INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
DEPED ORDER NO.72 S. 2009
“Inclusive Education As Strategy for
Increasing Participation Rate of
Children”- to address and guarantee
the right of the children with special
needs to receive appropriate
education within the regular or
inclusive classroom setting.
DECS ORDER NO. 26 S. 1997
“Institutionalization of SPED
Programs in All Schools”- there
should be at least one SPED Center
organized in every division and
eventually in ALL Schools.
Inclusive Education
Inclusive Education is an approach to
education that supports and welcome
diversity among all learners. It is a
concept of effective schools where
every child has a place to study and
teachers become facilitators of
learning rather than providers of
information
Inclusive education does not refer to the
way to educate the child with disabilities
but rather the way to educate everyone
“Inclusion” does not simply mean the
placement of students with disabilities in
general education classes
This process must incorporate
fundamental change in the way a school
community supports and addresses the
individual need of each child.
INCLUSION
Inclusion is not just about learners with
special needs. It is an attitude and
approach that embraces diversity and
learner differences and promotes equal
opportunities for all learners.
(Alberta Education)
“ All Children should learn
together, wherever possible,
regardless of any difficulties or
differences they may have”
-Salamanca Statement-
7 PRINCIPLES FOR INCLUSIVE
EDUCATION
Teaching all Students
Exploring Multiple
Identities
Preventing Prejudice
Promoting Social Justice
Choosing Appropriate
Materials
Teaching and Learning
About Cultures and
Religions
Adapting and Integrating
Lessons Appropriately
TEACHING ALL STUDENTS
Students learn in different ways. It is therefore
important to develop the skills to teach in
different ways
Some ways to accomplish this are:
Think of three different ways to teach
Ask other teacher how they have taught or
would teach lesson
Share with your colleagues
Listen carefully to student’s question
Expect student’s backgrounds and
abilities to be different
EXPLORING MULTIPLE IDENTITIES
Building confidence and affirming identity
for students supports their learning.
Here are some ways to affirm and
encourage students identities:
Create activities
Engage students in project
Encourage all aspects of each
student’s individuality
Create an environment where it is
safe to wonder and investigate about
self and other
Discuss all areas in which a student
may find opportunity for success
Help students understand
Maintain a respectful environment
among students
PREVENTING PREJUDICE
All of us are influenced by the legacy of
institutionalized inequalities that permeate
history as well as the stereotyped ideas and
images we encounter everyday. The best
way for an educator to address
preconcieved stereotypes and to prevent
them from escalating into feelings of
prejudice and bias is to create awareness.
These are a number of suggestions about
how to create student awareness of
stereotyped beliefs and inequality:
Teach explicitly about histories of
unfairness, or institutionalized inequality
Talk about all of the student’s feeling and
attitudes
Set clear boundaries and rules
Introduce key words to students that can
alert them to the presence of a stereotype
Help students to identify prejudicial
behavior(as opposed to making
generalizations)
Don’t be afraid to talk about stereotypes.
Train students to discern fact from fiction,
when it comes to stereotypes.
Develop dialogue and reflection
PROMOTING SOCIAL JUSTICE
Young people are good judges of what is
or is not fair.
Here are some ways to promote justice in
your classroom:
Make comparisons
Develop a worldview
Engage in critical thinking
Explore power dynamics
Encourage students to develop a sense
of civic responsibility
Bring this discussion into all subject areas
Service learning and action planning
CHOOSING APPROPRIATE MATERIALS
It is important to choose books and
materials that reflect accurate image of
diverse people.
The following are a number of things to
keep in mind when choosing what you
present to the pupils:
Be diverse
Let groups speak for themselves
Experts are everywhere
Use primary source
Show past and present images of
different groups
TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT
CULTURE AND RELIGION
It is important that students learn
about other cultures and religions in a
positive and comfortable manner
Some ways to do this are:
Teach students the value of asking
questions
Discuss appropriate ways to ask question
about identity, religion, culture and race
Provide anonymous ways for students to
ask questions
Emphasize that culture is not affixed or
permanent condition
Allow opportunities for students to learn
about the ever changing cultures of the
world
Help students see a range of nuanced
views and make connection within and
between cultures.
ADAPTING AND INTEGRATING
LESSONS APPROPRIATELY
It is important that educators be flexible in
the adaptation of all the lessons in our
curriculum as well as prescribed curriculum
in general
Be mindful of who is in your classroom, so
that the lessons can be more culturally
relevant
Proceed with caution and thoughtfulness
about student family histories
Do not assume that you can tell where
students are from or how they identify just
by looking at them, by the sound of their
names, or articles of dress.
BARRIERS TO LEARNING
AND PARTICIPATION
BARRIERS TO LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION
Despite the many benefits of Inclusive Education,
there still are many obstacles to its implementation.
ATTITUDINAL BARRIER
Old attitudes die hard and many still resist the
accommodation of students with disabilities and
learning issues as well as those from minority cultures.
Prejudices against those with differences can lead to
discrimination, which inhibits the educational process
PHYSICAL BARRIER
Many schools don’t have the facilities to
properly accommodate students with special
needs, and local governments lack either the
funds or the resolve to provide financial help.
INAPPROPRIATE CURRICULUM
A rigid curriculum that does not allow for
experimentation or the use of different
teaching methods can be an enormous barrier
to inclusion. Implementation of Universal Design
Learning can be a remedy for stagnant
coursework.
UNTRAINED TEACHERS
Teachers who are not trained, who are unwilling,
or unenthusiastic about working with students
with disabilities are a barrier to successful
inclusion. Training often falls short of real
effectiveness and instructors already straining
under large workloads may resent the added
duties of coming up with different approaches
for the same lesson.
FUNDING
Adequate funding is necessity for inclusion, and
yet it is rare. Schools often lack adequate
facilities, qualified and appropriate trained
teachers and other staff members, educational
materials and general support. Sadly, lack of
resources is pervasive throughout many
educational system.
ORGANIZATION OF THE EDUCATION
SYSTEM
Centralized education system are rarely conducive
to positive change and initiative. Decisions came
from the school system’s high-level authorities whose
initiatives focus on employee compliance more than
quality learning.
The top level of the organization may have little or
no idea about the realities teacher face on daily
basis.
