The Inclusive Educator
Contents
- 1 Description
- 2 Module 1: Some Background and Statistics
- 3 Module 2: About Achievement for All
- 4 Module 3: Inclusive Educators in Inclusive Schools
- 5 Module 4: Your Opportunity to Conduct Some Action Research
- 5.1 Apply your learning in small steps
- 5.2 1. Select a target group of children/young people
- 5.3 2. Find out about the children/young people
- 5.4 3. Research a range of strategies to apply, and select the most appropriate one
- 5.5 4. Measure your starting point, then apply your new learning
- 5.6 5. Monitor progress, evaluate impact, then begin the cycle again!
- 5.7 Remind students and staff about the accessible features available across Office 365 with this convenient one page document.
- 5.8 Find out more about Achievement for All: visit our website
- 6 Quiz
Description
Welcome to the Inclusive Educator Learning Path. The materials presented here have been developed in a partnership between Microsoft and the UK-based education charity Achievement for All. This course introduces some of the key principles and values that need to be understood before taking any of the Digital Literacy in the 21st Century Courses.
This course is designed to explore the concept of "inclusion," a powerful paradigm that can define an entire learning community, and unlock achievement so that every child can be the best they can be.
This course also introduces you to Achievement for All: what we stand for, what we do and how we enable school communities to transform education outcomes for every young person. We are privileged to be working in partnership with Microsoft to address this key global aspect of teaching and learning.
Disclaimer: Achievement for All acknowledges and celebrates the abundant sources of information advice and guidance that are available on the world wide web. Whilst every care is taken to check the credentials and authenticity of these third party sources, Achievement for All accepts no liability for any content referred to and supplied by such third party sources.
Module 1: Some Background and Statistics
In England, the term 'special educational needs' (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to children who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. Children and Young People (CYPs) with significant needs are supported with additional funding, resources and provision, as outlined in Statements/EHCPs*. Children and Young People with lesser needs are still identified as having SEN, but funding is delegated to their education setting so that their needs can be addressed by a local team of trained professionals (now called SEN Support).
These national tables highlight the gap between the performance of children and young people who have a degree of SEN (SEN with no statement/EHCP*), those with a Statement/EHCP, and those with no identified SEN. Whilst SEN should be expected to have some impact on attainment, the gaps are simply too great.
*In 2014, SEND Reform legislation in England replaced Statements with EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans). The “D” in SEND includes those with disabilities.
The UK coalition government's green paper (HM Government, 2011) noted that pupils with SEN are four times less likely to participate in higher education.
Young People with identified SEN are 20 times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion and seven times more likely to be excluded for a fixed-period than pupils with no identified SEN
The lack of aspiration, access and achievement that pervades our education systems is evidenced by the failure of the majority of schools in the UK to address the needs of all children, even the most disadvantaged or vulnerable.
Some schools celebrate examination results that exceed academic targets, claiming significant success if the attainment of grades A*– C at GCSE or progression at Key Stage 2 (KS2) to Level 4 exceeds 70% or more.
There is rarely any mention or comment about the 20–30% of pupils who have failed to reach even basic levels of literacy or numeracy.
Those without GCSE qualifications in mathematics and English dominate the numbers in our prisons and drug centres and, statistically, have a shorter life expectancy. 52% of male offenders and 71% of female offenders have no qualifications.
The correlation between low family income and special educational needs is high (Civitas 2012).
Better-educated people typically have better health status, lower unemployment, more social connections, and greater engagement in civic and political life. (Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress: 2008).
It isn't just children with identified special educational needs that should be considered here.
Module 2: About Achievement for All
Achievement for All is a movement focused on educational change: building a world in which all children are seen as having potential, and where every child is enabled to be the best that they can be regardless of their background, the challenges they face or the needs they may have.
For the last four years we have been working with schools, Early Years settings, and Further Education colleges to raise aspirations and improve the achievement of ALL pupils, particularly those facing barriers to their learning.
The team behind our programmes have over 700 years of teaching experience between them! That means we get the pressures facing teachers today, and we understand the challenges our families want to overcome.
Our programmes not only improve the life chances and school experience of the children and young people on them, but address many of the hurdles facing modern education, including reduced capacity, ineffective personal development, and the need for stronger leadership.
Our programmes come at a fraction of the cost of consultants or extra staffing, and include a powerful evidence base that will support settings wanting to show effective use of Pupil Premium, or improved outcomes in reading, writing, and maths. Using a unique direct delivery model and a team of highly trained expert coaches we work with you to design a programme bespoke to the setting it serves, and tailored according to the vision and goals you have for your pupils.
We are a Not-For-Profit charitable organisation and charge schools only what we need to cover our costs. We have a first class reputation for delivering improved outcomes in the lowest achieving 20%.
Achievement for All Values
ASPIRATION
• high expectations for all, including ourselves
• setting ambitious goals and striving for excellence
• being passionate in everything we do
ACCESS
• honesty and openness, with respect for all
• ensuring opportunities for sharing, growth and development
• excellent communication and collaboration
ACHIEVEMENT
• celebrating the success of others and ourselves
• working in partnership to achieve common goals
• high quality and high impact
Achievement for All offers schools, academies, colleges and early years settings the expertise and resources to become more inclusive, and realise the potential of every young person in your education setting.
Our core programmes help to develop leadership for inclusion, teaching and learning to close the gap, significantly improve relationships with parents and carers (even those who are hard to reach) and exploit wider outcomes and opportunities beyond the standard curriculum to develop behaviours for attendance, learning and well-being.
