Photo by Oui Si from Flickr.com

Inclusive education is very important to me. I want to create a classroom environment where everyone is welcomed and has opportunities to succeed. To do this, I plan to not only use UDL, but to also do a lot of community building in the classroom at the beginning of the year and throughout the year to make sure students value and encourage inclusion. It is my priority to have students aware of why inclusion is important and how to create an inclusive environment for everyone. I am a proponent of encouraging students to make many different friends and to include all of their peers in their play.

In addition to encouraging kindness and making friends with many different types of people, I want to engage students in the making of a classroom contract. A classroom contract helps students to become involved in the making of their own classroom rules and expectations. The making of a classroom contract often sparks conversations about inclusivity and kindness, and I think these conversations are extremely valuable to have with and between students.

I also plan to use some of Rick Hanssen’s lesson plans to empower students to become difference makers and to engage students in disability awareness. There are many resources for different subject areas, but his resources on difference making and disability awareness are really great to use in the classroom.

Lastly, one of my classmates and I recently talked about how we both really want to use classroom contracts in our future classes. I think many people in the cohort are planning to use classroom contracts and to incorporate different ways to create an inclusive environment. Another classmate mentioned having a “cozy corner” for students to have a calm area to self regulate. I think this is a great way to help create an environment where students feel supported and are given opportunities to do what they need to do for their emotional and physical wellbeing.

What kinds of practices do y’all plan to integrate into your classrooms to encourage inclusion?! Let me know in the comments!