Assessing for Inclusion
Inclusion is a intersubjective experience and central to its understanding are the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of students with diverse attributes (disability, ethnic heritage, racial identity, gender identity, religious background, body image, sexual orientation, family configuration, socioeconomic status, or primary language).
Disclaimer: The goal of the website, tools, and resources is to foster an increased awareness for student emotions, reflective practices, and ultimately foster professional growth. The authors do not believe inclusion to be a 'one size fits all' process and thus recognize this is one way, but not the only way to address issues impacting an inclusive culture.
Sense of... Belonging - Acceptance - Value
Inclusion (Philosophy)
The emotional response of feeling part of a group while engaged in the same environment.
Integration (Placement)
The act of bringing people together into a single environment.
Recent Findings in Research
Research examining integrated physical education (physical educators striving for inclusion) from viewpoints of students with disabilities has shown that although teachers appear to have good intentions, their use of obvious and explicit modifications to activities can highlight the inabilities those students with disabilities. The result of this well-intended action can therefore contribute to social issues, such as social isolation and exclusion, which therefore inform a lack of belonging, acceptance, and value.
Based on these accounts, we suggest that teachers not adopt simple strategies or methods suggested to be 'inclusive', which proliferate textbooks and practitioner articles, but rather seek to value student voice, data, collaboration, and reflection support their students.
Based on these accounts, we suggest that teachers not adopt simple strategies or methods suggested to be 'inclusive', which proliferate textbooks and practitioner articles, but rather seek to value student voice, data, collaboration, and reflection support their students.
Teachers need to invest in deeper and more complex studies of practice to come close to a fully inclusive learning environment.
Reflective Approach to Inclusion
Universal Screening (Pre-Assess All Students)
Gain Student Insight Through Collaborative Questioning and Discussion
Design the Lesson, Including Student Insight
1,2,3 May Occur Concurrently
Assess Skill Performance and Student Engagement during the Implementation of the Lesson
Student Reflection through Collaborative Questioning and Discussion
Teacher Reflection, Followed by Revisions and Implementation