Working in the inclusive
classroom
Prof Bob Conway
School of Education, Flinders University
bob.conway@flinders.edu.au
The key concepts
Rights of those with special
needs to be involved in
meaningful ways
ACCESS
Curriculum
PARTICIPATION
Content
Relevant
Teaching/learning
Student
Engagement
Broad
activities
Active learning
Qualification
outcomes
© R Conway, 2012
Four key issues
– outcomes to date

Nationally consistent data

Gonski Review and disability

Disability adjustment categories

Disability Standards for Education 2005 and
review
© R Conway, 2012
Categories of disability under
National Consistent Data

Physical

Cognitive

Sensory

Social/Emotional
DEEWR, 2012
Disability categories –
Descriptors for adjustment
No adjustments at this time
Supplementary
Substantial
Extensive
The level of
adjustment may
change over
time and across
curriculum
areas
© R Conway, 2012
DEEWR, 2012
Disability Standards for Education
2005
© R Conway, 2012
Standards covered in the DSE
 “On
the same basis”
 Enrolment
 Participation
 Curriculum development, accreditation
and delivery
 Student support services
 Harassment and victimisation
© R Conway, 2012
DSE Participation compliance






Flexibility
Alternate activities to ↑ participation
Negotiate, agree and implement programs to
↑ participation
Additional support to assist achievement of
learning outcomes
Reasonable substitute activities for those
who can’t participate
Non-classroom and extra-curricula activities
are designed to include the student
© R Conway, 2012
DSE Curriculum development,
accreditation and delivery compliance
 Reasonable adjustment to:
 Curriculum
 Teaching materials
 Assessment and certification
 Teaching and learning activities
 delivery modes including non-classroom
 Assessment procedures and methodologies
adapted to allow students to demonstrate
knowledge skills and competencies
© R Conway, 2012
UDL and Differentiation
UDL
Differentiation


Plan for the needs of all
students – whole class
not the few
 Conscious and deliberate
creation of lessons and
outcomes that enables all
to access and participate
in the same curricula
 Can have two different
versions to access


Recognises differences in
learning
Ways of presenting key
concepts in accessible
ways
Can have different
activities and outcomes
for sub-groups
© R Conway, 2012
What does an inclusive classroom
look like?
Teacher
Peer
Factors
Factors
Student(s) with
additional needs
BEHAVIOUR, LEARNING AND TEACHING
Curriculum
Physical
and Resources
Setting
Factors
Factors
© R Conway, 2012
What do we want students
to learn?
How will we know
when they have
learned?
Operating
within
Curriculum
Guidelines
for all
Why do we want
them to learn these
things?
How best can we help
them to learn?
© R Conway, 2012
A shared curriculum
framework model
The supports and adjustments are required
to enable the student to access the
curriculum and participate in the life of the
school
© R Conway, 2012
Issues in making decisions on
programming and teaching
activities

What’s the purpose of the task?

What are the outcomes I want for the class and the
individual student(s)?

How does this task relate to the broader learning needs?

other curriculum framework areas?

existing knowledge/skills?

planned outcomes?
What and How to teach – What and How to assess
© R Conway, 2012
What types of supports and
adjustments may be required?
Curriculum
decisions
Teaching and learning
activities
What to teach
and assess
How to teach and
assess
Who will
teach and
who will
support?
Technology and
other instructional
supports – Phone
apps; Tablets
© R Conway, 2012
Need to be
aware of the
learning
abilities and
limits of
students
© R Conway, 2012
Disability categories –
Descriptors for adjustment
No adjustments at this time
Supplementary
Substantial
Extensive
The level of
adjustment may
change over
time and across
curriculum
areas
© R Conway, 2012
Learning and teaching options
Adopt the class
program?

Same curriculum but
with modifications
Adapt the class
program?

Multilevel or mixed
ability teaching
Create a new
program?

Curriculum
overlapping or
alternate curriculum
focus
© R Conway, 2012
Descripter - None at this time
Some students with disability, at particular
stages during their time at school, may not
require any personalised adjustments
beyond the resources and services readily
available in the school for all students.
Adopt the existing program
Consider whether you need to alter any of these:

format of instructional materials

format of assessment tasks


altered teaching or learning styles to meet specific
disability needs
adaptive technology for specific disability needs
© R Conway, 2012
In practice - No adjustment at
this time
Examples of adopting the curriculum – areas and
topics?
What adjustments/differentiations have been
needed?
What are the issues/challenges in addressing
Adoption strategies?
Who benefits from the adjustments/differentiations?
© R Conway, 2012
Descripter - Supplementary
Supplementary adjustments are
provided when there is an assessed
need at specific times to complement
the strategies and resources already
available (for all students) within the
school. These adjustments are
designed to address the nature and
impact of the student’s disability, and
any associated barriers to their
learning, physical, communication or
participatory needs.
Typical students:
Students with disability and
lower level additional support
needs access and participate in
schooling on the same basis as
students without disability
through the provision of some
personalised adjustments.
Typical adjustments:
Adjustments to teaching and learning might
include: modified or tailored programs in some or
many learning areas; modified instruction using a
structured task-analysis approach; the provision
of course materials in accessible forms; separate
supervision or extra time to complete
assessment tasks; and the provision of
intermittent specialist teacher support.
Adjustments might include: modifications to
ensure full access to buildings and facilities;
specialised technology; programs or
interventions to address the student’s
social/emotional needs; and support or close
supervision to participate in out-of-school
activities or the playground. These adjustments
may also include the provision of a support
service that is provided by the education
authority, or that the school has sourced from an
external agency.
Instructional levels
Year 11
Year 9
Year 8
Year 5
Material instructional level
Grade level
Teacher instructional level
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For a
hypothetical
Year 9
classroom
Student instructional level
© R Conway, 2012
Making adapting decisions

Content Decisions
Should

Vocab Decisions

Essential

Alter
Know
Must

Know

precipitation
rain
Delete
© R Conway, 2012
Presenting adapted materials

Worksheets etc

use visual cues

reduce readability
• more shorter
sentences
• use vocab that’s used
& understood

predictability

cloze procedures

only 60% of page

consider the
audience when using
written material

Alternate teaching
approaches




remember that
comprehension of
oral is higher than
written
use the learning
styles of the students
variety of teaching
approaches and
activities
ALSO ADAPT
ASSESSMENT
© R Conway, 2012
Descripter - Substantial
Substantial adjustments are
provided to address the specific
nature and significant impact of
the student’s disability. These
adjustments are designed to
address the more significant
barriers to their engagement,
learning, participation and
achievement.
Typical students:
Students with disability who have
more substantial support needs
generally access and participate
in learning programs and school
activities with the provision of
essential measures and
considerable adult assistance.
Typical adjustments:
These adjustments are generally considerable in
extent and may include frequent (teacher directed)
individual instruction and regular direct support or
close supervision in highly structured situations, to
enable the students to participate in school
activities. They may also include adjustments to
delivery modes, significantly modified study
materials, access to bridging programs, or adapted
assessment procedures (i.e. special provisions)
such as the use of assistive technology or a scribe.
Other adjustments may be the provision on a
regular basis of additional supervision, regular
visiting teacher or external agency support, frequent
assistance with mobility and personal hygiene, or
access to a specialised support setting. Close
playground supervision may be required at all times,
or essential specialised support services for using
technical aids, or alternative formats for assessment
tasks, to enable these students to demonstrate the
achievement of their intended learning outcomes.
Teaching adapted curriculum
units
1. Determine the objectives, content and vocabulary
2. Divide the content into smaller manageable units
3. Teach each sub-topic
4. At the end of the sub-topic assess progress
mastery? - extension activities
not mastered? - remediation activities & re-assess
5. At the end of the unit assess key content &
vocabulary knowing that sub-unit content is known
© R Conway, 2012
Working together in
collaborative teams

Trying to meet needs alone is difficult and
frustrating and ultimately doomed
 Working as a team benefits all participants
 In secondary, consider grade groups for
curriculum, learning and teaching adaptations or
subject area teams
 Develop materials and then file for sharing
based on take an example and return it with
another you develop.
© R Conway, 2012
Failure to plan
adequately can
have
unintended
consequences
© R Conway, 2012
In practice Adapting/Supplementary
Examples of adapting the curriculum – curriculum areas
and topics?
What Supplementary adjustments/differentiations have
been needed?
What are the issues/challenges in addressing
Adaption/Supplementary strategies?
Who benefits from the differentiation?
Who took responsibility?
© R Conway, 2012
Descripter - Extensive
Extensive adjustments are
provided when essential specific
measures are required at all
times to address the individual
nature and acute impact of the
student’s disability and the
associated barriers to their
learning and participation. These
adjustments are highly
individualised, comprehensive
and ongoing.
Typical students:
Students with disability and very
high support needs generally
access and participate in
education with the provision of
extensive targeted measures,
and sustained levels of intensive
support.
Typical adjustments:
These adjustments will generally include
personalised modifications to all courses and
programs, school activities and assessment
procedures, and intensive individual instruction, to
ensure these students can demonstrate the
development of skills and competencies and the
achievement of learning outcomes. Other
adjustments might be the provision of much more
accessible and relevant curriculum options or
learning activities specifically designed for the
student. They may involve the use of highly
specialised assistive technology, alternative
communication modes, the provision of highly
structured approaches or technical aids to meet
their particular learning needs, and some students
may receive their education in highly specialised
facilities.
Create: Developing individual
learning plans
 When?


A student’s difficulties significantly
differ from those of the other students
Modification of existing programs isn’t
sufficient to meet the student’s learning
needs.
© R Conway, 2012
Developing individual learning
support plans
 What

A framework to integrate a student’s
specific learning needs within KLAs
 What


is it?
does it contain?
Specific teaching activities and strategies
Who will be involved in the program
implementation
© R Conway, 2012
Individual needs
Planning
Individual goals
Supports
Adjustments
Learning Support Plan (LSP)
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Curriculum
requirements/guidelines
Programming
What to teach?
Adjustments
Assessment
Class Program
Individual Transition Plan (ITP)
© R Conway, 2012
Changing levels of planning for
students with special needs
IFSA
Family
Focus
developmental
IEP
KLA
Focus
growth
through
broad
curriculum
exposure
ITP
Post school
Focus
employment
options
recreation
“life skills”
curriculum
© R Conway, 2012
In practice - Creating/Substantial or
Extensive Adjustment
Examples of Substantial/Extensive Adjustment to the curriculum
including creating activities and resources – curriculum areas and
topics?
What Substantial/Extensive adjustments/differentiations have been
needed?
What are the issues/challenges in addressing Substantial/Extensive
adjustment strategies?
Who benefits from the differentiation?
Who took responsibility?
© R Conway, 2012
Adapt assessment not just
teaching
© R Conway, 2012
Alternate assessment
approaches
Option 1
Same task - Same Assessment Strategy
Option 2
Same task - Alternate or modified assessment strategy
Option 3
Different task - Alternate or modified assessment strategy
Option 4
Exemption from assessment task
© R Conway, 2012
Measuring the outcomes
Outcomes are:
•Knowledge and
understandings
Stage
appropriate
outcomes
•Skills
•Values and
attitudes
Ability
appropriate
outcomes
© R Conway, 2012
In practice - Reporting
 How
do you address reporting a student
with special needs to parents in terms of
academic performance?
 What
are the issues for the school, the
parents and the student?
© R Conway, 2012
Achieving effective learning and teaching
Curriculum issues
•linking current and past
learning
Instructional issues
•pacing instruction (task size)
•how achievable is the task or
materials?
•types and amounts of feedback
•does the student identify the
goal of the task and recognise
its relevance and application?
•strategies such as prompting,
modelling, chaining
The learning context
•classroom management and
organisation
•classroom climate
•productive learning time
Effective learning and
teaching experiences
•communication processes
© R Conway, 2012
We need to
be realistic
in our
expectations
of all
students
© R Conway, 2012
5 Criteria of a positive inclusive
classroom

Substantial student-teacher interaction


Opportunity to respond



critical to being involved and included
non-responding can lead to potential behaviour problems
Academic engaged time



being asked questions, responding, receiving feedback
meaningful engagement with learning tasks
high achievers > 85% of time; low achievers < 40% of time
Relevant curriculum
• skills, processes, content for now and the future taught and
assessed within the jurisdictional curiculum framework

Maximisation of student success

keeping within the frustrational levels of the student
© R Conway, 2012
Teacher behaviours found to
facilitate inclusive learning
expecting student differences within any one class
 having knowledge of a wide range of instructional
strategies and the know-how to match them to the
nature of the student
 varying the amount of instruction and practice with the
needs of the individual to provide activities at the
students’ levels
 being flexible with class routines
 continually assessing students’ levels of understanding
 making activities relevant and interesting to the learner

© R Conway, 2012
Teacher behaviours found to
facilitate inclusive learning
 Not the nature or severity of a student’s learning
needs
 Not the facilities or particular resources
associated with different school settings
What the teacher does is far more
important: having high expectations and
being positive will have the most positive
effect on student learning.
© R Conway, 2012
Some students
need additional
support to
ensure they
can fully
participate in
the inclusive
school
© R Conway, 2012