UNIT 1: DELIVERY, MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF A LESSON IN 1 AN INCLUSIVE CLASS
Key Unit Competence:
Students should be able to competently deliver, monitor an inclusive lessonand conduct an inclusive assessment
1.1. Lesson delivery and monitoring in an inclusive class
1.1.1. Creating a conducive environment for learning
Creating a classroom environment which is conducive to learning is one of the
most important things a teacher can do. Education to be effective in schools, the
environment needs to be conducive to learning, allowing the learners space and
time to interact within the learning and teaching process. Creating and maintaining
stimulating learning environments can be achieved through effective classroom
organization, interactive and whole school displays and a climate of innovation.
The following are tips to make a classroom a conducive environment
for learning:
• Make sure learners with special needs occupy the front place near the
blackboard and close to the teacher or any other place of their preference.
This is very important for learners with sensorial difficulties and those with
learning difficulties.
• Try to arrange the classroom so that learners can move about freely,
especially if some children have visual or mobility problems. For example,
make sure that a child who uses a wheelchair or crutches can get in and
out of his/her desk easily.
• If you have the space, try to set aside an area of the classroom where you
can work with certain children individually or in small groups in order to
achieve peer learning.
• Sitting arrangement can help to promote cooperative learning during
teaching/ learning activities.
• Have a box that contains some story books or simple games that children
can use when they have completed their work ahead of others.
• Display pictures, posters, drawings and examples of learner’s work on the
walls. Make sure they are displayed at the learners’ eye level rather than
high up on the walls. You can also add different textures for touching to help
learners with visual problems.
• For some learning sessions, is better to go outside the classroom. For
example, lessons about plants and animals could be done in the school
compound.
• Remember that learners with hearing and visual problems will find lessons
outside the classroom more difficult to understand. Make sure such learners
sit very close to you.
• Bring in a mat to make a quiet reading corner.
• Whenever possible, use real objects to help the learners understand. Make
sure teachers allow the children to handle and touch these objects if they
are not harmful to them. This is very important for learners with seeing and
learning difficulties.
• Keep the classroom clean. Make sure all the learners, including those with
special educational needs, help to clean the classroom.
1.1.2. Teaching and learning materials display
a) Display of teaching and learning materials
A good teaching and learning may be worthless unless it is well displayed.
Many classrooms are not adequately furnished with facilities for display, but it
is important that they should have at least some display. The choice of display
methods is determined by the nature and the type of materials to be displayed.
The following methods can be applied:
• Tables or shelves placed or fixed to the sidewalls: These can serve both
purposes of display as well as storage.
• Display boards on the side wall: Soft board used for ceiling construction is
very good for this purpose because of the easy with which drawing pins can
be pushed in and out.
• Strips of finished timber on the side walls: These are very important for
hanging three dimensional materials (manipulable materials) with nails.
• Pegboards: A pegboard is a board with hundreds of identical holes which
can be used to secure visual aids, specimens as well as models. The holes
are used to fix whatever is to be displayed.
• Mobiles: A mobile is an arrangement of cards hang from the ceiling. The
cards can be used to display words, ideas or information that the teacher
wants the learners to remember. It is the best used where space on the
walls or tables is very limited.
Note: There is no standardized way recommended for display in your classroom
but as a teacher you should realize that a lot will depend on the availability
of space and type of resources to be displayed. In addition, the diversity of
learners needs and your own creativity are other important factors that should
guide you displaying educational resources.
b) Points to bear in mind when displaying teaching materials
The following are points that you should remember when displaying your materials:
• The resource or materials should be displayed properly so that all learners
are able to access, to touch, to see, observe and learn out of it.
• Avoid over displaying of educational resources. They should be removed
after one week or two depending on the class and type of learners.
• Some specimen, models or hardware resources may be dangerous for
pupils to handle on their own. Display such only when you use them with
the pupils and withdraw them for storage after the lesson.
1.1.3. Classroom monitoring: Monitoring the progress of learners
It is essential that a teacher walks around the class checking what the children
are doing when they are working on their own or in groups. If a teacher does
not monitor during a lesson, he/she will not know which learners are having
difficulties, thus he/she will not be able to help them. But if the teacher monitors
the progress of the learners during the lesson, he/she will be able to provide
individual help that responds to their need.
