INCLUSIVE EDUCATION:

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

MELISSA TURTON
18511970

Assessment 1: Critical Reflection

Assessment 3: Applied Project

CONTENTS:

Assessment One: 1-2

Assessment One Appendices: 3
Assessment One Reference List: 4
Assessment Three: 5-13
Assessment Three Reference List: 14-15
18511970 102746: Assessment 1 & 3 Melissa Turton

Assessment One: Critical Reflection

Critically reflect on two of the three posts listed above and use them together with other
learnings from the unit to consider how you would demonstrate that you have met
Standards 1.5, 1.6 and 7.3.

Module 1 Discussion Post

Word Count: 173

Module 3 Discussion Post

Word Count: 126

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Throughout the diverse and challenging learning experiences provided in unit 102746, I
believe I have developed a thorough knowledge base that prepares me to adequately
create inclusive learning environments and in turn meet the relevant Australian
Professional Teaching Standards 1.5, 1.6 and 7.3. Reflecting on discussion post one
and three, while my initial interpretation of inclusive education was sound, I believe
there were gaps in my knowledge on how to sufficiently implement my theoretical
knowledge into the classroom context. The ability to define, explain and evaluate the
importance of inclusive education in these two discussion posts demonstrates a
developing adequacy in meeting standards 1.5, 1.6 and 7.3, but deeper engagement
with online lectures, academic publications and case studies were required to be able to
formulate strategies for implementation.

The depth of my understanding transformed during the study of module six and seven
which focused on the creation of a supportive learning environment and the
implementation of diverse teaching and learning strategies. Specific engagement with
academic readings by Cologon & Lassig (2020) and Swancutt et al. (2020) extended my
knowledge beyond the surface level depicted in discussion posts one and three,
allowing for a greater sufficiency in meetings standards 1.5, 1.6 and 7.3. These
readings, in accordance with tutorial activities, taught me both key concepts, such as
Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and skills required to apply my theoretical
knowledge into the creation “of reasonable adjustments so that all students have the
opportunity to become active and engaged learners” (Swancutt et al., 2020, p. 329). My
discussion post submissions for week six (Appendix 1) and seven (Appendix 2)
demonstrate this progression in understanding by detailing what measures must be
taken to ensure supportive, equitable and inclusive learning in my classroom. Post six
also indicates an understanding of the importance of a family-centred approach to
inclusive education where families and other key stakeholders are included in decision
making through authentic, empathetic and consistent communication. Thus, this critical
reflection emphasises my ability to meet standards 1.5, 1.6 and 7.3 only through a
continued engagement and participation with the learnings provided in this unit.
Overall Word Count: 649

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Module Discussion Post Six

Appendix 2: Module Discussion Post Seven

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References

Cologon, K., & Lassig, C. (2020). Universal approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and
assessment. In L. Graham (Ed.), Inclusive education for the 21st century:
Theory, policy and practice (pp. 178-207). Allen & Unwin.

Foreman, P. (2017). Introducing inclusion in education. In P. Foreman, P. & M. Arthur-

Kelly (Ed.). Inclusion in Action (5th ed., pp. 502-85). Cengage.

Graham, L.J., Medhurst, M., Tancredi, H., Spandagou, I., & Walton, E. (2020).
Fundamental concepts of inclusive education. In L.J. Graham. (Ed.), Inclusive
education for 21st century: Theory, policy and practice (pp.26-54). Allen & Unwin.

Swancutt, L., Meddhurst, M., Poed, S., & Walker, P. (2020). Making adjustments to
curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. In L. Graham (Ed.), Inclusive education
for the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice (pp. 329-389). Allen & Unwin.

World Conference on Special Needs Education. (1994). The Salamanca Statement and
Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. UNESCO. Retrieved from
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000098427

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Assessment Three: Applied Project

Introduction: Student Profile

Referencing the student file provided to the school by Tom’s mother Cassie, Tom is a
year 7 student transitioning into high school in 2020. Previously, Tom attended school
part-time two hours a day before transitioning to home-schooling from Year 3 to Year 6.
Tom has ‘prodigious’ intellect and memory recall, scoring 131 on the Full-Scale
Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) which indicates his high cognitive capacity for verbal
comprehension, perceptual reasoning and visual-spatial processing (Koriakin et al.,
2013). Tom has a vast array of interests, some of which include World War Two,
Minecraft, Manga, Anime and Airpunk/Steampunk. Tom is also very creative and strives
in expressing himself artistically, although hasn’t often been given the opportunity to do
so.

