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KEYNOTE ADDRESSES ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION |
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INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: Rediscovering Our Right to Belong In a fast paced and challenging presentation, Norman Kunc maintains that inclusive education is not simply something we "do" to students with disabilities, but involves a school making an intentional commitment to build and maintain a sense of belonging for all students and adults in the school. He maintains that our current emphasis on achievement, tracking, and segregation leads most, if not all students to see their membership in school and their "sense of belonging" as something which must be earned. A central tenet of inclusive education is that belonging is an inherent need of all people and must not be reserved solely for the "best of us." Learning to value and work with a diversity of people is the first step in building an education system which fosters a sense of belonging among students and staff. Inclusive education may prove to be a vital catalyst in this process.  |
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NEW STUDENTS; NEW QUESTIONS: Supporting the Classroom Teacher in an Inclusive School As an increasing number of students with disabilities are being included into regular classes, there is growing consensus among teachers about what supports need to be in place for inclusion to be manageable and successful. Based on personal experience and the input of classroom teachers throughout North America, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift examine five areas of support which need to be present if teachers are to welcome students with disabilities into their classrooms: - Information - Collaborative Planning - Shared Agreement on Goals and Expectations - Classroom and School Based Supports - Classroom Assistants This session also addresses the question of fair and appropriate evaluation and briefly describes some ideas for supporting students with atypical or disruptive behaviour. |