It is extremely important that as educators, we are setting up every individual student for success. Shelley Moore, an inclusive education advocate, states that it is a teachers job to understand their students and cater to them (Moore, 2017). Every single student has their own individual learning needs, emphasizing the importance of teachers getting to know their students and adapting lesson plans to meet their needs. I understand the importance of this from a personal perspective, as my brother has hearing loss and has been wearing hearing-aids for most of his life (when we were kids, we referred to them as his “super ears”, which really made him feel better about having to wear them!). Growing up I watched the multiple tactics teachers used to accommodate him, including putting tennis balls on chairs, wearing a little microphone, and placing him close to the front. Without these measures taken, my brother would not have been able to meet his full potential. This personal experience is one of the reasons inclusive education is so important to me. 

Reflecting on my group’s Learning Resource, I recognize that many of our activities may need to be adapted to fit individual learning needs. The one that sticks out to me the most is an activity regarding the five senses. Students are taken outside to explore descriptive language using each of their senses; smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. Students are to come up with descriptive sentences using each of their senses. There are many limitations that could challenge students to complete this task. If a student is sick, they may not be able to smell. If a student has allergies, they may not be able to taste. If a student has a physical disability, they may not be able to touch. If a student is blind, they will not be able to see. If a student is deaf or hard of hearing, they will not be able to hear. There are so many reasons why students could have difficulties with this task. I believe there are a couple of ways this activity can be adapted. One idea I have is to have the students split up into five groups, each group focuses on one sense. This way, students will be able to focus on a sense they feel capable and comfortable exploring. The groups could come back together and share their findings so every student has an understanding of every sense. Another idea is to have students struggling with a certain sense leave that one blank and fill it in later when ideas are shared in a group discussion. The goal is not to make any students feel like they are different or incapable. If anyone has any ideas to add on to these ones, I would be very open to hearing them! 

Source:

Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other : Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Portage & Main Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=4832579.