The Inclusive Classroom and Grouping Arrangements for Students

 

The Inclusive Classroom and Grouping Arrangements for Students

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Introduction

Depending on the activity, teachers employ several ways to promote learning in the classroom. Since varied groupings help to create diversity and hence sustain motivation, the task the teacher provides will have an impact on the success of grouping in the classroom. Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process, therefore grouping arrangements for them fosters inclusivity and a sense of belonging among the group members. When students work in small groups as opposed to being lectured on the same material, they learn more and retain it for longer (Davis, 1993). When we foster inclusive learning settings for them to thrive, our students' involvement in learning increases. As a result, this research links grouping approaches to learning activities for high school students based on instructional choice as well as subject domains in the classroom.

Classroom Grouping for Learning Activities

Students with and without learning difficulties should be included in the inclusive grouping for classroom activities, and it should address the various academic, social, emotional, and communicative requirements of all students (WETA, 2022). Small-group instruction, a special sort of instruction utilized for special education, is closely tied to active learning. For student-led small-group activities to be considered educational, they must incorporate the learning of academic material, which includes a variety of learning objectives, tasks, and assessment procedures (Ward, 1987) at par with appropriate grouping related to the learning activity, grade, and subject. The graph below displays the grouping strategies used in the learning activities and topic areas in the classroom for students in grade 10.

Age Range: 16-18 years, Grade Level: High School (Grade 11)

1.

Subject	Poetry/ English Literature
Activity	Understanding and interpreting a poem.
Grouping Ideas	Project-Based Learning: Students use the Internet lab to do their projects in small groups. To acquire the crucial knowledge and abilities they will need to study over a long period, students will work together, conduct research, interpret, and contextualize the literary period of the poem (Buck Institute for Education, n.d.).   Aronson Jigsaw: Students will be divided into small "jigsaw" groups. A group leader who is a high achiever should be appointed in each group. Different parts of the same text will be given to each student to learn and understand in their own way. One student from each jigsaw group should join other students allocated to the same segment to form temporary "expert groups" (Social Psychology Network, n.d.). Students come back to their initial jigsaw groups and present their pieces to the group. Students will be asked to move around, visit other groups to observe the process, and finally end by solving the quiz given by the teacher.

2.

Subject	Clauses and Types of Sentences. / English Grammar
Activity	Identifying clauses and types of sentences such as simple, compound, and complex sentences from the Reading textbook
Grouping Ideas	Cooperative Learning: Students work in small groups to determine whether sentences are simple, compound, or complex from the given worksheet using the knowledge that they’ve just learned. An audio player to access an audio component of the sentences or worksheet with large font sizes can be given to impaired students.   Peer Collaboration: Students work in pairs to identify the main clause in each sentence from the given sentences. Pairings will be composed of a high achiever and a student who is a low achiever in the class.

3.

Subject	Reading and Comprehending Short Story/ English Language Arts
Activity	Reading and comprehending a story from the prescribed reading textbook.
Grouping Ideas	Learning Station: Students will be grouped according to their learning abilities in different learning stations. They can go to the station that is tailored to their learning abilities. They will be provided with different options to understand and comprehend the text, such as audiobook, comic, summary, art book, video, etc., to access the components of the story.   Buddy Reading: A student will be paired with a buddy who is a high achiever. One who needs accommodations will read the story, and the other who is a high achiever will assist in reading and then explain the story. They take turns going through the same process and assist the needy during the process to read and understand the story.

Reflection On What an Educator Anticipates an Inclusive Class to Need

Providing various modes of group activities to the learners can motivate them effectively because they are fully engaged in an active learning process that enables them to develop their critical thinking, communication, and decision-making skills, which are essential for those students with special needs. It necessitates careful planning and grouping of ideas to avoid student frustration. As suggested by the University of Waterloo (n.d.), teachers should carefully think about how the students will be physically arranged while grouping them and should discuss with them their past experiences regarding group work. Most importantly, the activities should be focused on the instructional objectives and should be collaborative to create an inclusive classroom.

Conclusion

Students would have the opportunity to interact with a range of classmates and build their collaboration skills through groups based on their preparation level, interests, or learning preferences if they were properly grouped and engaged in collaborative learning (Mursky, 2011). According to Cohen and Barczyk (2015), by adjusting and rearranging the tasks and content to make learning more inclusive and assist students who need particular attention, teachers will be able to adapt the learning materials in the classroom to match their classroom needs.

 

References

Buck Institute for Education. (n.d.). What is PBL? https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Implementing Group Work in the Classroom. Centre for Teaching Excellence. https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-work/implementing-group-work-classroom

Davis, G. D. (1993). Tools for Teaching. https://istr695.sitehost.iu.edu/readingsfall2013/Tools%20For%20Teaching.pdf

Mursky, C. (2011). Flexible Grouping. https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/cal/pdf/flexible-grouping.pdf

Social Psychology Network. (n.d.). The Jigsaw Classroom. https://www.jigsaw.org/

Ward, B.A. (1987). Instructional grouping in the classroom. School Improvement Research Series. https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/InstructionalGrouping.pdf

WETA. (2022). Inclusive Classrooms: A Primer for Teachers. https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/inclusive-classrooms#:~:text=An%20inclusive%20classroom%20is%20a,communication%20needs%20of%20all%20students.

Cohen, R. & Barczyk, R. (2015). Adapting materials to meet your classroom needs [Presentation slides]. American English. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ ae/resource_files/webinar_15.2_-_slides_for_ae.pdf