Provide individual help for learners with Special Educational Needs
Learners with special educational needs including those with disabilities and
others who are educationally vulnerable need more help and support than their
peers without disabilities. They will benefit more if the teaching is directed to their
particular needs. Individual help should focus on the skills and knowledge the
child needs to fully participate in the class.
Today’s classroom reflects the diversity of our communities and includes a mix
of students’ interests, needs, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. This is
the reason, that the teachers should think on differentiating the curriculum by
focusing on the needs of students and provide strategies and approaches that
meet their needs.
a) Differentiation of the curriculum
Differentiated instruction refers to a wide range of instructional and classroom
strategies that teachers can use to help each student achieve the prescribed
learning outcomes. It is the component of classroom instruction that specifically
acknowledges and responds to learners’ diversity. Using differentiated
instruction establishes a supportive learning environment for all learners.
At the beginning of the school year, (just after some weeks after the school
years has started), the teacher should clearly establish the needs of the students
in the classroom. In almost every classroom there will be students who require
special attention and considerations. Remember, the teacher is not expected
to provide totally different programs to students; rather, the differences can be
managed using a variety of approaches and teaching methods. The teacher
should determine the best way and methods to address students’ needs. In an
inclusive setting, there may be:
• Students who can benefit from differentiated instruction but for those with
special needs the differentiation of curriculum is mandatory.
• Some students who require adaptations to instruction and assessment in
terms of lesson evaluation.
• Some students who require additional education supports to perform a
given task.
• Some students who require modifications outlined in their Individual
Education Plan.
• Some students who require individualized programming outlined in their
Individual Education Plan
In that way, the teacher should examine ways to meet the learning needs
within the unit or lesson being taught. A teacher who examines the needs of
a classroom in this way is able to see commonalties as well as differences in
students and be able to differentiate the curriculum.
The differentiated method helps both the teacher and the learners:
• For the teacher, it helps him/her to provide national curricula by
accommodating students with a wide range of abilities, interests, and
learning styles. Teachers can differentiate curriculum in three broad areas:
content, process, and product.
• For the learners, differentiated curriculum facilitates them in their learning
process, and at the end help them to succeed because varied instructional
approaches are used, thus matching their varied learning styles.
b) Strategies to differentiate the curriculum in the classroom
• Learning strategies
Learning strategies are instructional strategies that have been developed to
assist students with learning difficulties. Learning strategies include: teaching
study skills, editing assignments, reading strategies, and thinking strategies.
Two examples of learning strategies that can be used are: COPS strategy and
the JETS strategy.
COPS is an editing strategy that helps students edit their work by focusing on
four key elements of the editing process:
C: Capitalization
O: Overall Editing and Appearance
P: Punctuation
S: Spelling
JETS is a strategy for task completion or assistance in preparing to do an
assignment.
J: Job: What is it I have been asked to do?
E: Equipment: What will I need to do the job?
T: Time: How much time do I have to complete the job?
S: Satisfactory product: What do I have to do to complete my job in a
satisfactory manner?
• Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers also known as mind maps, webs, clusters, think sheets
are visual diagrams that help learners understand and think by representing
abstract ideas and concepts in a concrete form.
• Lesson Frame
Lesson frames are used to present an overview of a lesson or concept. They are
presented in writing but may also include pictures or graphics, and are usually
placed on overheads, photocopies, chalkboards, or posters. They typically
indicate the course, topic, date, lesson outline, lesson outcomes, assignment,
and notes. Lesson frames help students to organize their thoughts around a
lesson.
The use of visuals (pictures or graphics) in lesson frames can help students
learn important routines or strategies. Visuals can be made using computer
programs, magazine cut outs, or photographs, and placed in student binders for
easy access. The student’s schedule may be represented by picture activities
scheduled for the day. Visuals may also be used during class presentations to
reinforce verbal and written information.
