Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

Let inclusion BLOOM As pressures mount on mainstream schools to support the needs of students with SEND, Professor Geoff Baker , Craig Lomas and Angela Scott outline the practical steps needed for a genuinely inclusive learning environment... A s the number of young people receiving diagnoses for additional needs has increased exponentially, mainstream schools have become increasingly diverse spaces. Due to lack of funding, students who might have once have been given spaces in a special school now instead find themselves needing to access mainstream settings. This can leave schools in the unenviable position of trying to meet needs that are beyond their capacity, while managing the expectations of families who believe that a diagnosis will immediately see their children start to receive an enhanced – and frequently unrealistic – level of support. That said, certain high impact strategies can go a long way towards making classrooms more inclusive spaces in which all students are more likely to flourish. Here, we want to highlight five evidence-based principles for inclusive teaching that class teachers can start employing to create those more inclusive spaces, along with practical examples of how they might be put into practice. 1. Adopt a flexible, reflectivemindset Even with the best prepared lessons, there’s no guarantee that they’ll yield the outcomes you’re seeking. The smallest variable can derail all that careful planning – the likelihood of which is only likely to increase when working with students who have additional needs. By developing a reflective professional mindset, however, such issues can come to be seen as opportunities for professional growth, rather than failures. This can be aided by implementing self-reflection processes and working with colleagues as part of a community of practice. A good self- reflection process will highlight any areas for development and existing positives, while simultaneously incorporating a range of different perspectives – be they from discussions with colleagues, or from engaging with the research around a particular issue. 2.Tailoryour approach Engage with your students to create a space for learning where everyone has a voice, all opinions are welcomed and considered, and all learners enjoy equal opportunities. In truly inclusive settings, that engagement will extend to the creation of meaningful relationships. This requires an authentic approach, and the tailoring of curriculum and pedagogical approaches to ensure relatability, so that students can discuss their opinions, interests and experiences in a more purposeful way. Gaining an understanding of your students’ cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and using this understanding to inform your teaching strategies and curriculum planning, can be a powerful tool when striving for inclusivity. Be sure to also moderate your language and use relatable examples when explaining abstract concepts, so that you’re relying less on students’ cultural capital. Inclusive classrooms should instil a sense of community; encouraging frequent collaborations and peer-to- peer interactions can help to build respect among differently able students from different backgrounds. Inclusive settings should seek to encourage empowerment and student agency, whereby learners become more actively involved in their own education, facilitated by teachers providing more opportunities for choice. 3.Use highvalue strategies Research into cognitive overload tends to focus on children and young people with SEN, and less on the cognitive overload of teachers and leaders – who, after all, are the engines of any inclusive learning environment. The brain capacity of the education workforce faces daily challenges from three types of cognitive load: intrinsic load , centring on subject matter; germane load , pertaining to the integration of new information; and extraneous load , which involves cognitive demands not related to learning. Teacher development aimed at promoting inclusion will often concentrate on the creation of learner-friendly “High impact strategies can goa longway towardsmaking classrooms inclusive spaces in whichall students canflourish” 46 teachwire.net/secondary