, it all comes down to relationships and connections. I strongly believe that we need to build a strong bond with our students on a daily basis.

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Soon after his predicted Grammy, our boy reported that his teacher had given him a nickname. "I was going to get a book, and I don't know why, but I started walking like this." (Elbows out, chest puffed, he strutted like a rooster across the floor.) "My teacher called me Mick. Mick Jagger." His smile in the recounting could have lit up Madison Square Garden. "She's the nicest teacher I've ever had."

Once he was recognized as one half of the Glimmer Twins, his comportment transformed. Now, after decompressing from the day, and with a snack or two comfortably ensconced in his belly, he breaks out his homework without complaint. He will try to decipher word problems involving division, remember the difference between who enforces laws ("That's the executive branch.") and who interprets them ("That's jujishal, I mean judicial -- that's a hard word to say!"), and ask questions of his folks when he is unsure about any of it. Each night he is putting forth his best effort. Each morning he proudly submits that work to the teacher who connected with him, who essentially showed him, "I get you."

What the Research Tells Us

From my experience as a student (waaaay back in the day), a teacher, and a dad, I believe strongly that making connections with kids is the foundation upon which all learning is laid. My data in this area has been purely anecdotal and qualitative, not to mention that my parental sample size of exactly two is relatively small. However, others have conducted more extensive research about this dynamic. Christi and David Bergin concluded in Attachment in the Classroom (PDF, 452KB), their 2009 study that examined the impact of relationships and teaching:

Evidence suggests that secure teacher-student relationships predict greater knowledge, higher test scores, greater academic motivation, and fewer retentions or special education referrals than insecure teacher-student relationships. (p.154)

Around the same time, Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley focused specifically on boys and their relationships with teachers. Their research from six countries revealed that specific components of teacher actions in relation to their students can prove very beneficial, including maintaining admirable standards, reaching out (to meet a student's needs), and responding to a student's personal interest or talent (Reichert and Hawley, Kappan, 2013, pp. 50-51). Charlotte Jacobs, Peter Kuriloff, et al referenced this research as they examined the effects of student-teacher relationships with girls. They found that girls, too, are "relational learners," and that they derive benefits from their peers as well as teachers (Jacobs, Kuriloff, Andrus, and Cox, Kappan, 2014, p.69).

In Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn, John Hattie and Gregory Yates consider positive teacher relationships crucial to both student learning and the growth mindset:

Learning requires considerable investment. It requires confidence that we can learn, it requires an openness to new experiences and thinking, and it requires understanding that we might be wrong, we may make errors, and we will need feedback. Learning for many students is a risky business. The positive teacher-student relationship is thus important not so much because this is worthwhile in itself, but because it helps build the trust to make mistakes, to ask for help, to build confidence to try again, and for students to know they will not look silly when they don't get it [the] first time. (p.21)

Forming Bonds

Make a connection. I would suggest that you do this not through a beginning-of-the-school-year interest survey, but through conversation. Sharing is a simple yet elegant entry into children's lives and -- don't overlook this -- doing so allows children into yours, too. Everyone can share about what we did over the weekend, or what we're looking forward to this weekend, or both. Who likes scary movies? Who's reading fantasy novels and who's playing fantasy football? Who had a baseball game and who had a piano recital? Who loves to draw -- and who else does, too?

As whole-class discussions provide an abundance of junctions where folks can meet, one-on-one conversations let us mine deeper veins of communication that may lead to even greater trust. Understanding where a child comes from, how they are feeling, what inspires them, and what bums them out, these connections form bonds strong enough to allow kids to try genuinely putting themselves out there to succeed and to fail, because they know that you will ultimately be there to catch them should they fall and to fist bump them when they rise.

One more recommendation: Have fun. Play games. Laugh at yourself, because everyone will recognize that you are not some pedestal-residing, self-serious automaton -- rather, you are human, you enjoy what you do, and you absolutely enjoy everyone in your classroom.

When we make connections large and small with our students, when we consciously build trust, we improve learning opportunities for everyone. And coming to school is just plain fantastic.

How do you connect with your students? Please share in the comments section below.

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Soon after his predicted Grammy, our boy reported that his teacher had given him a nickname. "I was going to get a book, and I don't know why, but I started walking like this." (Elbows out, chest puffed, he strutted like a rooster across the floor.) "My teacher called me Mick.

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BC Ministry of Education (2006), Retrieved June 09, 2020, from,
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/inclusive/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf.

Education Services, Guide to Inclusive Education for Surrey Schools (2019),  Retrieved June 09, 2020, from, https://www.surreyschools.ca/departments/EDSC/StudentSupport/Pages/default.aspx.

Gorski, D. (n.d.). What is RTI? Retrieved June 09, 2020, from http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/whatisrti

Mills, R., Robin, Young, N., Sr, J., Martin, A., Heelan, M.,Riga Minhaj AIC. (2019, September 25). What Is Differentiated Instruction? Retrieved June 09, 2020, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction#content

Richman, G. (2015, March 06). Making Connections. Retrieved June 09, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-connections-geoff-richman

The Sweeper Van by Shelly Moore (2016), Retrieved June 09, 2020, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjjz8iHj5hY&feature=youtu.be

UDL At A Glance (2010), CAST, Retrieved June 09, 2020, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4&feature=youtu.be