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Dear Teacher: Heartfelt Advice for Teachers from Students

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Kids with a formal diagnosis, such as autism, Asperger's, ADHD, learning disabilities, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Central Auditory Processing Disorder -- along those who just need to move while learning--often find it challenging to shine in a traditional classroom. The kids who collaborated to write and star in this "Dear Teacher" video represent such students.

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Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools, authored by Hutchinson and Martin, defines social inclusion as: “The value system that holds that all students are entitled to equitable access to learning, achievement, and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of their education; incorporates basic values that promote participation, friendship and interaction.”

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Social Inclusion - Leave no Child Behind

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Social Inclusion - moving forward into adulthood.  

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Social Inclusion - moving forward into adulthood.  

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Though, overall students with disabilities have been found to feel more lonely in school (due to bullying or exclusion from peer group), they benefited from peer-support networks, teacher attitudes towards students with disability and accommodations put forth in their community.
A positive insight from this article is that adults with disabilities that have gone to school since inclusion was set in place, have found that they find they can participate in societal norms at their choice, therefore, not being being subjected to only integrating with other's with special needs, but choosing their peer group amongst everyone. They benefited from being involved in extra curriculars and found that their peers have a deeper understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and differences.

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Stressors for teachers working towards inclusion in their classrooms.

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Stressors for teachers working towards inclusion in their classrooms.

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The number one stressor as defined by a study described in "Perspectives of Canadian Teacher Candidates.." authored by Hutchinson, Minnes, Burbidge, Dods and Pyle, was that teachers found it difficult to "sustain an active learning environment for all".

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Teacher Candidate Perspectives on Inclusion

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Choosing assessments that enable learners to show "what they know" rather than show their disabilities. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 21. Some examples include: oral reports, dramatic presentations, Google slides, blogs, drawings, 3D models and written reports.

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Choosing assessments that enable learners to show "what they know" rather than show their disabilities. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 21. Some examples include: oral reports, dramatic presentations, Google slides, blogs, drawings, 3D models and written reports.

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Inclusive classrooms ought to be communities. Teachers can help to develop and support a community of learners with classroom meetings, a sharing chair, teaching active listening, providing students with chores, and building mentoring relationships. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 20)

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Inclusive classrooms ought to be communities. Teachers can help to develop and support a community of learners with classroom meetings, a sharing chair, teaching active listening, providing students with chores, and building mentoring relationships. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 20)

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It is important to take the perspective of the exceptional student and consider whether the adaptation is appropriate and if it can be implemented without drawing "undue attention" to the student. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 23.)

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It is important to take the perspective of the exceptional student and consider whether the adaptation is appropriate and if it can be implemented without drawing "undue attention" to the student. ("Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools." by Hutchinson & Martin, page 23.)

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Sometimes I think we make "inclusion" far to complicated. But the flip side of that is that other times I feel we oversimplify it. Inclusion is about recognizing that all students need flexible structures so that each is able learn. We can't make blanket statements about student ability and then just "put them" in a specific place. We need to be continually evaluating and responding to both their learning and ours. We need to recognize learning as a dynamic social process. For those who do not fit in the box, we need to be researching and trying other possible ways to enhance their learning. Concepts of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTII) need to be approriately and flexibly applied. Sue Buckley does an excellent job of speaking to this in her post " Every School Should be Inclusive".

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Sometimes I think we make "inclusion" far to complicated. But the flip side of that is that other times I feel we oversimplify it. Inclusion is about recognizing that all students need flexible structures so that each is able learn. We can't make blanket statements about student ability and then just "put them" in a specific place.

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Social Emotional Learning and Inclusion in Schools

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Social Emotional Learning and Inclusion in Schools

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Official summary of article authored by Laura Sokal and Jennifer Katz

“Inclusive classrooms provide new opportunities for group membership and creation of effective learning environments. In order to facilitate the success of inclusion as an approach and philosophy, it is important that all class members as well as their teachers develop the skills to understand one another, and to communicate and work together effectively. Social emotional learning (SEL) is aimed at developing these skills and is generally defined to involve processes by which individuals learn to understand and moderate their own feelings, understand the feelings of others, communicate, resolve conflicts effectively, respect others, and develop healthy relationships. These skills are important to both children with disabilities and to those without, in terms of overall social development, perceptions of belonging, and promotion of overall mental wellness, as well as mitigation of the development of mental illness. Research suggests that SEL programming has the potential to effectively enhance children’s academic, social, and relational outcomes. Moreover, teachers who teach SEL in their classrooms have also demonstrated positive outcomes. Despite these encouraging findings, implementation of SEL has been hampered by some limitations, including the lack of a consistent definition—a limitation that in turn affects research findings; lack of teacher education in SEL, which erodes confidence in the fidelity of implementation; and concerns that current SEL programs are not sensitive to cultural differences in communities. Together, the strengths and limitations of SEL illuminate several policy implications regarding the most advantageous ways for SEL to contribute to the success of inclusion in classrooms and schools.”

Sokal, L., & Katz, J.  (2017, March 29). Social Emotional Learning and Inclusion in Schools. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Ed.   Retrieved 7 Oct. 2018, from http://education.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-146.

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“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

Ignacio Estrada, Director for Grants Administration – Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

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Explicit teaching of material is described by The Council for Exceptional Children in this video as a "high-leverage practice" because it provides teachers "a set of behaviours which are effective and efficient in supporting student outcomes."  (HLP#16 Use Explicit Instruction Video). The value of explicit instruction is wide ranging. Teachers chose specific subject matter and deliver direct and immediate feedback to each student individually. This ensures inclusion and clarity. The strategy of Explicit Teaching supports the effective teaching strategies for differentiated teaching as outlined in Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools by Hutchinson and Martin, page 61. The attached video link goes into great detail on the strategy of Explicit Instruction and well worth watching.

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It is essential for all students to feel seen, valued, and celebrated for the unique qualities that make them who they are including their different abilities. Students feel most included when they see themselves represented in the examples/ resources/ images, etc. a teachers uses in his or her instruction. Establishing respect must be modelled in this way. The textbook (Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools by Hutchinson and Martin) goes into much detail about establishing a classroom community in Chapter 7 Climate, Community, and Classroom Management. I'm attaching an example of a video that would make for rich dialogue and promote inclusivity in the class community.

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This graphic (taken from https://themindfulclassroom.wordpress.com/tag/mindup/) gives examples of things all community members can participate in to feel included and connected. With greater connectedness in any capacity, the result is a happier, healthier individual.  In schools this translates to less negative behaviour issues and more positive behaviour supports as outlined in the textbook (Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools by Hutchinson and Martin), page 173 Decreasing Undesirable Behaviour.