1. ACE DisAbility Network
The Inclusive Classroom

2. Topics Introductions The inclusive classroom How people learn
Impact of disability on learning
Collaborative learning
Learning tools
Behaviour management

3. What is inclusive learning?
Consider one or more of the case studies provided and discuss:
What these instances tell us about inclusion

4. Susan is a retired woman who volunteers with the adult education literacy class where most of the students have an intellectual disability of some kind. She feels sorry for the students but often gets frustrated when they don’t seem to learn. One day, one of the students is rude to her and she quits.
Muriel goes to an aerobics class, mainly because it is on her plan which has identified that she has a weight problem. She has difficulty keeping up with the group and although she says she enjoys the activity she has made no friends. At the end of the class she and her support worker hurry away to be in time for Muriel’s next activity.
Reg is a 50 year old man who has attended a literacy class at his local community centre for the past ten years. He can write his first name which he learned in primary school but still cannot read. He says he likes going to the class because it is something to do.
The adult learning centre has been told that Jessica has Asperger’s. However this does not seem to affect her learning ability and she is doing well. One day, however, there is a fire drill with a fire bell being sounded. Jessica has not been back since

5. What is inclusion? Inclusion is…. Inclusion is not More than presence
Finding time and spending effort
Co-ownership of space
Recognising the impact of disability
Meeting participant not organisational needs
Inclusion is not
Tokenism
Something only certain places do

6. Education Standards Adjustments
Applies to all education providers including:
Not for profit community providers
Providers of adult and community education
RTOs and non RTOs.
Requires comparable opportunities and choices to those without disability in:
Enrolment
Participation
Curriculum development, accreditation and delivery
Student support
Harassment.
Adjustments

7. Inclusive learning
"There is a world of difference between, on the one hand, offering courses of education and training and then giving some students who have learning difficulties (intellectual disability) some additional human or physical aids to gain access to those courses, and, on the other hand, redesigning the very processes of learning, assessment and organisation so as to fit the objectives and learning styles of the student. But only the second philosophy can claim to be inclusive."
Inclusive Learning, Report on Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities Committee, UK 1996

8. How do people learn? Memory Relationships – trust – belief
Dialogue – learning is a social act
Reason to learn
Time
Positive reinforcement

9. Barriers to learning Lack of confidence that they can learn
Lack of time- duration and frequency
Lack of reason to learn
Caring not learning

10. The adult learner Role of experience Immediate needs
Relaxed environment
Importance of success

11. Some impacts of disability on learning
Short term memory loss
Poor attention span
Easily confused
Difficulty with complex and multiple meaning
Inability to generalise
Slow to learn
Low self esteem
Need for structured environment
Affected by lights or background noise
Fatigue
Unexplained expressions of emotion
Lack social skills

12. Collaborative learning theory “Learning is a social activity”
Vygotsky
Zone of actual and proximal development
Scaffolding
I DO, YOU WATCH I DO, YOU HELP YOU DO, I HELP YOU DO, I WATCH
Collaborative learning
Positive interdependence
Promotional interdependence
Individual accountability
Social interaction
Group processing

13. Ways of collaborating Discrete pairs Pairs within a group setting
Intermittent pairs – think, pair, share

14. Academic results Positive Negative Academic achievement Cooperation
Enhanced perceptions of each other
Breakdown of barriers
Negative
Teachers not understanding the basic rules
Students’(parents’) fear of being “held back”

15. Classroom tools Chat (dialogue) Setting targets Task analysis
Demonstration and talking through
Consolidation
Reflection and review
Streamlining
Question and answer
Check for understanding
Positive reinforcement
One instruction at a time
Routine
Repetition
Provide context
Social scripting
Prompting
Concrete, everyday examples
Joint construction

16. Assessments
Why?
How?

17. Classroom management
Sara has joined a craft class with her support worker, Jane. Some of the other participants grumbled to each other that they didn’t think it was appropriate that Sara attend as they had paid their money to learn and didn’t want the teacher to give all her attention to Sara.
Sara wanted to learn but because it took her longer to pick up some things, she tended to call out to the teacher a lot. When the teacher was with someone else, she got bored and wandered around the classroom or asked Jane to take her to the toilet loudly.
The teacher was confused and didn’t know what was expected of her, so she ignored Sara and Jane. Sara became more bored and noisier.
Some of the other class participants told the teacher at the end of the class that they wouldn’t be coming back if Sara was still in the class next time.

18. What could the teacher have done
Negotiating support worker role before starting
Setting a Code of Conduct
Having a range of activities to suit abilities
Using group work or buddy systems

19. Working with a support worker
What kind of support is provided:
attendant care (toileting and feeding);
educational support;
social support;
transport, or
combination of any of these?
What is the support worker prepared to do ?
Support worker policy
Withdrawal plan

20. Code of conduct Students – “What do I expect from others?”
Tutor – “What do I expect from students?”
Non negotiable conditions
Consequences of breaking code
Discuss
Ratify
Publish
Monitor.

21. Behaviour management Preventative strategies Incident response
State expectations
Code of conduct
Be aware of difficulties
Recognising aggression
Consistent approaches/management plan
Incident response
Consideration of dignity
Who can help?

22. Look after yourself
At some point you will feel tired, frustrated, irritable, overwhelmed
This is normal – but don’t react negatively
Recognise when this is happening
Find someone to talk to
Have a break