Inclusion in Education: What, Why, and How?
Welcome to the School Partners Blog!
We're glad you are here. Our work as collaborative school consultants and teacher coaches is the reason that we call ourselves 'School Partners'. We believe in building partnerships with schools and education teams to strengthen practice, engage students, and include all learners in reaching their full potential.
Here on our blog, we want to share with you some research-based strategies. What we consider 'blog-worthy' are the practices that we find ourselves sharing again and again, the studies that we are constantly referencing and the good practice that more people need to know about, both schools and parents alike.
So with that in mind, we wanted to kick off our weekly blog posts with a topic that is very near and dear to our hearts – inclusion! We work with all different kinds of schools in and around the Paris region, and have each of us worked with schools in different regions around the world (see more on our webpage) and questions about inclusion always come up. How do we fully include all the students of our school community? How do we work to include more new students with varying needs or backgrounds?
Let’s start with a definition. UNESCO talks about inclusion as a process that helps overcome barriers limiting the presence, participation and achievement of learners. Which is inextricably connected to equity and ensuring that there is a concern with fairness, such that the education of all learners is seen as having equal importance.
What is inclusion?
“Inclusive learning and teaching recognises all students’ entitlement to a learning experience that respects diversity, enables participation, removes barriers and anticipates and considers a variety of learning needs and preferences.” (Imperial College Education Development Unit)
UNESCO talks about inclusion as a process that helps overcome barriers limiting the presence, participation and achievement of learners. (A Guide for Ensuring Inclusion and Equity in Education)
Every learner matters equally. Yet millions of people worldwide continue to be excluded from education for reasons which might include sex, gender orientation, ethnic or social origin, language, religion, nationality, economic condition or ability. (Inclusion in Education)
Why should your school be more inclusive?
“Inclusion demands that we ask, ‘What kind of world do we want to create and how should we educate students for that world? What kinds of skills and commitments do people need to thrive in a diverse society?’ ”. In the article Inclusion: A Matter of Social Justice, the author explains why inclusion is the ethically responsible stance for all schools and why it benefits all students, not just those students who are struggling in one way or another.
Inclusion not only benefits neurotypical and gifted children, but research has shown that it gives children with disabilities a pathway to success. This report by Alana on Inclusive Education explains the research behind this. Specifically, starting with page 7, the report details the benefits of inclusion for non-disabled students.
On a similar note, this article by American University discusses the benefits of using inclusive policies and practices to ensure students with diverse backgrounds (such as ethnicity, socioeconomic class, religion, gender, personality, and more) feel like they 100% belong in the school community. In turn, studies show that the whole student body benefits from these practices in measurable ways.
Strategies for teachers/schools that support inclusion:
More inclusive teaching practices also have the merit of enhancing the overall program and benefiting all types of learners (including gifted students).
One resource (among many!) is this Cult of Pedagogy article, where the author interviews an expert on students with disabilities and provides her suggestions for teachers working in inclusive classrooms.
How to Spot Dyslexia, and What to Do Next (Myths, Look-Fors, and Classroom Strategies) by Jennifer Gonzalez and Lisa Brooks in Cult of Pedagogy, October 13, 2019
The Invisible Math Obstacle In this article in Education Update, Kate Stoltzfus states that dyscalculia, a mathematical learning challenge, affects 5-7 percent of students.
There are many, many more articles on how to support teachers with inclusive practices and how to include students with different disabilities. This is just to give you a sample of the research and resources that exist.
We have developed two professional development workshops for schools which have undertaken professional development on differentiation but need support on understanding and implementing inclusion:
Rigor, Engagement, and Authentic Learning
This workshop dispels the myth that a “hard assignment” or a “difficult class” is intellectually challenging. We show educators how to increase the critical thinking skills students use in the classroom to benefit all students. This includes gifted students and students who are underperforming. We demonstrate how when students are intellectually stimulated they behave better, perform at higher levels, and are more engaged. We provide concrete examples that teachers can use the very next day in class.
The Inclusive Classroom : Going Beyond Differentiation
All students deserve to learn in an inclusive classroom - a setting that differentiates for their learning needs, makes accommodations should they need it, and builds a feeling of belonging. These three elements are critical for creating a learning environment that embraces all learners, such as gifted students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized students. We know that differentiated instruction is effective teaching that pushes all students to learn to their full potential, but this workshop goes beyond ways to differentiate and gets into what kinds of learning differences are most common, how they could present in your classroom, and ways to make accommodations for those students. An inclusive classroom is one that is differentiated, accessible, normalized, and authentic; this workshop will show you how to make that a reality.
This is work that we believe in deeply and would love the opportunity to work with schools on a mission to be more inclusive.
Look for our upcoming posts for more helpful strategies and practices to strengthen your teaching practice.
Jessica Lament and Emilia Pastor are cofounders of School Partners, a boutique non profit organization that provides professional development, instructional coaching, and school leadership coaching for educators in and out of schools in the Paris area.