The Practical Guide to Special Educational Needs in Inclusive Primary Classrooms (Primary Guides)

Richard has researched and published extensively in the area of special and inclusive education both in the UK and internationally. Richard works regularly in India and has also conducted research and consultancy in several other countries including Georgia, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Estonia.

Inclusion (education)

It offers many ideas to improve inclusive practice in primary schools, to the benefit of all pupils, not only those with additional or different learning needs' - Special magazine Written for newly-qualified teachers and students approaching Richard Rose , Marie Howley. It offers many ideas to improve inclusive practice in primary schools, to the benefit of all pupils, not only those with additional or different learning needs' - Special magazine Written for newly-qualified teachers and students approaching the end of their training courses, this practical and accessible text is an introduction to working with children of a range of abilities in inclusive primary classrooms.

Chapter 2 Becoming an inclusive teacher. Chapter 3 Pupils giving cause for concern. Chapter 4 Teaching and learning. Chapter 5 Creating inclusive classroom environments. Chapter 6 Creating inclusive classroom teams. Chapter 7 Learning from pupils. The potential impact of UDL as described by Orkwis is the:.

When implemented through planned curriculum design and the integrated use of supports, strategies and tools for teaching and learning, UDL holds great potential to establish truly accessible learning environments for all students. Successful implementation of UDL principles into practice does not require the use of specific technology or equipment; however, the unique capabilities offered through digital technology to transform information into accessible formats offer additional tools to use that can address learner variability.

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Strategic and thoughtful use of educational and assistive technologies, and appropriate strategies for their effective use, can further the implementation of UDL for many students and teachers, when used in concert with some of many other tools available to teachers that support high-quality instruction Dalton UDL is a conceptual and practical model for the education community, providing a framework and guidelines to change the way teachers teach, the way learners learn, and the way barriers to education for all learners can be overcome.

These represent valuable resources for practitioners wanting to implement the UDL approach. Within the UDL framework, educational planning starts with recognising and anticipating diversity in the classroom. By employing multiple means of representation including multisensory approaches , multiple means of student expression and actions, and multiple ways to engage and motivate learners, UDL supports maximal learning for the widest range of learners, thereby reducing the individual accommodations necessary to address specific barriers to learning arising from disability or other factors.

The essence of the approach is expressed below:. UDL is designed from the outset to meet the needs of all learners, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes unnecessary. The UDL framework encourages creating flexible designs from the start that have customizable options, which allow all learners to progress from where they are and not where we would have imagined them to be.

CAST , p. This extends the possibilities for effectively including all learners in the general curriculum, and reducing the impact of barriers to learning in the educational environment Dalton It is precisely these possibilities that the strategy of curriculum differentiation is intended to develop in South African inclusive education policy.

Even with an initial understanding of the UDL framework and principles, many practical questions regarding UDL implementation still remain: What does UDL mean for a teacher in the classroom? How can a whole school develop a plan to implement UDL? What evidence exists of UDL benefit internationally?

What are possible concerns or problems regarding UDL implementation? How can systems collaborate to design accessible UDL curricula? Invitations to the workshop were sent to teachers and therapists who work with learners experiencing barriers to learning.

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A total of 13 participants were involved in the workshop, representing a diverse group in terms of their professions. There were five occupational therapists, four teachers from special schools, two managers of inclusive education organisations and two speech therapists. We recognise that this is a small number of participants and it is not our intention to generalise in any way from this specific workshop experience. However, we do believe that the response of these participants can be usefully explored with a view to understanding whether UDL can meet the needs of practitioners engaged in inclusive education in South Africa to develop their skills in curriculum differentiation.

The workshop ran for a full day and it was divided into four sessions:. Outcomes are presented here in two ways, 1 activity results, and 2 full workshop evaluation. Activities were conducted in small groups of four or five with representation by teachers, therapists and administrators. Identify an example for each of the 3 UDL principles. Finally, the results of the full workshop evaluation indicate that all participants found the workshop to be helpful and informative and they all agreed that the information was presented at an appropriate level.

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Furthermore, all participants felt that they had gained a better understanding of how therapists and teachers can work together within a UDL framework and most participants 9 out of 11 respondents felt that they were now able to identify ways in which classroom instruction can be differentiated.

Fewer respondents 7 out of 11 felt that they were in a better position to choose assistive devices relevant to their learning programmes. Overall comments are included in the discussion below. There is an urgent need for teachers to understand and address the range of diverse learning needs in their classrooms, if South Africa is to address the exclusion of learners from the education system. In order to do this teachers need new skills, training, and support from the educational system. Furthermore, teachers and therapists need to find ways to plan and work collaboratively, for the greatest benefit to their learners.

Based on our experience with the workshop outlined in this paper, we identify several compelling reasons for using UDL as a means toward the improvement of inclusive education in South Africa. These are discussed below. UDL is, as its name suggests, an attempt to maximise learning in a universal manner. As such, it aims to apply the same principles to all learning rather than proposing specific learning programmes for different forms of diversity or disability.

