Module 3.

2
PRODUCING
INCLUSIVE
POLICIES
 As reiterated in the previous chapters,
the premise of inclusion starts with an
acceptance and embracing of diversity. It
is difficult to start movement if this
practice is not rooted on a culture that
assumes the right perspectives and
values. For simultaneous paradigm
shifts to happen among its education
stakeholders, schools must first create a
new culture.
 UNESCO (2005) realistically acknowledges that
a societal change in attitude need not be initially
present in a community before inclusion can be
fully practiced. Rather, it must be viewed as a
perspective or an ideal to work toward. Without
this realization, differences in standards and
quality of education may surface as potential
problems. Just very recently, the pre-service
education curriculum was restricted so that
special needs education units are not only given
to special needs education majors but to other
education majors as well.
 The following is a list of other possible steps
that educators can take to facilitate the much-
needed societal shift and inform policy:
Involve other sectors of society. Current
training and awareness campaigns seem to
limit the movement of inclusion to a mere
home-school relationship. At most, these are
extended to the departments for social
welfare and health. However, for an inclusive
set-up to truly be successful, active
involvement of the entire community must be
ensured.
Collaborate. Whether creating an
academic program specific to a child
with additional needs or creating a new
legislative bill for the PWD community,
collaboration is crucial. Each member
of the inclusive education team would
have their own strengths and
weaknesses and these have to used
wisely to benefit the child with
additional needs.
Recognize the shift in roles of the
teachers. With the shift to inclusive
education, the role of special education
(SPED) teachers suddenly seems to be
reduced to only “ as needed.” As a result, the
SPED teacher’s role no longer becomes that
of an implementer but that of a consultative
nature instead. It also becomes the
responsibility of the general education
teacher to know what to do when faced with
a learner with additional needs in his or her
classroom.
Include transitions in planning. An
abrupt systemic change that is not
well-planned or that disregards
practices – whether existing or implied
– may hinder the shift to inclusion and
cause resentment from all
stakeholders. Instead, current
practices have to be respected and
honored so as to facilitate shift to
inclusive education.
 A move that would greatly help in informing policy
would be examine different aspects of the school and
the delivery of its services. Specifically, schools may
look at the following:
• Student admissions
• Accessibility to utilities and facilities
• Supports available to students, parents, and school
personnel
• Learner accommodations
• Exclusionary or discriminatory incidents
• Number of bullying cases
• Faculty and staff promotions
EVOLVING
INCLUSIVE
PRACTICES
 Evolving inclusive practices is
the third dimension to Booth and
Ainscow’s framework for schools
(2002), where administrator
must first try to create an
inclusive culture among its
stakeholders, then build better,
more all-encompassing policies.
 Two effective evidence-
based inclusive practices
that can be used in the
classroom are Universal
Design for Learning (UDL)
and Differentiated
Instruction.
1.Universal Design
for Learning
 Such is the mechanics of a Universal Design
for Learning (UDL) approach to instruction.
UDL refers to the design of instructional
materials and activities to make the content
information accessible to all children (Rose&
Meyer 2006) as cited in Turnbell et al. 2013).
It is best used in a general education
classroom where learners are different.
Through the provision of delivering content
and allowing student to construct learning in
more than one way, UDL ensures that all
students learn genuinely.
There are three elements of
UDL:
1. Multiple means of
representation
2. Multiple means of action and
expression
3. Multiple means of engagement
 In UDL, teachers are supposed to present
information and materials in many different
ways, taking into consideration that some
students may have not fully absorbed the
lesson the first time it was presented. The
concept of multiple means of representation is
meant to ensure that all students are able to
access and understand learning material. After
this, teachers allow students to express what
they learned in various ways, and finally, the
teacher uses different techniques to reinforce
learning at the students’ optimal levels.
2. Differentiated
Instruction
 According to Tomlinson (2010), differentiated (or
differentiating) instruction is a teacher’s response to
students’ varying needs, interests, and learning
styles. “It refers to a systematic approach to
planning curriculum and instruction for
academically diverse learners. It is a way of
thinking about the classroom with the dual goals of
honoring each student’s learning needs and
maximizing student’s learning capacity.” When
teachers differentiate instruction, they use a variety
of teaching and learning strategies that are
necessary to meet the diverse needs of students in
any class (Friend & Bursuck 2009)
 Why
Differentiate
Instruction
 All learners are unique and have varying
interests, talents, strengths, as well as needs.
Hence, it is essential that teaching and learning
experiences reflect this diversity. To ensure
engaged, successful, and flourishing learners,
teaching and learning experiences need to be
designed in a way that provide opportunities for
students to learn and demonstrate their
understanding in varied ways. Thus, Differentiating
Instruction (DI) helps ensure that learners are
engaged in respectful tasks and provide diverse
means of learning that reflect their strengths and
address their needs simultaneously.
 How is
Instruction
Differentiated
 Bender in 2002 (as cited by Gentry
et al. 2013) identified elements of the
curriculum that can be differentiated:
(1) content, (2) process, (3) product,
and (4) learning environment in
response to the students’
characteristics: interests readiness,
and learning profile. As an overview,
differentiation is achieved by
providing materials and tasks.
a. at varied levels of difficulty;
b. with varying levels of
instructional support;
c. by using multiple grouping
arrangement;
d. that involve student choice ;
and
e. use varied evaluation strategies.
 As teachers, you must know your curriculum.
You are suggested to revisit or identity which are
non-negotiable and negotiable learning objectives
and tasks. You are also expected to know your
students’ interests, readiness level (based on
diagnostic data), and learning styles/profile
(strengths and needs). You may create a class
profile to provide an overview of the class’s
characteristics and needs. Next, you have to
identify and plan what and how to differentiate
your material. The goal is to start small and take
simple steps toward differentiating instruction.
 How is the
Classroom Managed
During
Differentiated
Learning?
 Structure the classroom by establishing routines
during differentiated learning activities.
1. Explain to the students the reason for
differentiation. Make sure this is understood by
all.
2. Use “anchor activities” which students can
automatically work on when completing assigned
tasks to maintain a productive work environment
and maximize instructional time. Examples of
anchor activities are: reading a chosen book (e.g.,
for book report), journal writing based on a
prompt, skills practice (spelling, math), use of
man manipulative objects, etc.
3. Assign roles during small-group
activities/instruction to ensure accountability
and a positive learning environment. These are
suggested group roles, but older learners and
their teachers may decide on other roles. Learners
should have the opportunity to assume each of
the roles.
a. Facilitator
b. Recorder
c. Summarizer/Timekeeper
d. Presenter
e. Errand monitor
4. Implement routines for
collaborative work.
a. Establish working
groups (by interest
by readiness, etc.)
b. Have a plan for
“quick finishers”
c. Have a plan for
when to ask for
help (role of the
errand monitor).
ACTIVITY 2.5
 What is differentiation?
How different are
accommodations from
modifications? When
should we accommodate
and when do we modify?