Safe and Inclusive Learning
You now need to apply principles of classroom management in order to develop best practice for a class that you will be teaching, deliver a well-managed lesson, which has a safe and inclusive learning environment
• Safe And Inclusive Learning Environment
The plan provides multiple pieces of evidence of a safe environment, takes into consideration the requirements of all send students in the classroom and provides modifications as required
• Principles Of A Well-Managed Class
Multiple principles of a well-managed class are clearly highlighted and taken into consideration in the plan
Creating a Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment
- Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment
The teaching and learning process occurs best in classroom environments that are safe and inclusive for all the students. A safe classroom environment takes various aspects into consideration. Firstly, learners ought to feel physically well in the classroom. Secondly, the environment ought to support emotional wellbeing. Thirdly, a safe and inclusive classroom environment takes care of the students’ social needs (Salahuddin, 2017). To meet all the dictates of a safe and inclusive classroom, a teacher should plan appropriately based on past experiences with the learners.
For the classroom that I will be teaching, I will engage various strategies to ensure the safety and inclusivity of the learners. Immediately after entering the classroom, I will look out for items that could cause physical harm to the learners and ensure that they are appropriately placed to mitigate the occurrence of accidents. I will ensure that learners can easily manoeuvre through the classroom without encountering any obstacles. Tripping hazards are among the major causes of injuries in the classroom (Thapa & Cohen, 2013). Keeping them off assures the teachers that the learners are physically safe.
To ensure emotional safety of all learners in the classroom, I will adopt a friendly teaching approach which does not make the learners feel uncomfortable. I will engage the learners throughout the lesson. I will reinforce both the high achievers and low achievers when they give correct answers. Celebrating the achievement of learners at the lesson level motivates them to do even better (Thapa & Cohen, 2013). However, I will ensure that the reinforcement gives the two categories of learners’ equal pride in their work.
Achieving social safety is usually a challenge in the classroom as it is mostly dependent on the students. It is shaped by various aspects such as culture, background and academic achievement. Attaining social safety and inclusivity requires goodwill among all the learners. To boost social safety and inclusivity, I will desist from using a judgmental language during the lesson. Teaching examples will be drawn from varied cultures, and I will (Blecker & Boakes, 2010) avoid commenting on cultural stereotypes while teaching. I believe that this strategy will be so helpful, especially when the students will be performing the group activities. There will be a higher possibility of them modelling my tendencies.
• Principles of A Well-Managed Class
To ensure that the lesson meets all the requirements of a safe and inclusive classroom environment, I will apply various principles to prevent digression by the learners. Firstly, I will communicate my expectations to the learners for the lesson. Even though the learners are much aware of the do’s and don’ts in the classroom, I will emphasize some points, especially those that are related to the lesson activities. I will remind them of good communication skills and the consequences of unexpected behaviour. The two reminders will serve perfectly in addressing the occurrence of unfriendly behaviour towards one another and maintaining proper classroom organization throughout the lesson.
I will act promptly if any indiscipline occurs during the lesson. I will apply the stated consequences on the uncooperative learners to ensure that similar cases do not reappear during the lesson. For instance, if a learner portrays an anti-social behaviour likely to cause social harm on another learner, I will make them apologize for the offence during the session. Since most students would not like to be put through the same, they are less likely to make a similar mistake.
References
Blecker, N. S., & Boakes, N. J. (2010). Creating a learning environment for all children: Are teachers able and willing? International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(5), 435-447.
Salahuddin, S. F. (2017). Building inclusive learning-friendly classrooms: need of the hour. International Journal of Reflective Research in Social Sciences, 1(1), 10-13.
Thapa, A., & Cohen, J. (2013). A Review of School Climate Research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385.