4 Principles of Inclusive Education
Keep reading to find four principles of inclusive education to help create a learning environment where students feel supported and have everything they need to excel at their own pace.
What are the key principles of inclusive education?
Inclusive education stems from the fundamental right that all children should have access to education that caters to their individual needs. But how do we put that into practice?
When it comes to fostering an inclusive learning environment, small steps can lead to greater impact both in the classroom and throughout the entire school. That’s why we’ve broken down the concept of inclusive education into four principles:
- Make a school-wide commitment
- Engage and include your stakeholders
- Involve students in the process
- Focus on curriculum
1. Make a school-wide commitment
Every school is made up of a diverse cohort of students from different cultures, beliefs, values and life experiences. This uniqueness builds a rich environment for learning where all students should feel included and empowered.
While diversity can pose challenges for students, teachers and their families, it creates a space for children to grow and connect, both socially and academically, emphasising the need for school-wide inclusive practices in education.
Whether it’s policy, school culture or daily practices and procedures, all must underpin inclusive education, and be reflected by the entire school, not just within the four walls of the classroom.
School leaders and staff should live and breathe the values of inclusive education and be able to differentiate their teaching to suit the diversity of students. Where professional development, training or mentoring is required, teachers should be supported by the school to upskill.
There are a variety of ways to help make students feel supported to belong, including social emotional learning, peer mentoring, and the celebration of school wide events which might include:
- Harmony Week
- International Day of People with Disability
- World Autism Awareness Day.
2. Engage and include your stakeholders
If you’re familiar with implementing Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), you’ll know how valuable it is to keep key stakeholders, including the child’s family, involved and updated on their learning journey. This will ensure everyone has visibility over the child’s progress and can contribute their views to help achieve the best outcome for the child both in the classroom and at home.
As well as regularly consulting the child’s family to establish the most suitable learning approach for their child, it’s important that all stakeholders are involved to equip students for key transitions.
All documentation and information about the child’s learning progress should be accessible to the child’s family and easy for them to understand from a non-teacher’s perspective.
You might find that the child’s parents have a disability too, and they should have access to services provided by the school, such as a translator or ensuring documents and information is appropriate for parents with disability to understand.
Additional activities to keep the families involved are inviting the child’s family to volunteer for co-curricular and extracurricular activities and events, attending ILP review meetings and curriculum planning for the child, and forums.
3. Involve students in the process
To make a learning space truly inclusive and student-centred, they should be encouraged to voice their opinions and contribute to their educational experience.
Some students may not be as comfortable as others to express their feelings and views, so it’s critical as a teacher to build rapport with students to help foster a nurturing and supportive environment.
Not only does this help students build agency and self-advocacy, but it also provides teachers and schools with insight to drive improvement and show the value of student engagement and participation.
How can you get students more involved? Have them support or develop their own learning objectives according to the SMART goal framework. If an ILP has been implemented, have the child attend meetings with other key stakeholders and encourage contribution to the planning and progress of the plan.
Where any changes or adjustments are made to a child’s learning plan, they should be consulted and given the opportunity to contribute to decisions about key transitions, such as graduating from one year level to the next.
4. Focus on curriculum
We know that one size does not fit all when it comes to learning, but students with disabilities or special needs should be supported in accessing the same curriculum as their peers. That’s where differentiated teaching and student-centred education planning can go a long way in helping students to reach their learning objectives.
By using evidence-based teaching strategies, setting individualised goals and putting students’ strengths and specific needs at the core of their education, you can create a more inclusive and personalised learning experience.
Additionally, students should have access to external support, such as therapists, paediatricians, psychologists and other professionals, if necessary, to help achieve their learning goals in an inclusive learning environment. These key stakeholders should also be engaged and updated throughout a child’s progress against their goals.
If you want to learn more about strategies and tactics to help plan and implement your curriculum with an inclusive approach, check out this article.
Final words
By using these four principles in your everyday practice and decision-making, you can work towards creating an inclusive learning experience for all students to feel supported and equipped to reach their full potential.
Digital platforms such as Learning Pathways can help streamline how you implement and monitor your efforts to create a more inclusive learning experience. You can efficiently manage and engage key stakeholders, track progress against individual learning goals and effectiveness of teaching strategies in one centralised location.