Creating an Inclusive Classroom

One of the most immediate ways that teachers can improve student engagement and learning is by thoughtfully and purposefully setting up the classroom environment. As a parallel, before planting seeds, a farmer must take great care to amend their soil, run irrigation lines, consider cover crops, frost dates, and other environmental considerations. Similarly, teachers should work to cultivate their classroom environment before students arrive, and continue to meet the basic environmental requirements of their students through structural, environmental changes. 

 

Because students enter the classroom with a wide range of abilities, backgrounds, cultures, preferences, and goals – it is in everyone’s best interest to structure the classroom environment to be as well amended and inclusive as possible. In this sense, rather than fighting the natural diversity of the student strengths and needs in the classroom, that diversity is accounted for and embraced to serve as the central domains of a safe, predictable, caring, supportive, and ambitious classroom environment. These five Domains form the backbone of the Inclusive Classroom Framework (ICF), and enable us to consider how various inclusive practices help to establish these Domains within our classrooms and schools.

 

Use the dropdowns below as a checklist to evaluate your classroom environment:

  • Classroom is well lit and clean
  • Classroom is temperature controlled and noise is moderated
  • Active supervision is provided
  • Teacher and students can see and hear each other at all times
  • There is an established process for asking for help and resolving conflicts
  • There is a designated space and/or routine for students to utilize calming strategies
  • Furniture is arranged for ease of movement
  • There are several distinct types of areas within the room i.e. area for working, area for materials to be stored, multiple tables or seating options.
  • Peer-peer interactions are monitored to ensure that bullying is not occurring
  • Emergency and safety procedures are clearly posted and frequently rehearsed
  • Orderly environment with easy access to frequently used materials
  • Routines, procedures, and transitions are well defined, consistent, and reviewed as needed
  • There is a posted schedule with clear expectations
  • Learning goals are articulated, posted, and reflected upon
  • Potential triggers, distractions, and disruptions are minimized
  • Activities and movement happen at organized and coordinated times
  • Students are made aware of upcoming changes before they happen
  • Common attention signals are consistently used
  • Teacher maintains a consistent demeanor
  • Teacher responds to misbehavior with consistency and proportionality
  • Classroom has a welcoming environment
  • Positive teacher attention is given equitably
  • Positive teacher attention is given frequently 
  • Positive teacher attention is given non-contingently
  • Each student has a personal connection to the teacher
  • The background of each student is taken into account and respected
  • The individual strengths and needs of each student are taken into account
  • Amicable and respectful interactions are the status quo
  • Students are encouraged to respectfully express and discuss their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions
  • Opportunities for interpersonal connections are emphasized throughout the day
  • Class periods start with activities to draw upon background knowledge and involve all students
  • Academic, social and emotional skills are explicitly taught, practiced, and reinforced
  • A continuum of academic, behavioral, social and emotional supports are available
  • Teacher frequently and quickly interacts with students to monitor their progress, encourage their engagement, and correct mistakes in learning
  • All students are provided with specific, ample, and helpful feedback geared towards spurring growth and self-reflection
  • Physical arrangement allows for a variety of flexible instructional groups and interactions
  • There are individual and group contingencies for classroom behavior
  • Students have access to tools to aid in learning, such as graphic organizers, math manipulatives, audio/visual, linguistic supports, etc.
  • Frequent activities geared towards including and engaging all students
  • Lessons are structured to build upon previous knowledge and ready the student for future learning
  • Instructional time is maximized 
  • Instructional level of lessons is challenging, but not overly difficult
  • Student agency, choice, self-direction, and self-monitoring are actively encouraged
  • Student resilience and self-regulation are taught, practiced, and encouraged
  • There are frequent opportunities to respond to instruction in a variety of groupings (individual, small group, whole group)
  • There are a variety of engagement methods (verbal, white boards, hand raising/gestures, response cards, technology, clickers, written, choral response, etc.)
  • There are a variety of formats for students to express and demonstrate understanding, and extend their learning (written reports, presentations, project based learning, etc.)
  • Large and small achievements in learning are visually displayed and celebrated
  • Learning activities are oriented toward achieving mastery of mutually agreed, developed, and understood goals
  • Meta-cognition is taught, encouraged, and expected of all students

Implementation Process

#1: The first step in creating an Inclusive Classroom is to evaluate your current levels of implementation. To complete a free, short self-assessment Google survey of these domains and practices, click here . Your results will be emailed to you upon completion, and helpful in identifying potential next steps.

#2: Starting in the Safe Domain, add up the results of your self-assessment until you reach a Domain with a <80% implementation rate. If all Domains are above 80%, set a higher threshold to continue to strive for an inclusive classroom.

#3: With your Domain identified, you can now select 1-3 practices to implement over the next 2 weeks. You can chose to get better at an existing practice, or take up a brand new practice – the choice is all yours! 

#4: Next it is time to begin your implementation journey! Over the next two weeks, implement your selected practices, reflect on the fidelity of your efforts daily, and review your results at the end of the week.

#5: After the initial two weeks of implementation, use your data to determine if you should: 

            • continue with the current practices until you reach an >80% fidelity rate.

            • set a higher implementation goal (80+%)

            • move on to another practice within the selected Domain

            • move on to the next Domain within the hierarchy and select new practices for implementation

Need More Support?

We are always busy building out new resources to support your implementation efforts. Below are a set of the resources we’ve developed thus far, with more to come soon!

          • Inclusive Classroom Framework: The Teacher’s eBook –  All the background, research, citations, and details regarding the Inclusive Classroom Framework are right here! After ten years of development and 300+ citations, this 240+ page eBook is available for any educator who is interested in deepening their knowledge of not just the inclusive practices, but also learning implementation tips, accessing problem solving techniques, and having a facilitation guide for building/district implementation efforts. Pick up a copy at cultivatechris.gumroad.com/l/ICFeBook 

          • ICF Workbook – This resource contains a basic overview of the research involved in creating this body of work, as well as implementation templates for each of the 50 inclusive practices. With this resource, educators can follow the process above, and once they get to Step #3, just hit print on their selected practice(s), and be fully ready for implementation! To purchase a pdf version of the Inclusive Classroom Framework – The Workbook, go to our Gumroad page at https://cultivatechris.gumroad.com/l/yyopok

          • eLearning Course – In partnership with Infinitec, there is now a self-paced eLearning course that guides participants through initial exposure to the concepts of the ICF, through selection of inclusive practices for implementation, and wraps up with guidance on how to utilize the implementation fidelity data for continuous improvement.  The content is broken up into the 3 Modules (~30 minutes each to complete), and is intended to be spread out over a 2-3 week period. This resource is great for new and veteran teachers, as well as specialists, paraprofessionals, and aides. More information at https://www.myinfinitec.org/login

          • Training and Coaching – We offer a variety of in-person and remote training and coaching options that are customized to your needs. This can range for single session workshops, to multi-year training and coaching partnerships. To discuss your training and coaching needs, leave us a brief message about your situation, and we will schedule an initial consultation to see what options make the most sense for you. https://www.cultivateeducation.org/contact-us/