Tom’s file also details his diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which is a
wide-ranging neurodevelopmental disability that is typically characterised by significant
challenges in communication, behaviour and social development (Farell, 2019; Lindsay
et al., 2013). Tom experiences social anxieties and phobias that arise from sensory
triggers, like that of the school playground, as well as a substantial aversion to risk that
often prohibits him from attempting work that he believes he will fail. Tom was also
diagnosed with Clinical Depression in kindergarten, which in accordance with his ASD,
led to a swift decline in his reading ability that remains an issue, in present years. Tom
has a team of private professionals including a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist and
occupational therapist, in addition to teacher aide support in early schooling years.
Tom’s family explains their preference towards a strength- and interest-based approach
to learning where a dually differentiated and relevant curriculum is the focus of his
learning (Galloway et al., 2020). Cassie further highlights the family’s perspective on
ASD as a core element of their identity which they embrace, therefore requesting that
Tom’s diagnosis is openly discussed rather than hidden from his teachers and peers.

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Supportive and Inclusive Learning Environment

To ensure students with disabilities are able to participate in all classroom routines,
structures and activities, educators must ensure the development of a supportive and
inclusive learning environment (De La Cruz, 2020). A supportive learning environment
requires the establishment of not only quality communication with key stakeholders and
an appropriate physical space, but also inclusive pedagogical and behavioural
approaches that cater to all students.

All students, but particularly those with ASD, are assured a supportive and inclusive
learning environment through positive and meaningful communication with key
stakeholders. Literature suggests that in the case of students with ASD, “certain skills
may be context-specific” (Shultz et al., 2016, p.344) and therefore support is only
assured through the involvement of parents and professionals that can provide insights
into specific behaviours. With Tom’s mother specifically requesting that family and
professional expertise are taken into account, strong communication will be a key
feature of the learning environment. Moreover, the physical classroom will ensure
inclusivity by removing sensory triggers that create learning barriers for Tom. By
organising physical resources, minimising overwhelming artwork and implementing a
seating plan for spatial regularity, the classroom environment will remain distraction-free
and predictable; two essential elements of support for students with ASD (Martin, 2014).

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching and learning framework that will
ensure inclusive learning opportunities for not only Tom but all students. As a “flexible
and responsive strengths-based approach to teaching” (Cologan & Lassig, 2020,
p.245), UDL removes barriers to learning by embedding multiple means of
representation, expression and engagement across pedagogy, curriculum and
assessment. To create an inclusive classroom for Tim, UDL should be utilised to cater
to his strengths such as providing visual or auditory representation of information,
providing opportunities for artistic expression of knowledge and optimising choice and
relevance of learning to increase engagement.

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Due to Tom’s ASD diagnosis and the challenging behavioural context of the class, the
behavioural theory of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) will be systematically
implemented to ensure the development and maintenance of a supportive and inclusive
learning environment. Rather than taking a narrow approach to behaviour, PBS instead
takes a person-centred approach where challenging behaviour is understood based on
an individual student's circumstances and environment (Costley et al., 2012). PBS will
specifically aid Tom as it recommends a strength-based approach, understands the
complex deficits of ASD and in turn avoids “blaming the student for what may be an
expression of his/her impairment” (Costley et al., 2012, p.54).

Teaching Plan

Informed by this assessment of Tom’s learning, an example of Tom’s personalised

teaching plan can be identified in the following lesson plans which implement UDL to
ensure an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students. Tom’s
SMARTER outcome has been formulated in response to his family’s learning
preferences which include a focus on developing Tom’s strengths and interests while
also addressing relevant challenges as a student on the spectrum. With these
preferences in mind, Tom’s SMARTER outcome focuses on developing his skills in
communication and social interaction through collaboration in a group project. His
strengths and interests are a focus through the implementation of UDL principles, which
can be identified through the colour-coding system shown below. Teaching notes are
attached to each lesson to justify the implementation of each principle.

Colour-coding:
Multiple Means of Representation
Multiple Means of Expression
Multiple Means of Engagement

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Lesson No: 1 / 2 Subject/Topic: Stage 4 History/ Transportation

Lesson(s) Outcome: Students will identify and describe different transportation devices throughout history.

SMARTER Outcome: By the end of the week, Tom will collaborate with 2-3 peers in a group project.
Tom must listen to his peers, pose questions and provide ideas during the 30-minute collaboration process.

Time Teaching and Learning Activities Teaching Notes

0-5 Students are to enter the classroom quietly and sit in Tom is provided means of
minutes seating plan allocations. engagement in the lesson through
the quiet entry, seating plan and
Teacher to mark the class roll. dictated lesson outline which
removes/minimises threats and
Teacher to dictate learning intentions to familiarise class distractions in the learning
with the plan for the lesson and to remove any environment.
unpredictability in the learning experience.

Teacher’s aide made available for Tom.

