Including Diverse Learners
Definitions According to
Webster
 Inclusion:
 Inclusive:
An including or being included
Including everything,
comprehensive
How can we make it work?
 Environmental
arrangements
 Modifications of
materials
 Simplification of
activities
 Special equipment
 Peer support
 Adult support
How Can We Make It Work?
 Embedded
learning
opportunities
 Occasions
where
teachers create
short teaching
episodes within
ongoing activities
 Discover
a range
of techniques for
modifying and
managing the
class environment
to support all
students´ learning.
 Learn
easy
curricular
modifications that
don´t stray far from
original lesson
plans but meet the
needs of all ability
levels.
 Explore
teaching
tactics to foster
inclusion and celebrate
diversity in the
classroom
 Effectively
guide your
students on proper
interaction with their
peers with special
needs
 Identify
the causes of
challenging behavior


Maslow
Environment
 Does
it work for
everyone?
 Increase
desirable
behaviors



Consistency
Guidance
Misbehavior vs
Mistaken Behavior
If you could describe a
boy using one word…
What is happening here?
 Eighty
percent of the discipline problems
are caused by boys.
 Of children diagnosed with learning
disabilities, 70 percent are boys.
 Of children diagnosed with behavior
disorders, 80 percent are boys.
 Over 80 percent of school children on
Ritalin or similar drugs are boys.
The Brain
Biology…
Wiring of the Brain
 Boys
tend to have more dopamine in their
blood stream—which can increase
impulsive behavior.
A
boy’s corpus callosum is smaller in size
than a girl’s. Harder to cross-talk.

Multi-tasking=frustration!
 Girls
tend to have more activity in the
temporal lobes —better listeners and
memory storage.
 Boys need more sensory-tactile
experience to light up the brain.
 Touching helps them focus…to listen.
They need to touch to think!!
 Boys
frontal lobe tends to be less active
then girls. It develops slower.
 The male brain tends to renew and
recharge itself between tasks. It needs to
rest.
 Boys compartmentalize brain activity.
They use less of the brain at one time.
They are “wired” to learn one thing at a
time, and in-depth.
 Multitasking? Boys who feel overwhelmed
or stress experience…anger, frustration,
increase in adrenalin, the result…behavior
problems.
 BLOCKS,
BLOCKS, BLOCKS
AND a reason to use them
 BIG
ART & Art that MOVES!
 Music,
Rhythm, Music ,Rhythm
 Incorporate
nature
 Visual
 Less
Guidance—Schedule of the day
Talking…Louder Voices
 Karate
Chops—This is male affection
 ACTION!!
Climbing, Running, Digging,
Building, Throwing, Construction,
Pushing/Shoving, Handshaking, Sword
Fighting, Jumping…
 SENSORY
PLAY—EVERYDAY
 Look


at your environment
Interesting interest areas?
Space for physical activity
 Strong
Choices
 Brain Breaks & Calming Strategies
 Talk in Private, Mediate, Acknowledge
Emotions
 Look at your environment again
Spirited Children


Challenging children are
“spirited children”
according to Mary
Sheedy Kurcinka
Spirited Children are:
 Normal children who
are more: intense,
persistent, sensitive,
perceptive and
energetic
 They are NOT out to
get you!
A “Goodness of Fit”
 Focus
on strengths
 Identify who has
come to be with
you
 Teach essential life
skills
 Take time to plan
for success
Arousal System
 Some
children by their very nature have a
more reactive arousal system
 Behavior is a reflection of what is
happening inside of the brain AND how
we respond to it
 Our job is to develop self-regulation



Actions
Thoughts
Feelings or desires
 Help
children learn to
follow directions
 Improve
children’s
communication skills
 Nurture
social skills through role-plays and
peer interactions
 Coach children as they practice social
skills in the course of the day
Resources
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Challenging Behavior in Young Children: Understanding,
Preventing & Responding Effectively- Kaiser &
Rasminsky, 2003
The Power of Guidance- Gartrell, 2004
Pathways to Play:Developing Play Skills in Young
Children- Heidemann & Hewitt, 1992
You Got It! Teaching Social & Emotional Skills-Fox &
Lentini (NAEYC Online Journal, 2006)
Lisa Brown, “Boys” Powerpoint Slides, 2008
The Minds of Boys. Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind
in School and Life. Michael Gurian
Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Eric Jenson
Bev Bos. Great Things for Kids Conference 2008
The Spirited Child: Four Keys to Effective Discipline Mary
Sheedy Kurcinka
Websites
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http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/
www.circleofinclusion.org
www.parentchildhelp.com
www.handsinautism.org
www.ourkidspress.com
 Children’s books/posters/resources
http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/ssp/overview/
 Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum