«School for All»: Take on Online Course on How to Organize an Inclusive Environment Publication on NUS

Teachers instruct in diverse classes, and in terms of the legislation they are not necessarily inclusive. An inclusive environment is about comfortable learning for all students.

• How to create and maintain an inclusive learning environment?
• What tools, methods, and approaches will help teachers successfully instruct in diverse classes?
• How to interact efficiently with colleagues and parents?
• How to plan a lesson in an inclusive learning environment so that all students achieve learning results?

Answers to these questions are offered in a free online course on how to organize an inclusive learning environment «School for All». The course has been developed by the Learning Together project + EU project with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine together with the online education studio EdEra.

Besides practical recommendations, the course provides a detailed description of the inclusive education experience in Finland and child development case studies.

WHAT IS THE «SCHOOL FOR ALL» COURSE ABOUT AND WHO IS IT DESIGNED FOR?

The course is designed for teachers, education managers, teacher and child assistants, special education teachers, child counselors, students’ parents and psychologists.

Oksana Fedorenko, Methodologist of the Department of Preschool and Primary Education of the UIED, says that the course «School for All» will help teachers build a high-quality easy-to-access educational space for each student. In the course, the authors wanted to draw attention to a broader vision of inclusion in education.

«In a narrow sense, inclusion in education is often interpreted as the involvement of children with psychophysical development disorders in non-specialized institutions of general secondary education. In a broader sense, inclusion in education is a positive attitude to the diversity of students, appreciation and consideration of EACH student’s distinctions, creation of conditions for ensuring the right to education for each student,» says Oksana Fedorenko.

Therefore, in the title «School for All» we wanted to emphasize that inclusion is for all, says Natalia Sofiy, the First Deputy Director of the UIED. After all, all students need additional support – temporary or permanent.

According to Natalia, the course is based on training sessions held by Finnish experts for NUS trainers and ITTI representatives within the framework of Cluster 1 (of the Finland’s Learning Together project + EU project – ed.).

The course contains a lot of practical tips and exercises on how to establish cooperation between teachers and their assistants, work in small groups, and provide for cooperative learning.

«Everyone wins: the one who provides support (because when you explain, you yourself understand better), and the one who receives it. It is important to understand what kind of criteria should be used to form groups, what kind of indicators will help assess the performance, whether everyone is satisfied with the results of cooperation.»

Besides, the course contains examples of differentiation – differentiation of the content and ways to demonstrate results.

«Some students can choose to write an essay, others can create a collage or make a poem,» explains Natalia Sofiy.

Tetiana Kamenshchuk, Senior Researcher of the Ukrainian Research and Procedure Development Centre for Practical Psychology and Social Work, says that the course will also be useful for psychologists, special education teachers and child counselors.

«It introduces the Finnish inclusive education system, approaches and meanings of the term “inclusiveness”, the ways to implement it in kindergartens or schools. A notable emphasis is placed on key elements of building a school culture in supporting the student diversity.»

COURSE STRUCTURE

«The course can be divided into certain conceptual parts: information about what we mean by inclusion, why the school should be inclusive, and advice on approaches to learning. They will be useful for children of different ages, and teachers will be able to adapt the examples to their needs. For instance, differentiated instruction or cooperative learning is what is needed at any age,» says Natalia Sofiy.

The course includes videos with practical tips, apps with examples, exercises and a final exam. A forum is also open to support communication with participants. Upon

successful completion of the course, learners will receive a certificate for 30 academic hours.

The course consists of 9 modules:

• inclusive education concept;
• inclusion and children’s rights in Ukraine;
• inclusive learning environment;
• tools/methods for creating an inclusive learning environment (cooperative learning, co-teaching (teacher – assistant);
• efficient classroom management (classroom discipline, student support);
• strategies and methods to support students;
• mental health support skills;
• differentiated approaches to learning;
• school culture in student support.

EXAMPLES OF INSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Differentiated instruction: ‘Tic-tac-toe’ and RAFT

According to experts, the Finnish education system, which is analyzed in the course, has extensive experience in providing a systematic pedagogical support to learning.

At the first level, teachers are flexible in their approach to the educational process and use the principles of universal design in teaching even at the lesson planning stage. They get to know the child to find out their needs.

In the course, such support is presented using the examples of planning multi-level lessons or lessons based on a logframe for different stages of the lesson, the «Tic-tac-toe» method.

‘Tic-tac-toe’ allows students to choose what will be the result of their learning or how they will demonstrate it. This way children will understand what needs to be done to demonstrate their knowledge.

