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Inclusive Teaching Reflection Paper
Inclusive Teaching Reflection Paper
The ultimate aim of education of children with disabilities is to make them live independent life in
any given community. This means that they are expected to live the life of give and take. The current
trend in education of children with disabilities is integration or inclusive education, which will enable
children with disabilities to be included in all social activities. In most countries where inclusive education
has been well organized, it has been found to bring about equalization of opportunity to education and
social life.
However, inclusive teaching has been defined from different perspectives. For me it is a learning
environment that promotes the full personal, academic and professional development of all learners
irrespective of race, class, gender, disability, religion, culture, sexual preference, learning style and
language.
One practice I had adapted unconsciously which was not in favor of inclusive teaching is
subjective assessment. Therefore, objective marking paves the way for more inclusive and equal
chances for learners to receive the same teaching quality and be assessed to certain agreed upon
academic standards.
Inclusive teaching therefore gives all children the opportunity to learn together without
discrimination. This means that schools where inclusive teaching is taking place must be sensitive to the
differences in the needs of various children with disabilities. For example, different provisions should be
made for different inclusive situations-a class that has a deaf child must have such support services as
an interpreter fluent in sign language, speech trainers, speech therapist, and school audiologist. The
class should also be equipped with loops and the child should be given a hearing aid. In case of visually
impaired children, they would need brailing equipment and brailist, mobility aids, tape recorders, and
optical devices, such as magnifiers for those with residual vision. They will in addition require the
services of mobility instructor and resource teacher of the blind. The mentally retarded perhaps is the
most difficult to deal with. Their inclusion must be carefully planned. The class size must be drastically
reduced; level of inclusion will depend on the severity of the disability. The services of the following must
be provided, teacher aide, resource specialist who assists with the development of the individualized
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educational programme (IEP). The physically and health impaired will need some modification of the
physical environment and the provision of mobility aids such as wheelchairs. It is also advisable that
close and proper assessment be carried out before admission into the school because children with
physical and health impairment have been observed to have other conditions like epilepsy, spinal bifida,
cerebral palsy, reparatory problems, tuberculosis and heart conditions. Unfortunately, in the schools
where I teach in my country, those issues arent addressed seriously. Thus, the teaching inclusively
However, I never give up because good teaching practice dictates that I must constantly reflect
on my teaching strategies: What worked? What did not work? And, most importantly, Why? ESL
teachers must effectively advocate for ELLs in assessment issues by sharing their knowledge of
language acquisition and acculturation with administrators, teachers and school board officials.