5-15 Teacher to conduct a prior-knowledge survey. Tom’s interests are used to engage
minutes To gather students’ prior knowledge on inventions of him in the learning activities.
transportation throughout history, students engage in a
mind mapping activity on the whiteboard where they Tom’s strength in visual-spatial
brainstorm as many transportation devices as they can. intellect is catered to through the
- Students are permitted to share their prior inclusion of multiple means of
knowledge in visual form through expression in the prior knowledge
illustrations/symbols on the whiteboard. activity.

Once students have contributed their responses to the Multiple means of representation
mind-map, teachers will verbally recite and discuss are provided during the mind-
responses with the class to consolidate understanding. mapping activity for low-literacy
students like Tom who benefit from
Students to take note of any transportation devices they auditory learning.
didn’t recognise for future reference.

15-40 Teacher to provide explicit explanation of transportation Tom’s visual-spatial cognitive

minutes inventions throughout history through PowerPoint strengths are catered to through the
presentation. multiple means of representation
- Presentation is inclusive of images, symbols and provided in the PowerPoint
embedded videos for differentiated presentation.
representation of content.
- Text-to-speech variations of presentation
available to students on personal devices.

Students are to answer questions on a worksheet Tom is provided flexible working

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provided in response to the PowerPoint presentation. options in the classroom so as to

- Students are provided a choice to join one of cater to his sensory triggers and
three groups to complete a worksheet; social anxieties.
independently, collaboratively with peers or in a
focus group with the teacher.

Monitor Tom’s inclination for independent or group work

through observation.

40-60 Students to create a timeline featuring the transportation Task instructions are provided
minutes inventions they learnt about in the presentation. through multiple means of
Through written and aural instruction, the teacher representation to ensure clarity in
explains the requirements of the task. The timeline must comprehension for Tom and other
be organised chronologically and include all students.
transportation devices studied and the date they were
invented. Tom is provided flexible working
- Students provided choice in how they wish to options in the classroom so as to
produce and present their timeline. Students are cater to his sensory triggers and
also given autonomy to decide to undertake the social anxieties.
task independently or in pairs.
- Methods of response can vary depending on the Through the multiple means of
students’ strengths; e.g., students can create a expression in this task, Tom is
written timeline while others can create an provided with opportunities to
illustrated timeline. exercise his artistic capabilities to
demonstrate comprehension.
Teacher to provide verbal and written feedback on
timeline task to measure sufficiency in meeting lesson
goals/outcomes.

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Lesson No: 2 / 2 Subject/Topic: Stage 4 History/ Transportation

Lesson Outcome: Students will evaluate the importance of different transportation devices throughout
history.

Tom’s SMARTER Outcome: By the end of the week, Tom will collaborate with 2-3 peers in a group project.
Tom must listen to his peers, pose questions and provide ideas during the 30-minute collaboration process.

Time Teaching and Learning Activities Teaching Notes

0-10 Students are to enter the classroom quietly and sit in seating Tom is provided means of
minutes plan allocations. engagement in the lesson
through the quiet entry,
Teacher to mark the class roll. seating plan and dictated
lesson outline which
Teacher to dictate learning intentions to familiarise class with /minimises threats and
the plan for the lesson and to remove any unpredictability in the distractions in the learning
learning experience. environment.

Teacher to assign students to groups of 3-4 for a group project. Tom is also provided notice
Groups are assigned through careful consideration so as to of social interactions with
group students of similar strengths/interests. peers to heighten
engagement and minimise
Teacher’s aide made available for Tom. threats.

10-20 Teacher to provide summary/recap of previous lesson’s Tom provided access to

minutes exploration of transportation devices through time. content summary through
- Teacher to provide summary through informative use of multimodal video that
multimodal video which provides visual, written and ensures multiple means of
auditory representations of content. representation.

20-50 Students are to form their pre-assigned groups and undertake Groups to be pre-assigned
minutes group transportation project for 30 minutes. so as to allocate like-minded
Through written and aural instruction, the teacher explains the students together which will
requirements of the project. increase Tom’s engagement
- Collaboratively, students pick a transportation device of with collaboration.
their choice from those studied in the previous lesson
and make a case for its importance as a transportation Task instructions are
invention. provided through multiple
- Groups are permitted to work in library/study rooms for means of representation to
quiet, distraction-free collaboration. ensure clarity in
- Groups permitted to choose medium of expression for comprehension for Tom and
project; e.g., speech, poster, video, written response, other students.
etc.
Students are provided
Observation methods will be utilised to measure collaboration multiple means of
between peers in group project. Active feedback to be provided engagement with the project
during observation. Notes recorded for reference to Tom’s through freedom in choice of

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stakeholders. transportation device.

