Inclusion is a human right. Inclusion in Education is a human right and a legal entitlement (Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act) and is a core component of Education Policy in Australia. We talk about InclusionED supporting teachers and educators to adopt strategies for inclusion.
The below guiding principles, from the Australian Disability Standards for Education (2005), underpin the Australian government’s direction on planning for personalised learning and support in schools:
- All students can learn
- Every child has a right to a high-quality education
- Effective teachers provide engaging and rigorous learning experiences for all students
- A safe and stimulating environment is integral to enabling students to explore and build on their talents and achieve relevant learning outcomes
- For students with disability and additional learning needs, reasonable adjustments should be made where required (DET 2015, p. 3).
The education landscape in Australia requires teachers to create differentiated curriculum plans for students with disability. The aim is to meet and support the needs of students. In addition to this, Family-school partnerships indicate the shared responsibility for the education of the child.
Each State Territory and system in Australia interpret and apply inclusive practices through their own curriculums, planning and reporting processes.
InclusionED Supporting teachers
InclusionED is led by a team of researchers and designers from Queensland University of Technology, with the support of the Autism CRC. Designed for teachers, with teacher input. Students living with autism and their families have also contributed to the design and priorities of InclusionED. A supportive learning community helps to put in place strategies. All Australian teachers are welcome to join and communicate inclusive education.
Inclusive ED’s vision is to empower education professionals to discover and respond to the strengths and interests of diverse learners with knowledge and compassion. Its mission is to translate, motivate, and facilitate research in inclusive learning settings.
InclusionED supports teachers to:
- develop their classroom practice
- support diverse student needs in schools
- increase their knowledge of evidenced informed teaching strategies
- increase their understanding of evidenced informed teaching strategies
As a blueprint, InclusionED uses the principles of Universal Design for Learning. A flexible approach to customising and adjusting learning for individual needs. The “WHY”, “WHAT”, and “HOW” of learning.
Resources to support teachers
Models of practice, including
- Classroom Management Practices
- Sensory Considerations
- Social/emotional wellbeing and school connectedness
- myWAY Employability Educator
These teaching practices resources help deliver student outcomes and meet professional learning needs.
InclusionED, in collaboration with Evidence for Learning, has mapped the InclusionED practices to Evidence for Learning Toolkits. The Toolkits are live resources updated regularly.
Models of practiceAll Approaches – Full ToolkitThey are designed to support teachers, educators and school leaders to decide how to improve learning outcomes. The toolkits provide quality information about what is likely to be beneficial based on existing evidence.
See Also
Inclusive Education Teaching Students with a Disability by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.