This allows for a certain simplicity that is very attractive to the busy teacher. If s he can implement the basic principles by planning for a variety of presentation methods, allowing for different forms of expression and engaging learners emotionally, then a whole range of needs can be met.

Whereas teachers speak the language of the curriculum, therapists are more steeped in medical or psychological terms. By paring down teaching and learning to the three processes of flexible methods of presentation, expression and engagement, all those working with the learner can collaborate with a common understanding.

Participant suggestions as to how UDL can be implemented, has been noted Table 1. Participants generally benefitted from the practical nature of the workshop, as indicated by the overall workshop evaluation results; however, a one-day workshop was limited by time and could not cover all areas as originally anticipated.

Future workshops should take these comments into consideration, and plan for extended sessions that would include several practice sessions with UDL implementations tools to help participants increase their competence and confidence in UDL implementation. The implementation of UDL is often regarded as a high-technology option; however, learning activities conducted in the workshop showed that technology can be pursued at many different levels Box 1.

Smart-boards, I-Pads and other tools can contribute to achieving educational outcomes, but low-tech options can achieve the similar outcomes when implemented by using the three core UDL principles. It was in this connection that a discussion took place on how an education recycling centre that focuses on useful teaching materials could be set up for teachers as a resource for the further implementation on UDL in South Africa.

Participants called for continued instruction in UDL and inclusive education.

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Such instruction would be beneficial not only for teachers and therapists, but also for administrators of educational systems. Many questions about UDL and its implementation in classrooms and educational systems in the USA and around the world remain to be addressed. Some questions were identified earlier in this paper, and others have emerged from the field Edyburn With one day of training in UDL, workshop participants were able to identify examples relating to the three UDL core principles, example of barriers to UDL implementation, ways to implement UDL with and without technology, and started to explore the use of an educator checklist tool for UDL analysis and planning.

This testifies to the attractive simplicity of the method.

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In consideration of the enthusiasm with which the participants received the UDL concepts, the authors who were the organisers and presenters of the workshop are exploring ways by which workshops of this nature can continue in South Africa to promote the implementation of UDL in South African Schools. The authors see this as an avenue that will enhance inclusion of learners who experience barriers to learning in South Africa and promote effective transition from school to productive work. All participants attended the workshop voluntarily and consented to the use of their evaluation forms and activity notes for course development, including research.

There was no risk of harm to the participants and their anonymity was maintained. How to cite this article: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationship s which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article. University of Cape Town were responsible for project and instructional design. University of Cape Town managed training organisation, preparation, and details.

The Practical Guide to Special Educational Needs in Inclusive Primary Classrooms

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Afr J Disabil v. Published online Nov Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Received Nov 13; Accepted Aug 8. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract South Africa has adopted an inclusive education policy in order to address barriers to learning in the education system. Introduction It is a matter of grave concern that children with disabilities on the African continent face barriers in the education system for a multitude of reasons ACPF Inclusive education in South Africa Since , when democracy was established in South Africa, there has been a radical overhaul of government policy from an apartheid framework to providing services to all South Africans on an equitable basis.

The policy calls for a significant conceptual shift that is based on the following premises: Educational history, inclusion, and universal design for learning Over the past 37 years, the United States experienced significant changes in its system of education for students with disabilities.

The neurological foundation of Universal Design for Learning UDL UDL is based in the fields of cognitive science and neuroscience that address the understanding of how we learn through memory, language processing, perception, problem solving, and thinking. The teacher can present, for example, the learning materials through a variety of media visual, auditory or tactile , and provide multiple examples that can be modified in complexity to meet a range of learning needs. The teacher may use strategies that allow the learner to practice tasks with different levels of support and to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a diversity of ways.

This principle involves creating interesting learning opportunities that motivate and stimulate learners according to their personal backgrounds and interests. Participants Invitations to the workshop were sent to teachers and therapists who work with learners experiencing barriers to learning.

Programme The workshop ran for a full day and it was divided into four sessions: Session 1 introduced the UDL concept to the participants, including its background, principles and its potential to improve the way the teachers and therapists promote inclusion of learners with disabilities in the learning process. Activities that explored basic UDL barriers and solutions, as identified by participants, were conducted.

A brief background to inclusive education in South Africa was also presented. Session 2 focused on UDL in the classroom, and addressed ways to diversify the curriculum, models for UDL application, assistive technologies definition, scope, selection, and applications , discussion of the technology continuum and issues regarding technology in the classroom. Activities included participant discussion and identification of UDL solutions with and without technology:. Session 4 was a concluding session where the participants had the opportunity to ask questions, and provided feedback to the presenters verbally and through the post-workshop evaluation form.

Outcomes of the workshop Outcomes are presented here in two ways, 1 activity results, and 2 full workshop evaluation. Groups Principles Principle 1: Means of representation Principle 2: