Inclusion in education is more than including students with special needs into the mainstream classroom, but rather has expanded to mean the inclusion of all students and recognizing their unique selves - including culture, background, experiences, learning styles, and differences. Inclusion in education makes it imperative to use unbiased resources and meet students
With this in mind it is imperative to create an inclusive classroom and to use inclusive teaching materials. An inclusive classroom climate refers to an environment where all students feel supported intellectually and academically, and are extended a sense of belonging in the classroom regardless of identity, learning preferences, or cultural background.
An inclusive classroom climate requires teachers explore diverse readings, lessons and social examples that engage with often-marginalized experiences. Remain attuned to contemporary political and social issues, and provide opportunities for students to share their thoughts and perspectives from all sides, with respect and with age appropriateness in mind.
An inclusive resource engages all students and allows all groups of students to see themselves within the material. In your teaching and resources, use varied examples that include multicultural examples, visuals and materials. Include multiple perspectives in class discussion and assignments whenever possible. If including course material or examples that place a group in the position of an oppressed victim, instructors should be sure to provide examples of empowerment for balance. Other ways to involve multiple perspectives include playing devil’s advocate, engaging in a debate about the possible interpretations of a text, and assigning the work of relevant minority scholars.
Consider these two questions from the University of Michigan article Creative Inclusive Classrooms - retrieved 12.7.2020 from https://crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p3_1.
Whose voices, perspectives, and scholarship are being represented?
Include multiple perspectives on each topic of the course rather than focusing solely on a single perspective. For example, if the topic is "The Great Depression in the USA" the content should not focus solely on the experiences of European Americans. Americans of African and Asian descent, American Indians, Mexicans, etc. had experiences and views that should be acknowledged. It would also be important to include the experiences and views of people with different socio-economic statuses in this example.
Include, as much as possible, materials written or created by people of different backgrounds and/or perspectives. If all the authors or creators of materials in a course are male (or female), white (or another group), liberal (or conservative), etc., instructors will be sending a message about the voices that are valued and will be devaluing the scholarship of others who have written or created materials on the topic. (This guideline should be altered appropriately in courses where the focus of the course is to better understand a particular perspective or world view. Even these courses, however, should be attentive to the range of possible voices on a given topic.) On a related note, it is important to include works authored by members of the group that the class is discussing. For example, if the course deals with topics related to Muslims or Islam and the syllabus does not include materials written by Muslim authors, the message sent to students may be that you devalue the contributions of and scholarship produced by Muslims.
Resources that are inclusive and fit the inclusive framework include:
Early Finishers for December, Winter, ELA, Math, Puzzles, Christmas, Hanukkah
FREE: Chadwick Boseman Informational Text Unit Hybrid, Distance and Packet
FREE: Chadwick Boseman Informational Text Unit GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION
Kamala Harris Informational Text Unit
Kamala Harris Informational Text Unit GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION
Tulsa Race Riots - At Level and High Low - Informational Text Unit
Tulsa Race Riots - At Level & High Low Informational Text Unit GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION
Frederick Douglas - At Level & High-Low Informational Text Unit
Frederick Douglas - At Level & High-Low informational Text Unit GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION
Marvel Universe High Low Informational Text Unit for Grades 5-12
TikTok Famous Informational Text Unit for Grades 5-12
Villains and Monsters: Informational Text Reader: CCSS: High Interest Low Level
Bundle: Native American Reading Comprehension, Text Structures, Readers Theater+
GOOGLE SLIDE RESOURCES
Marvel High Low Informational Text Unit for Grades 5-12
Tuskegee Airmen - High Interest Low Level Information Text Unit
Maya Angelou High Low Informational Text Unit
GOOGLE Maya Angelou High Low Informational Text Unit
GOOGLE SLIDES: TikTok Famous: High Interest Low Level Informational Text Unit CCSS Activities
EASEL EDITION: TikTok Famous: High Interest Low Level Informational Text Unitt Activities
Villains and Monsters: Informational Text Unit High Interest Low Level GOOGLE
And the list keeps growing.
Exclusive Learning Resources Checklist
Handout on designing an inclusive classroom.
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M. & Lovett, M.C. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Armstrong, M.A. (2011). Small world: Crafting an inclusive classroom (no matter what you teach). Thought and Action, Fall, 51-61.
Creating Inclusive College Classrooms - UMichigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge.
Kaplan, M. & Miller, A. T. (Eds.). (2007). Special Issue: Scholarship of multicultural teaching and learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, (111).
Salazar, M., Norton, A., & Tuitt, F. (2009). Weaving promising practices for inclusive excellence into the higher education classroom. In L.B. Nilson and J.E. Miller (Eds.) To improve the academy. (pp. 208-226). Jossey-Bass.
Tanner KD. (2013). Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity. CBE–Life Sciences Education, 12: 322-331.
University of Virginia. Center for Teaching Excellence. Teaching a Diverse Student Body: Practical Strategies for Enhancing our Students’ Learning.
Watson L et al. (2002). How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy. Stylus.
Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti
Elizabeth Pinotti
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