Just like in a traditional tic-tac-toe game, offer students a table with nine zones. All options must correspond to basic concepts or skills. And then there are several ways to apply the method:

• students choose three options that form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line;
• students select one activity result from each row or column, without creating a straight line;
• if you use the same field several times, students can choose the same zones. It is appropriate to set rules from time to time, such as not choosing what you chose last time, choosing a horizontal line for those who worked with a vertical line, etc.;
• you can create two or more versions of tic-tac-toe sets for different competence levels.

Another practice that helps differentiate lessons is RAFT. Each letter in the abbreviation has a specific meaning.

• R – Role
• A – Audience
• F – Format
• T – Topic

The task of students is therefore to create a text on behalf of a particular character, taking into account defined circumstances.

To use RAFT, you need to create a table: horizontally – 4 positions; vertically – 3 to 10 positions according to teacher’s preferences.

The columns indicate:

• the role that a student tries on (these can be either roles from a piece of work, which is studied, or social roles);
• the audience that he or she will address (again, it can be either based on a piece of work or suggested by the teacher);
• format of the work (written, oral, painting or drawing, creating a video, etc.);
• a topic to consider.

Teachers should also include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (the ones that include movement or practical actions) options, as well as analytical, creative, and practical tasks. They can also allow children to complete the product alone or in a group. Instructions are given at the beginning, then children are divided into pairs or groups.

Students are asked to select a line, and sometimes make a selection from each column. In other cases, the teacher may assign students a line corresponding to their level of competence. As a rule, RAFT can be completed in a relatively short period of time, it can be a class or homework assignment.

«Since the technique allows you to look at the same situation through the eyes of different people, it promotes better understanding with others. In addition, while working with RAFT, children learn to analyze possible actions in the proposed circumstances and improvise. They also have different conditions to show their qualities. Based on such examples, teachers can create differentiated lessons in their classes,» says Oksana Fedorenko.

Bingo game that will help determine what students have in common

Give your children the task of finding classmates who match the description on a game card. When making descriptions, take into account common interests, passions, hobbies, and preferences of students. You can use the names of their favorite sweets, movie characters, parents’ names, recreation areas, or even streets where children live.

Tetiana Kamenshchuk says that in an inclusive space, materials should be adapted to the level of child development.

«For example, objects for playing with peers are important components of the life of young children. For older children, environmental factors are closely linked to home and school, and for adolescents, they are gradually becoming more diverse in the context of community and society.»

Video materials

For primary school teachers, the course contains a selection of cartoons that will help them talk to their children about special educational needs and the essence of an inclusive environment. For example:

• Out of sight (here, the sound is deliberately amplified to demonstrate that people with visual impairments can hear much more clearly)

• The First Christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms4YxTkBGr4

Cooperative learning strategies

«Talk and Switch»

Students answer questions one after another or discuss a topic on a signal. Once the topic of discussion is determined, the first partner begins to answer questions or express his or her opinion. Meanwhile, the other partner listens carefully.

At the signal, the roles change. Then the second partner responds and the first one listens. When a change occurs, it is mandatory for the second partner to continue or complete the first speaker’s thought before presenting new ideas.

«Circle of Consent»

Students stand in a large circle, and then walk to the centre. They come as close as they agree with the statement made by one of the students or the teacher.

«Eight Squares»

This learning strategy is similar to a hidden object game. Students are given a piece of paper divided into eight squares. Each contains a piece of information that is to be found. Then students must go through the room, looking for classmates who can provide the necessary information, and add a relevant word in the corresponding square.

«Playing Flash Cards»

Students play in pairs using task cards. The game takes place in several rounds. At first, children have hints, but gradually their number decreases. Then they play without prompting.

«Lining up»

Students line up based on particular characteristics. These can be hypotheses, views, answer options, or certain assigned roles. Then children discuss the differences and find something in common with those who, according to the results of lining up, have different characteristics.

«Guests»

Students are divided into teams. The teacher calls the number. A child with this number moves to another team to share information. There can be two or three «guests».

«Team – Pair – Solo»

Students discuss tasks first in a team, then in pairs, and finally solve them on their own.

«Word Network»

Students write down the topic in the centre of the sheet. Then they draw or paste key concepts from the topic. If necessary, they add links with lines. Each team member chooses their own pen color so that they can evaluate their personal contributions and ensure everyone’s participation.

«Who am I»

Students try to identify the word, which is attached to their back. To do this, they move around the classroom and ask questions that include a «Yes» or «No» answer. You can ask up to three questions to one person from the class, or an unlimited number until the answer is «No». After that, students find new classmates for asking. When the child has guessed what word is on his or her back, he or she continues to help those who have not yet decided.

We remind you that you can take the online course «School for All» following this link.

This document was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.