Genius Hour Blog Post #1

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Welcome to My Genius Hour
Welcome to my Genius Hour project, as a future teacher, creating an inclusive environment is something that I aspire to create within my classroom. Therefore, this passion has led me to learn more about inclusive education. The topic I have chosen to research for my Genius Hour is inclusion and specifically answering the question:

How can lessons/activities be adapted to accommodate all students within the classroom to achieve an inclusive learning environment?


What is Inclusion?

Inclusion can be defined as a sense of belonging in which the differences, abilities, and disabilities of all individuals are accepted and valued in a community. Many words can be used to represent the meaning of inclusion. Above is WordArt image that I created that encompases the many words that can be used to represent what inclusion is.


Sheena Sihvonen (2016). Inclusion. https://youtu.be/6SnXBKEfr2s

What is Inclusive Education?

Inclusive education is where individuals regardless of their abilities are all integrated into a classroom. Within the classroom, modifications and accommodations are made to ensure that all students have the resources to be successful in meeting expectations outlined in the curriculum.

This means that, teachers must learn and adapt to a variety of teaching styles and incorporate them into their lessons to ensure that they are meeting all the different learning styles of their students. This ensures that all students have the opportunity to actively participate and learn within an inclusive classroom.

Importantly, inclusive education also recognizes that there are times in which students need to leave the classroom for one-on-one assistance that provides the student with additional resources.

Why is Inclusive Education Important?

Inclusive Education is important because it allows all students regardless of their abilities to be apart of the classroom or common learning area.

This makes students feel like they belong and are accepted in the larger community as they are not excluded as a result of their abilities. This sense of belonging and acceptance builds confidence within individuals resulting in the fostering of motivation to learn. 

Inclusive education is also important for learners as it directly benefits them because they are not being excluded from their peers and are given the opportunity to learn amongst them. Therefore, with the implementation of inclusive education, students are given greater opportunities that will enrich their learning. 

Ruby's Video

 
Rubys Rainbow (2017). Ruby's Inclusion Story. https://youtu.be/wBz6glO5x5Q
Ruby's video demonstrates the inclusion of all students within a general classroom. The video depicts Ruby, a child with down syndrome who goes to school with all her classmates that are typically developing. The video, explains how there are many positives of inclusive classrooms for all students as it fosters the development of compassion, kindness, and care for others. Moreover, Ruby's inclusion within the classroom with all her peers has benefited her as she looks up to her friends as role models and she can interact with her friends, which is something that is not possible without inclusive classrooms. The quote that resonates with me and explains the importance of creating inclusive classrooms is, "You can find reasons not to do inclusion. You have to find reasons to make it work because you believe in it."(10:19-10:26) 

Reflecting on My Genius Hour Progress

Thus far my Genius Hour research and exploration on Inclusion and inclusion in the classroom has been very informative. This weeks exploration on my topic consisted of researching the definition of inclusion. This was an important step needed to answer my Genius Hour question. I believe that in order for me to create an inclusive classroom and lesson plans, it was critical that I understood the basis of inclusion and what inclusive education is. Having this foundation will help me further my research on how to construct inclusive lessons and how to implement inclusive education into the classroom. This is one of my passions and something that I aspire to create within my own classroom as a future teacher. Therefore, informing myself on the basis of inclusion within education will help me further my research and understanding of how to implement it.   

My future plans for my Genius Hour project consist of researching teacher experiences in how they created inclusive classrooms, including the challenges and benefits of it. Also, with this I would like to further my research to explore strategies that can be used to create inclusive environments. These strategies will be useful when creating lessons to help format the lesson and activity. Within future blog posts I am aiming to incorporate more lessons and activities to assemble multiple resources that can be used by all teachers to achieve an inclusive classroom.

Some challenges that I have experienced thus far is organizing my information and research pathway to ensure that my research is connecting to my topic. Overall, I have been able to to accomplish the goals and outline that I have created for my Genius Hour thus far. As I continue with my research I am constantly thinking of new things to incorporate and share within my blog posts to ensure that my Genius Hour project will result in a variety of resources that can be used within my future classroom.

Resources

Inclusive Education Canada (2017). What is Inclusive Education? Retrieved from https://inclusiveeducation.ca/about/what-is-ie/

Dale, McManis, L (2017). Inclusive Education: What it Means, Proven Strategies, and a Case Study. Retrieved from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/inclusive-education/

 New Brunswick Association for Community Living (n.d.) Inclusive Education and its Benefits. Retrieved from https://nbacl.nb.ca/module-pages/inclusive-education-and-its-benefits/



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