Top Five Strategies For Your Inclusive Classroom

Flexibilty is a skill to make a teacher stand out; Removing the Stumbling Block
Structuring a successful inclusive classroom takes a lot of work and planning. You will quickly learn that flexibility is the greatest asset of any teacher, because as soon as you think you have it right, the needs of your students change and you will have to adapt and plan again. Thoughtful planning and intentional design will benefit all of your learners.

Top Five Strategies for Structuring an Inclusive Classroom Environment:

1.  A multi-sensory approach to learning 
This is exactly what it sounds like; an approach to education that engages all of the senses. Some of us learn best by listening, some through reading. Some of us need to write something down to commit it to memory. Others won’t remember unless they repeat it back out loud. Still others need to touch, taste or even smell to fully grasp a new concept. Consistent use of different instructional approaches increases the likelihood that learning will be meaningful, relevant and lasting.

All students should be working toward progress from their own current level of functioning; Removing the Stumbling Block

2.  Individualized expectations
Individualizing expectations are as fair for gifted students as they are for those with unique learning needs and anyone in between. It's a misnomer to believe that having different expectations for different students in the same classroom is unfair. Comparing students to one another is arbitrary. All students should be working toward progress from their own current level of functioning. Individualizing doesn’t “dumb down” the curriculum or hold students back. Instead, it allows students to develop and succeed according to their own individual needs.

3.  Station activities and centers
Learning centers; Removing the Stumbling BlockCenters are areas of the room that are dedicated to learning a specific topic or developing a specific skill and provide students with the opportunity to learn at their own pace. All students benefit as centers enable the delivery of instruction to be differentiated according to individual students’ needs. There are many different ways to structure centers within a classroom, and curricular choices will need to be made based on skill level, students’ ability to work independently and the number of staff available in the classroom.

4.  Clear of rules and expectations
Behavior management is critical to a successful learning environment. When students act out or are unable to focus, significant learning can not take place. Such behavior is indicative that needs are not being appropriately met. Create a classroom environment that reinforces positive behavior, stimulates attention and imagination and makes expectations clear.

5.  Be flexible!
A teacher’s ability to adapt and change plans when necessary is critical to the success of an inclusive classroom. Seasoned teachers know how to “read the room”. This means that they are in tune with their students’ needs and abilities and know when something isn’t going as planned. The flexibility to scrap a lesson altogether when it isn’t working, or even to capture an amazing moment and run with it instead of the planned lesson is a skill that makes a teacher truly stand out.

Please be in touch if you wish to schedule teacher training workshops that focus specifically on Jewish settings and supplemental schools to learn more about adapting these strategies to a religious school setting.


Don't miss a post from Removing the Stumbling Block:


Inclusion is a State of Mind



When we embrace inclusion; Removing the Stumbling Block

There’s a significant uptick of energy in the Jewish Disability World right now. People are talking about this issue in ways they never have before - and organizations are (finally!) making commitments to change. 

At Temple Beth-El in Hillsborough, New Jersey we are not perfect, but I am so proud to be an integral part of a community that is committed to this ideal and is continually striving to improve.

We have always done this work because it is the right thing to do. We have made commitments of both time and money because no one should be left on the outside of congregational life. Ever. We do not do this work for the fanfare and certainly not because we owe it to someone. We do it because we owe it to EVERYONE. We all benefit when our communities are truly inclusive. It really is exciting to go to work every day and think about what we do well, while helping to discover ways that we can do it even better.

Temple Beth-El Exemplar Congregation; Removing the Stumbling BlockBut even though we don't do this work for the praise or recognition, there is no question that kavod (respect) for hard work and commitment is significant. I genuinely appreciate that our congregation had the opportunity to be honored at the recent URJ Biennial as an Exemplar Congregation is Disability Inclusion. It was a joy to celebrate our accomplishments and it was special to be surrounded by others committed to this holy work. At TBE we will use this honor as a springboard to continue to move forward, finding ever more ways to widen our reach and welcome everyone.

Inclusion matters. It's not a favor we do. It's not a program or a classroom or a social action project. Inclusion is a state of mind.
 
Because, quite frankly, what still stands in the way of inclusion in most communities is attitude:

"The biggest barrier to creating an inclusive program is not the lack of resources, knowledge, or accessible facilities. The biggest barrier is actually one of attitude...we must understand that inclusion is first and foremost a philosophy. It is a mindset and a belief that everyone has value and something to contribute. It is a willingness to see the ability in everyone and match skill with challenge. It is an understanding that what our programs really provide at their heart is the opportunity to build relationships, learn who we are, and develop skills. It is being committed to the process of making our programs accessible — not only in the physical sense, but also by ensuring that each person’s participation is meaningful….Once we understand that inclusion is not a place, a program, or a time-limited opportunity, and that it is a state of being and a way of operating that says “all are welcome,” we can overcome the practical barriers of resources, knowledge, and accessible facilities." ~ ACA (American Camping Association)

When we embrace that inclusion is who we are and who we want to be, we can always figure out how to make it happen. 


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