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A classroom founded on the principles of inclusion.
In our classroom, we are welcoming and accepting all students. This means that every student will be treated equally; regardless of physical ability, mental processing ability, or any other handicap that makes each individual unique.

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We are patient, respectful, accommodating, and encouraging of each others’ strengths and abilities.

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9. What is your vision for the inclusive classroom of your dreams?

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9. What is your vision for the inclusive classroom of your dreams?

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My vision: The teacher is able to engage all students with and without disabilities in productive learning, values the contributions of all students and works to create a classroom environment where all students can participate in and contribute meaningfully to the learning activities. Also, the teacher provides differentiated instruction in order to make sure every student discovers a learning strategy which works well and will bring them towards the final goal. When necessary, a student will be provided with an individualized educational program (IEP) along with support and professional resources in order to keep them at level academically. I believe that all children can learn and achieve their potential.

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3. What are the important physical features?

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3. What are the important physical features?

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The layout should allow me to move around easily and walk to students’ desks without obstructions. Student desks should be placed in small groups (2–4 desks per group) so that all students have the opportunity for cooperative learning, collaboration, and discussion. The teacher's desk should be placed on the periphery of the classroom, since a teacher in an inclusive class rarely sits down during the day. I think a good idea to create a structured classroom is to design separate areas for group and individual work and centers for reading or art, as well as creating a daily class schedule incorporating color. I would like to have a meeting spot – one area of the classroom where the students can come together to have discussions, develop social skills, and participate in large group activities. This space must have enough room for ALL the students to gather. About the  classroom décor, I am aware that an inclusive classroom needs to be decorated in a way that does not create distraction and sensory overload. Too many bright colors, posters, clutter, and furniture can easily distract the most focused child!

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7. How accessible will learning be in my learning enviornment?

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7. How accessible will learning be in my learning enviornment?

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All of the students should be able to move safely around the classroom that’s why the desks in the classroom must be arranged in a manner that allows for easy movement. It should be clear and open pathways around the room, so a student to get up from his/her desk and walk to where materials are stored or to the centers that are set up in the room. Centers must be accessible and open; the materials and manipulatives at each center must be appropriate and stored where all students can reach them. Placing books on a high shelf is limiting for a smaller student or one who is in a wheelchair. Labeling materials areas with pictures and words will help keep classroom items orderly. In addition to locating materials in the classroom, I should also consider if the materials are functionally accessible materials. “Righty” scissors are not accessible to a left-handed student. A glue stick with a top may not be accessible to a student with limited fine motor skill abilities. I should provide materials that will allow students to engage in their work in a multitude of ways. For example, can students select to write or type their compositions? Are there other ways to demonstrate their knowledge such as create a presentation or video? Can students use math manipulatives and paper and pencil to work out problems? To all these questions the answer should be YES.

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1. What could the learning space look like?

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1. What could the learning space look like?

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The classroom should be of a sufficient size to support a number of different teaching and learning activities. Also, it should have minimal fixed partitions, furniture, fittings or other equipment to allow the space to be reconfigured to support different activities and to address different student needs. Rearranging furniture allows students to work individually, in groups or as a whole class and teachers to facilitate learning from different locations within the learning space. For the learning space I think that natural lighting is preferable. Control over lighting maximises its effectiveness and increases opportunities to meet the diverse requirements of special education needs students. Controllability of lighting allows the teacher to alter lighting levels to create a more calming or stimulating environment, depending on the learning activity and the needs of the students. Minimising glare is important for students with special education needs. Bright colours and complex patterns may overstimulate some students. Neutral or pastel colours are more soothing, and brighter colours can be introduced through displays of student work.

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5. What digital technologies would you require?

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5. What digital technologies would you require?

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Technology will be highly incorporated in the classroom. Some devices we will use frequently are the smart-board, document camera, and laptops or iPads.

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To answer this question I must consider how many ways I can move our classroom objects and furniture to support learning. The physical space should match every learning activity occurring. It’s more than just grouping desks for group work and moving desks apart for individual work activities. If having a whole group discussion, can my students interact with one another, or is it difficult to see and/or hear a multitude of potential speakers? The next step is teaching my students the most common configurations I might use and having them help me move the desks. I can provide pictures of the different arrangements and then time my students to see how quickly they could transition into a different formation. By gamifying the changes in seating arrangements, my students can become proficient and impressive in their ability to transition between activities.

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The basic principles which inclusion is founded on

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The basic principles which inclusion is founded on

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All students have special learning needs of one sort or another. As a teacher I must recognize and respond to the diverse needs – academic, social and personal learning needs – of all my students, including those with disabilities and additional learning, accommodating both different styles and rates of learning and ensuring quality education to all through appropriate curricula, classroom arrangements, teaching strategies, and resource use.

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4. What support would you place in your learning environment for SEN students?

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4. What support would you place in your learning environment for SEN students?

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Depending on the needs of each individual student, additional support may include: access to adaptive technology, including disability-specific software and equipment, tape recorders, laptop computers, word processor with spell check and/or voice output to provide auditory feedback, recorded course materials. Technology in the form of a sound-field amplification system can be used to increase the volume of the teacher’s voice, and therefore improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Also, it’s helpful to have a designated area for children to calm down after being upset or overstimulated. Depending on what disability a child may have, being overstimulated may be exactly what can impact their ability to focus and learn. An area to help children calm down should be equipped with items that can mildly stimulate the senses to find relief.

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8. Will it facilitate various types of teaching methodogolies?

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8. Will it facilitate various types of teaching methodogolies?

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The classroom should offer options to provide comfort while learning. Feeling comfortable in a learning environment is linked to higher student achievement. These feelings of comfort are related to both the physical space and the culture.  By offering choices and supporting students in valuing individual differences, a classroom with multiple seating options can positively impact student feeling toward the learning environment. An area may be created for supervised structured play, silent reading or small group instruction or turned into a dedicated oral language centre that contains games, toys and other artefacts that are used to stimulate students’ imagination and oral language development. The learning environment should also facilitate team teaching and be flexible to vary the size and composition of classroom learning groups. I shall strive to use many different methods of teaching and communication to assure that every student’s educational needs are supported.