What Does An Inclusive Classroom Look Like?

Inclusion is a word you may hear often in many different contexts. But when it comes to a classroom, the word has a very specific definition. So what does an inclusive classroom look like?

Classrooms contain students with different backgrounds, skill levels, and needs. Creating an inclusive classroom means creating a place where students who have learning differences, and those who don’t, all learn together. These classrooms are welcoming and offer emotional, social, and academic support to all students.

If you’re wondering how to create an inclusive classroom environment or if the classroom your child is currently in can be considered inclusive, read on to find out more about the characteristics of an inclusive classroom and the benefits they offer.

How Is Inclusion Defined?
While the idea of an inclusive classroom may be new to some parents and students, it’s not a new concept for educators. For years, teachers have been putting inclusive classroom strategies to good use for the benefit of all students. But what does it mean for a classroom to be inclusive?

For many years, public education has sought to teach all students the same way, not taking into account differences they may have. Students with learning disabilities were often shuffled into special education classrooms separate from other students. However, this has changed thanks to inclusive classrooms, which are environments where a child can feel academically supported regardless of their educational background, their identity, or their learning differences.

What Is An Example Of An Inclusive Classroom?
Many people wonder how inclusive classrooms may differ from a more traditional classrooms. To help give you an idea of how they’re unique, here are some inclusive classroom examples:

• Desk arrangements – In some more traditional classrooms, desks are all separate and children sit on their own, but an inclusive classroom has desks grouped.
• Activities – In inclusive classrooms, activities can be easily adapted or modified to fit a child’s individual needs instead of working on their own separate curriculum.
• Support – Children with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms experience as little disruption as possible to their class program and routine. In the past, these children would have been pulled from their classes for support from specialists.
• Teachers – The lines are not as solid between specialist support and teachers in an inclusive classroom. The teacher in your child’s inclusive classroom is able and ready to identify the things a child is good at and where they need improvement; it’s not all in the hands of the specialists.

Benefits Of Inclusion In The Classroom
Now that you have a better grasp of what an inclusive classroom looks like, it’s vital to understand why they are beneficial to every student – not only those with learning differences.

Many studies have been done on this very topic, and they’ve shown that all students benefit from an inclusive classroom environment. In actuality, inclusive classrooms have been shown to have both positive short- and long-term benefits for every student who participates.

Aside from better attendance by kids with special needs, all students benefit by developing stronger reading and math skills. Children have been found to pursue higher education after high school if they were part of an inclusive classroom, too. Higher self-esteem and tolerance for those with differences are also benefits of inclusive classrooms.

A few other benefits that you may want to know about include:

• Tailored learning – Every single student learns in a different way, which is the basis for inclusive learning. In an inclusive classroom, teachers present strategies for learning that are helpful to all students and give them opportunities to learn in the way that is best for them. That means that education is tailored to each student in the classroom, not only those who may have learning differences.
• Differences aren’t a big deal – Children with learning differences may feel that being different is a bad thing. But differences are normalized and embraced in inclusive classrooms, which means that kids find things they have in common instead of letting what makes them different from each other stand out. Relationships are built and maintained on this basis, which means kids learn to care a lot less about how someone might be different from them.
• All students are supported – In many old-school classrooms, those with special needs are pulled from the classroom to receive services. But inclusive classrooms bring the specialists in, something that benefits all students. For example, a child who may not meet the legal threshold of eligibility for special education can still get some extra support in areas they may need informally in the classroom.
• Higher expectations – The state often sets the standards that children with learning differences have to reach legally, but those same students learn the same material as their classmates in an inclusive classroom. Often, this is a higher standard than what the state requires, which is a big benefit to the student.

How To Create An Inclusive Classroom
If you’re an educator wondering how to make your classroom more inclusive, or a parent who wants to broach this topic with your child’s teacher, here are a few strategies that can be used to create a more inclusive classroom:

• Create a climate in the classroom that is open and inclusive to everyone.
• Connect with students to build trust and a good rapport.
• Establish rules and make sure every student understands and follows them.
• Use more inclusive teaching strategies that play to the strengths of the children in the class.
• Create a sense of community in the classroom by using icebreakers.
• Listen to students and fully engage with them.

Inclusive learning is a powerful tool that can change a child’s life for the better. If it’s not already part of your school or your child’s classroom, see what you can do to push things in that direction for the benefit of everyone.

Featured image by Katerina Holmes on Pexels