50-60 Each group presents their project to the rest of the class.
minutes - Groups permitted to choose medium of expression for
presentation of project. Students provided appropriate
props/tools required to assist in the presentation.
- Group members given freedom to decide who within the
group will present what part of the project.

Students conduct peer-evaluations of each other’s projects.

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Plan for Collaboration and Continuity

To ensure success and continuity in Tom’s transition into high school and in the
implementation of Tom’s educational teaching plan, there must be purposeful, authentic and
detailed collaboration between teachers and relevant stakeholders (Shultz et al., 2016;
Conway, 2017). The plan for collaboration and continuity will include:

1. To ensure consistency across the educational setting, Tom’s teachers will communicate
weekly to ensure alignment within his educational plan. Through either email or on-site
meeting, Tom’s teaching team will communicate regularly to exchange data on Tom’s
progression, share any alarming observations and update on effective practices or
strategies utilised to support his learning (Tucker & Shwartz, 2013; Farrell, 2019). As
regularity and consistency is essential for students with ASD, communication deficits
between teaching teams proves detrimental to the successful transition and
maintenance of these students in secondary learning environments (Conway, 2017).

2. The teacher’s aide assigned to Tom’s inclusive teaching plan will receive updates on
Tom’s learning goals at the beginning of every week. Ensuring continuity in
understanding between the educator, family, medical professionals and room aides is
essential to achieve a successful and positive outcome for Tom. With evidence
consistently demonstrating the challenges of supporting students with ASD in the
classroom, it is vital that there is clear communication between all relevant stakeholders
to ensure educators are confident in their knowledge of the students personalised
needs (Lindsay et al., 2013).

3. To maintain positive communication and collaboration with Tom’s family, weekly emails
will be distributed to update on Tom’s progress in meeting mutually agreed upon
learning goals and outcomes. These emails will be forwarded to Tom’s psychiatrist,
clinical psychologist and occupational therapist to ensure the professional team remains
updated on Tom’s progression. Collaborating with families and professional teams
ensures that educators are informed of the “breadth of practice other professionals are
able to offer and therefore what supports are available” (Trancredi, 2020, p. 558). These

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interactions can result in the consideration of new methods or pedagogical approaches

that will enhance inclusivity and student experience in the classroom.

Final Word Count: 2209 (minus headings and reference list)

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References

Conway, R. (2017). Accommodating transitions across the years. In M. Hyde, L.

Carpenter & S. Dole (Eds.), Diversity, inclusion and engagement (3rd ed., pp.410
- 436). Oxford University Press.

Costley, D., Clark, T., Keane, E., & Lane, K. (2012). A Practical Guide for Teachers of
Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in Secondary Education. Jessica
Kingsley Publishers.

De La Cruz, R.V. (2020). Exploring the Real-Life Experiences of Regular Teachers

Handling Children with Autism in Inclusive Setting. The Educational Review 4(7),
135-149. http://doi.org/10.26855/er.2020.07.001

Farrell, A. (2019). A Spectrum of Inclusion: Strategies for Students with ASD. Agora,
54(2), 40-43.

Galloway, R., Reynolds, B., & Williamson, J. (2020). Strengths-based teaching and
learning approaches for children: Perceptions and practices. Journal of
Pedagogical Research, 4(1), 31-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2020058178

Koriakin, T., McCurdy, M., Papazoglou, A., Pritchard, A.E., Zabel, A., Mahone, E.M., &
Jacobson, L. (2013). Classification of intellectual disability using the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children: Full Scale IQ or General Abilities Index?. Dev
Med Child Neurol, 55(9), 840-845. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12201

Lindsay, S., Proulx, M., Thomson, N., & Scott, H. (2013). Educators’ Challenges of
Including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mainstream Classrooms.
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 60(4), 347-362.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2013.846470

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Martin, C. (2014). Exploring the impact of the design of the physical classroom
environment on young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Journal of
Research in Special Needs Education 16(4), 280-298.
https://doi.org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/10.1111/1471-3802.12092

Schultz, T.R., Able, H., Sreckovic, M.A., & White, T. (2016). Parent-Teacher
Collaboration: Teacher Perceptions of What is Needed to Support Students with
ASD in Inclusive Classroom. Education and Training in Autism and
Developmental Disabilities, 51(4), 344-354.

Tancredi, H., Dixon, G., English, L., & Gallagher, J. (2020). Collaborating with
colleagues and other professionals. In L. Graham (Ed.), Inclusive education for
the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice (pp. 552-587). Allen & Unwin.

Tucker, V. & Shwartz, I. (2013). Parents’ Perspectives of Collaboration with School

Professionals: Barriers and Facilitators to Successful Partnerships in Planning for
Students with ASD. School Mental Health 5(1), 3-14.
http://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9102-0

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