Executive Summary
As a result of various pieces of legislature such as The Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Alberta Teachers Association Professional Code of Conduct, teachers are required to provide inclusive learning environments for all students. With this obligation come ethical considerations that can make inclusion more complicated for teachers. Some of these issues include:
· Teachers face heightened responsibilities when they accept a learner with unique needs into their classroom.
· Teachers often feel unprepared to deal with students with unique needs. Is it safe for these students to be under the care of someone who has not received specifically relevant education?
· Often teachers are forced to spend more time with a student with unique needs compared to the rest of the class. Is that fair?
Inclusion is an extremely important topic of conversation surrounding education because of the vast array of abilities found in our schools. The research that we have conducted has revealed both positives and negatives with inclusion; however, the vast majority speaks in favor of educational inclusivity.
Despite ethical concerns surrounding inclusion, teachers are required to include all students in their everyday classrooms. Some recommendations in order to be successful in this area include:
· Seek relevant training! Professional development, post secondary courses, etc.
· Focus on equity rather than equality when dealing with inclusion. This will eliminate the, “that is not fair” comment if you need to spend more time with one specific student.
· Ask for help if you not comfortable!
· Develop a strong relationship with parents! They will be willing to share ideas and strategies that work for their child.
· Teachers face heightened responsibilities when they accept a learner with unique needs into their classroom.
· Teachers often feel unprepared to deal with students with unique needs. Is it safe for these students to be under the care of someone who has not received specifically relevant education?
· Often teachers are forced to spend more time with a student with unique needs compared to the rest of the class. Is that fair?
Inclusion is an extremely important topic of conversation surrounding education because of the vast array of abilities found in our schools. The research that we have conducted has revealed both positives and negatives with inclusion; however, the vast majority speaks in favor of educational inclusivity.
Despite ethical concerns surrounding inclusion, teachers are required to include all students in their everyday classrooms. Some recommendations in order to be successful in this area include:
· Seek relevant training! Professional development, post secondary courses, etc.
· Focus on equity rather than equality when dealing with inclusion. This will eliminate the, “that is not fair” comment if you need to spend more time with one specific student.
· Ask for help if you not comfortable!
· Develop a strong relationship with parents! They will be willing to share ideas and strategies that work for their child.