Examine the Key Factors Influencing

Examine the key factors influencing inclusive teaching and learning Inclusive teaching means recognising, accommodating and meeting the learning needs of all students, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability or sexual orientation. This starts with acknowledging that students are members of diverse communities, have a range of individual learning needs, and deserve equal opportunity to access the learning experience. Applying inclusive learning is increasingly important in our diverse society and education should reflect, promote and facilitate this. For example, there are more and more disabled people entering education nowadays than there used to be: an inclusive environment must ensure that they are equally valued and accepted and that their efforts to learn are recognised and judged without bias. Traditional teaching holds that students with diverse needs be placed in the general education setting only once they can meet traditional academic expectations.Inclusive education, on the other hand, celebrate people’s diversity and brings all students together in one classroom, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all of them by encouraging and using their different backgrounds and knowledge to broaden the learning experience. In order to create an effective inclusive learning environment we must overcome barriers that might stop lea rners getting the best from their learning experience. Barriers to learning are problems or situations that  prevent learners from accessing programs,  going to class, concentrating and learning. Intrinsic barriers of learning are located within the learner, hence of an intrinsic nature, and can be physical, sensory, physiological or intellectual. For example not knowing, or not being comfortable with, the rest of the class could constitute a barrier. Icebreakers could be used in this instance to encourage learners to talk to us, to each other and to the group as a whole. Similarly climate setters can be used to promote learning related to session objectives; this is particularly important as people can be intimidated in a situation where they are asked to come up with ideas. Intrinsic barriers of learning are located within the learner, hence of an intrinsic nature, and can be physical, sensory, physiological or intellectual. For example not knowing, or not being comfortable with, the rest of the class could constitute a barrier. Icebreakers could be used in this instance to encourage learners to talk to us, to each other and to the group as a whole. Similarly climate setters can be used to promote learning related to session objectives; this is particularly important as people can be intimidated in a situation where they are asked to come up with ideas.Hence the tutor needs to create an environment where students feel comfortable to express themselves. Learners may also face extrinsic barriers, related to the environment they live, work and study in. Issues with family relationships, social support, employment and financial matters provide some such examples. It’s very important to motivate learners in order for them to get the most out of their classes. To motivate a learner we must first understand what motivates them and teach to their particular strengths and weaknesses.Sometimes we may have to match teaching approaches to their learning styles and provide support to those who need it. Other times we may have to use energizers to challenge the class or refocus learners’ attention, e. g. after a long period of concentration or after a break. Also, encouraging friendly competition could provide motivational challenges for all of them. Most of all, we need to give them constructive feedback to encourage personal improvement. One theory we can be refer to for motivational purposes is Maslow’s pyramid of needs.According to his pyramid we must feel that we are satisfied with our physiological needs before we can think of getting a roof. Having the feeling of being secure motivates us to seek love. Once we have accomplished the need for belongingness then we seek a better future which motivates us to set goals an d achieve something honourable in life. Once we have accomplished a settled life with love and respect, we might then look to reach our full potential. To ensure all students gain the most from their learning, consideration must be based on the particular learning style and objectives for each individual.An initial assessment of the students can be carried out for this purpose and then use a mixture of two or more styles and a range of different approaches to meet the needs of individuals and groups. Typical teaching methods fall into three categories: * Teacher-led: this is where the tutor transmits ideas, information and skills via lectures or presentations; * Participative: this involves interaction which allows knowledge and experience to be shared between the teacher and the learners; * Learner centred: this is where learners explore and discover by themselves, either on their own or in small collaborative groups.Benjamin Bloom provided the theory of Taxonomy to help tutors cho ose the appropriate teaching method. He made a classification of learning objectives that educators set for students in order to create a more holistic form of education. Bloom’s Taxonomy divides educational objectives into Cognitive, Affective and Psycho Motor domains. Skills in the cognitive domain revolve around knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking on a particular topic; traditional education tends to emphasize the skills in this domain and uses methods like lectures, small group work and problem solving tasks.Skills in the affective domain describe the way people react emotionally and their awareness to other people’s joy or pain; teaching methods in this domain might include discussion, case studies, role play and simulation. Finally, skills in the psychomotor domain describe the ability to physically manipulate a tool or instrument; typical teaching methods in this domain will include demonstration, individual practice and coaching. A tutor must also de vise a programme of strategies to cater for the specific needs of their own specialism. This relates to the arrangements we make to get the class discuss particular aspects of the subject.Depending on specialism we can have discussions in pairs or in small groups. If the class is not too big we can also get the whole group work together and bounce ideas off each other. We could also take this one step further and consider if the class could benefit from group project work rather than individual project work. In that respect, Bruce Tuckman's theory on stages of group development comes to our aid in