We also offer our schools an extensive range of tailored modules, that can be delivered by our Coaches, or used to support and empower your professional development team. These can be accessed through Achievement for All's professional development portal, The Bubble.
Achievement for All's extended training offer to primary and secondary education settings
There is a similar range of professional development resources available for early years settings (Achieving Early) and 16+ provision (Achieving Further).
Each of the Modules below contain material that can be used:
- by Departments or across the whole school workforce over the course of a term or maybe longer.
- to support individual study, either light touch or to Masters level
- by Governors, non-teaching staff and part of ITT (Initial Teacher Training) as well as Middle Leadership development.
All of these courses can be accessed through Achievement for All's on-line professional development portal, The Bubble.
Leadership for Inclusion
Collaborative Action Research
Effective use of Pupil Premium
Governance for inclusion
Maximising the Impact of Teaching and Learning Assistants
Middle Leadership Development Programme
Teaching and Learning to Close the Gap
Conducting effective progress meetings
Effective Feedback
Literacy and English
Numeracy and Maths
Digital Literacy in the 21st Century
Wider Outcomes and Opportunities
Anti-Bullying
Community Engagement and Partnership Working
Developing pupils’ self-esteem
Developing resilience and self-efficacy
Managing Transitions
Engaging with Parents and Carers
Structured Conversations
Early Support
Welcoming and Including Families
| Impact report
Learn about the Impact Achievement for All has had in the past year (have a look, there will be questions on this in the end-of-course test!). |
http://afaeducation.org/
Explore the Achievement for All website, and learn about the different Programmes and Resources that are supported by the charity. |
Case studies
Achievement for All has a strong evidence base of impact across all ages, in a wide variety of settings. Learn more about how schools and academies have unlocked progress, in partnership with the chari |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaB-ps_INK4
Watch a short video featuring interviews with young people, parents and carers, teachers and other professionals about the power of Achievement for All's approach to school improvement. |
Module 3: Inclusive Educators in Inclusive Schools
‘Inclusion’ is more than a word. It is a way of life. Everyday situations that you may take for granted can become a physical barrier or a psychological hurdle to others.
By showing understanding, respect, talking and listening to a young person and their family, and by taking positive proactive action, these barriers can be dismantled, creating a fairer world for all.
Explore 'Inclusion' from four separate perspectives
How do these statements challenge your attitudes and values?
CLICK HERE TO OPEN INTERACTIVE GUIDE
How "Inclusive" is your thinking?
This interactive explores a number of scenarios that involve inclusive practice in education settings. The responses, however surprising, are based on actual events.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN INTERACTIVE GUIDE
Inclusion and Innovation
Meeting the needs of learners with special educational needs is seldom a whole school priority. However, if you flip your thinking, and see "meeting the needs of individual learners" as the driving force behind school improvement, every single learner in your school community stands to benefit.
We call this child-centred innovation.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN INTERACTIVE GUIDE
Module 4: Your Opportunity to Conduct Some Action Research
Apply your learning in small steps
It is so important to apply any new learning in small steps, and with small groups of learners first. Don't try and do too much at once! Apply and consolidate learning in 6-8 week cycles of activity.
Collaborative Action Research (that is, working on parallel or overlapping projects with a small group of colleagues) will really work well as a process to support the application of learning, reflecting on progress, and working jointly on problem solving, creative and critical thinking. Try to enrol colleagues, meet regularly, and share our plans, challenges... and successes!
1. Select a target group of children/young people
Think about an area of learning where you would like to see accelerated progress.
How will you measure progress?
What evidence will you need to collect?
As you learn new approaches or techniques, keep reflecting on this initial selection, to see if your new learning is relevant.
2. Find out about the children/young people
If they have a special education need, what is the nature of the need?
What advice can you obtain from specialists (like your SENCo- Special Educational Needs Coordinator)?
If the child our young person has an education plan, how can your activity align to the outcomes that are expressed in the plan? And finally, engage with the child/young person and their family: talk to them. How can you positively enroll them in what you want to achieve... together?
3. Research a range of strategies to apply, and select the most appropriate one
Someone once said that an idea is dangerous if it is the only one you have! Try to consider a range of strategies and approaches, and evaluate which one is most suitable to secure the outcomes you and the learner desire. Talk to colleagues. Adopt the resources other professionals have developed, but then adapt them and personalise them to your needs, and the needs of the young person you are targeting.
4. Measure your starting point, then apply your new learning
Collect some baseline evidence from your target cohort, then apply some new learning, or new approaches, to your target group. The baseline evidence can be quantitative (e.g. a reading or writing test) or qualitative (e.g. a questionnaire about how they feel about learning, or it could be a "smiley face" confidence scale).
5. Monitor progress, evaluate impact, then begin the cycle again!
During the action phase, monitor the progress you are making. Make sure the children and young people are aware of what you are trying to do together. If there are barriers to progress, work together to overcome them. Do not be afraid to change a plan if it is not working.
Collect evidence through measurements or interviews, and evaluate what worked, and why?
Share your findings with colleagues, learn from each other, celebrate your successes with the learners and their families... then start again!
Remind students and staff about the accessible features available across Office 365 with this convenient one page document.
O365 Education - Learning Tools one pager.pdf
And finally... we want to hear from you!How do you bring inclusion alive in your classroom, in your education setting?Leave a comment below, and share your action research story.
Find out more about Achievement for All: visit our website
Quiz
https://education.microsoft.com/en-us/learningPath/1ce2977c/course/2f8c8cbe/4
