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Differentiation in the Inclusive Classroom

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Inclusive Education

The words matter here. Most classrooms that call themselves inclusive are actually integrating, and the difference is not semantic.

The Definition

What inclusive education actually means

Tap each category to see what it looks like in a primary classroom.

Inclusive education is an approach to teaching and learning that ensures all students, regardless of their abilities, disabilities, socioeconomic status, cultural background or other individual differences, are provided equitable opportunities to participate in and benefit from high-quality education in the same classroom and learning environment.

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Abilities
Ability is rarely even across subjects. The same child can be reading two years ahead and struggling to hold a pencil.
In the classroom: A child who is quick at mental maths may not be able to explain their reasoning on paper.
Three Words, Three Very Different Classrooms

Inclusion is not integration

Tap each card.

These three get used as though they mean the same thing. They do not, and the difference is the whole reason this workshop exists.

Differentiation is what "the room has changed" actually looks like in practice. It is the difference between a child sitting in your class and a child learning in it.

Equity and Equality

They are not the same thing

Equality means giving every child the same thing. The same task, the same time, the same resources, the same support, regardless of what each one arrives with.

Equity means giving every child what they need in order to reach the same place. Different amounts, different tools, different levels of support, all pointing at the same destination.

The difference is not the goal. The goal is identical in both. The difference is whether you adjust what you provide to account for what each child brings with them.

Fair does not mean identical. Fair means every child gets what they need to reach the same objective. You will need this sentence, because "it is not fair on the others" is the objection you will hear most often.

Knowledge Check

Name what you are looking at

Take It Away
Think of a child in your class who is present but not really included. What is happening for them?
Where in your practice are you giving equally rather than equitably?
What is one thing about your room that has not changed to fit the children in it?

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