understanding and assessing students in a group effort. This theory has gained a great deal of popularity and suggested that for a group to achieve maximum effectiveness it needs to move through four stages.These are: * Forming: at this first stage the team is new and the members are unfamiliar with each other. Each seeks group acceptance with caution, and conflict is avoided. * Storming:   at this stage different ideas compete for consideration and the he team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve. Team members open up to each other and confront each other's ideas and perspectives. * Norming: here the team manages to agree on common goals and comes to a mutual plan for achieving them.Some may have to give up their own ideas and agree with others in order to make the team function. * Performing: by this stage members are motivated and knowledgeable and the team functions as a unit in order to achieve agreed goals. Many long-standing teams go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to  storming  as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team. Another important aspect of inclusive learning is the resources we use.It’s vital that these are carefully selected so as to reflect and meet the needs of all l earners. If resources fail to do this they will create barriers to learning and disadvantage some individuals in the group. There is a wide range of resources that can be used but here is a selection that may meet learners’ needs: * Powerpoint: this is a vital resource when delivering information and, if used in the correct manner, can appeal to all learning styles. For example they can provide the basis for teaching other activities and can be left up at all time to remind students of their aims and objectives. Picture Cards: these are good visual resource and can support the topic being taught. They are particularly useful in multicultural environments and can be adapted easily in order to make them inclusive. * Films: appeal to all learning styles and abilities as they create a relaxed environment and can offer real life situations that can't be created in the classroom setting. Films also have a way of explaining different points of view in an alternative way. Moreover, t hey can act as an assessment method to check the learners have understood what has been shown. Case Studies: this is a powerful resource that stimulates learners to understand and critique how a subject is applied in the real world. * Quiz: this is a fun and interactive resource that can be tailored to different learning styles and ability levels. Other examples of resources include handouts and books to study and discuss theoretical aspects of the subject; computers, software and hi-tech equipment for hands-on experience of ICT subjects; and of course writing boards and flip charts to create on-the-spot diagrams and workflows and to have the whole class participate and interact.We also need to provide opportunities for learners to practice their literacy, language, numeracy and ICT skills. This can be achieved by embedding functional skills. Functional skills are practical skills in English, information ; communication technology, and mathematics. Allowing for these transferable sk ills to be included in our teaching will enable individuals to work confidently, effectively and independently in life. For example, facilitating contribution to discussions and working in groups will enable learners to develop literacy skills which they will then be able to use in their everyday lives.Also, coursework assessments and reflective learning logs constitute effective method of encouraging learners to use written skills. Also, we can encourage Maths skills by using for example number games, and ICT skills by including computer-led teaching and assessments. In organizing a class it’s increasingly important to establish ground rules with learners in order to adhere to minimum necessary conditions for getting learning work done in the class and promote respect for each other.The setting down of ground rules at the start of the course gives structure and guidance to the group ensuring that the people’s beliefs and wants are taken into account and the course can run productively within the set rules. Though there is no definitive list for all classes it is an essential exercise to think through what we want on the list. Typical ground rules may  include items like arriving on time, respecting health and safety regulations, switching off mobile phones, respecting other people's contributions and not interrupting fellow-students.Usually, ground rules are teacher imposed but learners can make valuable contributions and sometimes there can be room for negotiation. Obviously, the majority of the ground rules cannot be negotiated but getting the learners to aid in the setting of the rules puts the ounce on them to adhere to them more. Moreover, it will make them aware of what will happen should the rules be broken. We also need to create assessment opportunities that meet the needs of learners. Assessment is the process of appraising the learner’s understanding of the subject and also of recording their knowledge, skills and attitudes.I t can focus on individual learners or a group of learners as a whole. It is always best to start any course with an assessment of the students’ prior knowledge so that the tutor can start their teaching at the correct level and can ensure an inclusive teaching method where every learner’s needs are met. There are many methods of assessment depending on specialism. For example in assessing foreign language learning we can use multiple choice exercises, written answers, essay writing, class test, listening and speaking activities, to name but a few.When assessing learners we need to give constructive feedback in order to spur and motivate them to hone their skills. It’s important to tell them when they are doing something well and why, as this will serve as encouragement. However, constructive feedback doesn’t just mean positive feedback. We can give negative feedback too as long as we clearly state what could be improved and why. This means talking first a bout what a learner has done well, then going on to discussing points for improvement and then ending on another positive note.Using this strategy students are motivated by their achievements and evaluate the negative aspect of their feedback in a constructive way to better themselves. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation [ 2 ]. Bloom, B. S. , Engelhart, M. D. , Furst, E. J. , Hill, W. H. , & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals; Handbook I: Cognitive Domain New York, Longmans, Green [ 3 ]. Tuckman, Bruce (1965). â€Å"Developmental sequence in small groups†.