2.1 Inclusive teaching in context
Historically, the notion of inclusive teaching has referred to the teaching practices designed to include students with cognitive or physical impairments, which may result in learning difficulties (Department of Education and Science, 1978). However, this conception of inclusive teaching has since been revised to additional socio-demographic factors that may act as barriers to entry within a learning context (Ainscow, 1999). According to this understanding, the aim of inclusive teaching should be to “increas[e] the participation of pupils in, and reduc[e] their exclusion from, the cultures, curricula and communities of their local schools” (Ainscow, 1999:218). To do so, learning interventions need to take place at the level of the environment (institutions and teachers) rather than the individual students (Hockings, 2010:1-2).
This view has implications on traditional views of diversity, in which the term referred to minority gender and ethnic groups. This definition of diversity accounts for:
- Students of various ages;
- Students from various economic, cultural, and social backgrounds;
- Students of different ethnicities;
- Students of different physical abilities (able-bodied or non);
- Students of various faiths;
- Students with different gender identities and sexual orientations;
- Part-time and full-time students; and
- Students with varying qualifications and experience (work and life).
(Hockings, 2010:2)
As a teacher, being inclusive means actively acknowledging students, being mindful of their rights and academic needs, and adequately supporting them on their academic journeys, regardless of their backgrounds (Hockings, 2010:2). Ultimately, the underlying premises of inclusive teaching are equality and fairness (Hockings, 2010:3). It is your responsibility as a teacher to see that these premises are met.
Pause and reflect:
Although it is necessary to be aware of how students differ, and the characteristics with which they associate themselves, it is even more pertinent to understand that these characteristics only offer you one view of a student’s identity. Students may not view these characteristics as identifiers, but as being part of their identity. (Hockings, 2010:3).
Choose three of the following identities that you are most aware of and define you in daily life: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, first language, physical, emotional, or developmental ability, religion or spirituality, education, class background, occupation, family status, citizenship, and other. When you enter a class you are teaching for the first time, which of these categories are you most aware of with regards to your students? When your students meet you for the first time, what do you think they see first when you introduce yourself?
Section 3 examines how to apply inclusive teaching strategies within your learning context by exploring the universal design for learning (UDL) framework in detail. However, at this point, it is worth discussing the impact and implications of inclusive teaching on student engagement, motivation, and academic performance.