“We are diverse, all of us. We all have strengths, we all have stretches and we all need to get better at something. The difference in teaching to diversity, however, is that we don’t start with our deficits, we start with our strengths.” -Shelley Moore
Shelley Moore has been my inclusiveness role model. She embraces all aspects of diversity in the classroom, and has taught me so much since I have discovered her work. Moore’s video on inclusive education uses bowling as a metaphor for inclusive education. She explains how in bowling, we often aim for the middle pins, leaving the outside pins behind. Moore began to notice how professional bowlers aim for the outside pins, rather than the inside pins first, creating greater potential for a strike. Now imagine the pins are the students, and the ball is the teacher. As educators, we need to aim for the outside pins (the students who need a little more support) in order to provide an access point for all learners. By doing so, we are providing an opportunity for every single student to succeed, now that’s the right way to get a strike!
I’ve been trying to embrace Shelley Moore’s idea of inclusive education by starting my lesson plans by thinking of what my access point for all my learners is going to be. Once I know what every single learner in my room is capable of doing for a particular lesson, I can create my access point. From my access point, I am able to tweak my lesson with progressive challenges for my learners who are wanting to challenge themselves. This has worked well for me in creating an inclusive classroom!
Reflection from final practicum:
My final practicum class in grade 1/2 at Edgewood Elementary was filled with a diverse group of learners. To me, this was the perfect opportunity to put into practice what I have learned about inclusive education. In math, I conducted math groups and centers to teach to all of the learners. For instruction time, I made math groups based on ability, while for math centers, I created mixed-ability groups. For reading, I used Levelled Literacy Intervention for readings who needed extra support. I also did a novel study and book boxes with readers who were reading beyond grade level. Overall, I noticed that these strategies allowed me to create an opportunity for every child to be included in the learning taking place.