Scaffolding
Students who have behaviour problem, attention deficit or any other special
needs, may become frustrated when presented with a large assignment or
homework project. It is possible to avoid this frustration by using scaffolding
a strategy of providing clear structure and precisely stated expectations, and
breaking down tasks into manageable pieces.
Scaffolding Benefits
• Provides clear directions
• Clarifies purpose
• Keeps students on task
• Points students to worthy sources
• Reduces uncertainty, surprise, and disappointment
• Helps students to organize
• Breaks the work down into manageable pieces
• Provides a structure for completing the project
• Adaptation
Adaptations are planned, personalized alterations in the way teachers provide
instruction, in the way a student demonstrates learning, and in the assessment
of progress. Adaptations help students to achieve and to demonstrate the
achievement of the expected learning outcomes of the curriculum. Adaptations
are developed for individual students through planning by the teacher, student,
parents and possibly other support personnel. Students are assessed according
to the learning outcomes of the national curriculum. There are a variety of ways
that educators can provide adaptations for an individual student. These include
adaptations to:
• The physical and/or social environment
• Materials and resources, including the introduction of supportive equipment
• Presentations
• Testing and assessment procedures
• Assignments and homework
• Organizational supports
• The time required to achieve curriculum outcomes
Note: The list is not exhaustive. The strategies provided above are not the
only ones to be used when differentiating the curriculum. The teacher should
consider using any form of strategy depending to the needs of students in orderto support their need.
1.2. Conducting an inclusive assessment
a) Purpose of inclusive assessment
The overall purpose of inclusive assessment is the same as for any assessment
that caters for all learners including those with special education needs. The
primary purpose of assessment is to improve learners’ learning and teachers’
teaching as both learner and teacher respond to the information that it provides.
b) Principles of an inclusive assessments
Inclusive assessment involves the following:
• A range of methods and strategies that all aim to gather clear evidence
about learners’ achievements of learning outcomes for specific subjects;
• Methods that report on the outcomes of learning but also provides teachers
with information on how to develop and improve the process of learning for
an individual learner or groups of learners in the future.
c) Strategies for conducting an inclusive assessment
Assessment should give an indication of a learner’s level of achievement of the
learning outcomes associated with the course, topic or skill being assessed.
However, if a learner has a special educational need, then the assessment may
need to be modified so that the learners can demonstrate their learning.
The following are strategies to conduct an inclusive assessment:
Identify the learning outcomes (what you hope the learner will
know) being assessed
• What is the best way a learner can show the learning outcomes?
• Is there more than one way to demonstrate this knowledge/skill?
• Are you clear about which learning outcomes constitute a competence
standard? These must apply equally to all learners and may not be modified,
though the process by which the learner is enabled to demonstrate the
competence standard can be adapted.
Identify the criteria of assessment (in terms of lesson evaluation)
(how they can demonstrate knowledge, skills, attitudes) being
assessed
• How will you judge the level of achievement of each stage of the assessment
task?
• How will you distinguish exceptional performance from partial achievement
of the learning outcomes?
• How have you communicated the criteria to the learners?
Identify any part of the task which could pose specific difficulties
for learners
List what a learner will have to do to complete the assessment and try to
anticipate difficulties, considering learning styles as well as SEN.
• Does this task cater for learners with different learning styles as well as
different learning needs?
• Is there an alternative form of assessment which measures the learning
outcomes just as well?
• What reasonable adjustments could be made?
• If you feel one of your learners is likely to find the task difficult, discuss this
with the learner directly
Consider ways that you could adjust the task
How might you change the task itself to make it more inclusive and less
discriminatory for all learners?
• Special arrangements (e.g. extra time) or alternative assessments (e.g.
presentation instead of essay) for a few select learners only tend to reinforce
the deficit view of learners with special needs.
• An inclusive approach should offer a range of assessments to all learners:
i.e. different assessment of the same learning outcomes.
Can the adjustments be built into the curriculum rather than ‘tacked
on’?
Assessment should be built into the curriculum and should reflect an equality
approach to learners rather than trying to fit learners into existing assessments.
• Learners generally do not want to be singled out for special treatment.
• If an alternative assessment which assesses the learning outcomes isavailable, why can’t it be made available to all learners?
