Introduction
The topic of this work is the practical application of the inclusion approach to learning. This is a form of organization of educational activities in which the teacher works with a group of first-year students, which is compiled considering the presence of their shared qualities. Based on the analysis of cases of children with high (Christianne) and low (Sean) levels of knowledge and motivation, it will be shown how to include all children in the educational process.
Background
The inclusion approach to speech learning refers to the distribution of students into groups according to one academic group’s knowledge, skills, and ability levels. At the same time, the learning process is carried out according to a single curriculum and joint materials. This micro-level of inclusion is sometimes called internal or intra-class (Hill, 2006b). In conditions of internal inclusion, multi-level training is possible mainly at the stage of consolidation and generalization of knowledge.
Essay Purpose
The writing of this essay is aimed at demonstrating the successful implementation of the inclusion approach in teaching. Introducing inclusion learning strategies to the preparation process in the First Year makes it possible to create favorable conditions for all students (Hoover & Gough, 1990). Thus, the essay demonstrates how to create conditions under which each student can master the educational material according to their educational capabilities.
Sean’s Case
Background
When compared to his older brother, Sean’s mother believed he had a learning disability before he entered school. Most individuals she asked about Sean advised her to give him space and let him grow at his own pace. Sean was a problematic speaker to understand in preschool because of his short sentences. Sometimes, he made sounds like cartoon characters on television and communicated with gestures, grabbing people (Hill, 2006a).
Sean’s mother spent much time at the school when he first started going there. Sean would participate if interested in a subject or a book the teacher had read aloud. He ruined instructions if he was not interested in avoiding doing the homework he did not want to do because he already felt unmotivated.
Current Knowledge
After several months in school, Sean still has trouble reading a straightforward book with one- or two-word captions. He is familiar with a few letters, including the ones in his name, S, N, and A. He can read a limited set of well-known high-frequency words. He does have a sizable vocabulary, but using it requires patience and trust (Hill, 2006a). He has extensive knowledge of cartoon themes, characters, and sound effects. However, Sean’s knowledge is not enough for the first year.
Most Relevant Literacy Elements
For Sean, the most relevant literature elements include speaking and listening. These two literary elements are closely related: listening prepares speech, and speaking helps to perceive the text by ear. The reproduction of oral speech and the expression of thoughts orally are attractive to the boy, as he likes to be an authority among peers and tell jokes. This requires a broad vocabulary that must be constantly expanded (Hill, 2006a). Listening is relevant for the boy because he is fond of watching cartoons, and he wants to understand what the characters are talking about and be able to catch the main idea from the context.
Needs
Sean needs more time to develop than other children. Therefore, he needs to complete tasks at his own pace. The teacher may vary the requirements regarding the completion of tasks by the teacher in a separate lesson. During the study of the topic, he can be given a smaller volume and level of complexity of tasks (Konza, 2014). Seen needs to advance by using this love of cartoons as a springboard, working with him to build short spoken phrases and recording them on sentence strips to produce early language experience books. An individual way of performing tasks and their details, focused on Sean’s favorite characters, will increase the boy’s motivation.
Christianne’s Case
Background
When Christianne started kindergarten at age 5, she used to bring home the short-leveled texts she was reading in class and read them to her mother. She meticulously duplicated both the text and the drawings. She started creating her little reading books. The writing examples gathered for Christianne revealed that she enjoyed copying from books and that her mother would correct her spelling when she wrote at home (Hill, 2006a). Christianne went from her house to school with ease. Christianne and her mother, a teacher, would sit down in the evenings while the mother prepared for school and Christianne did her homework. She was an extremely talented beginning writer and reader.
Current Knowledge
At the moment, Christianne reads whole words correctly and consciously. The girl reads without errors at a pace of at least 25-30 words per minute, understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences (Comber, 2004). This corresponds to increased reading skill development in the First Year (Konza, 2014). Christianne can perform an oral retelling of the read text. She also knows how to highlight the main idea of what she has read and find words and expressions that confirm this idea in the text. The girl has writing skills, and although she is confused about spelling some letters, teachers and parents can recognize words in her notes. Christianne’s literacy development level is elevated for the first Class.
Most Relevant Literacy Elements
For Christianne, the most relevant literature elements are reading and writing. In the reading, a substantive plan and a procedural plan are distinguished: the meaning of the text and how it is read (Parkin & Harper, 2019). Both aspects are essential for Christianne: the girl likes reading the material and working with it to consolidate. She also enjoys reading aloud, correlating graphemes with morphemes, and developing holistic techniques for recognizing graphic signs; she discusses what she has read with her mother and grandmother and asks questions (Hill & Louden, 1999). Since Christianne loves to draw and tries to make her books, she likes to write. Writing for the girl is a way to control what she reads and a means of teaching reading.
Needs
Christianne quickly and with interest masters the program, so she needs her curiosity to be satisfied. The primary method of developing intellectual abilities in the classroom has been and remains the solution of cognitive non-standard tasks and increased complexity (Australian Curriculum, 2023). To fully disclose Christiane’s creative and intellectual abilities, she needs to suggest additional literature to read and topics to discuss. Additional interesting tasks will allow the girl to realize her potential – with their help, she will not be bored in class. Christianne needs to be engaged in developing intellectual and creative abilities because she is an active and curious child.
Year 1 Literacy Program
Essential Elements
The child must pronounce all sounds clearly and have good articulation. Reading should be smooth, while it can be syllabic, conscious, and correct in the First Year, with a clear pronunciation of syllables and words (Parkin & Harper, 2019). The child should answer questions and be able to ask them and consistently and in detail retell a familiar plot (for example, a fairy tale) or a story that has just been listened to. A first-year student should have a relatively large vocabulary; they need to understand the ambiguity of words and name a word with a meaning opposite to the meaning of a given word (Hill, 2006b). The child should know how to spell some letters and be able to draw essential graphic elements of writing, such as spirals or dashes.
Catering for Diversity
Inclusion for Sean
In the case of Sean, the teacher can apply inclusion by motivation. To do this, tasks should be prepared for the lesson to correct knowledge, usually intended for children who fail in certain subjects. The moral and psychological climate that develops around a student who requires correction of knowledge is favorable for the development of the student (Cox et al., 2019). They stop feeling outside pressure and have the opportunity to develop at their own convenient pace. At the same time, specially prepared tasks on the topic of interest to children allow them to remain included.
Inclusion for Christianne
In the situation with Christianne, inclusion can be used based on considering students’ overall level of learning and development. It is suitable for children with positive features of the development of cognitive processes. It is necessary to consider the activities in which a capable child shows interest (Castles et al., 2019). In the case of Christianne, this is, for example, drawing and reading. It is possible to give such children an in-depth study of subjects of interest and to involve such students in subject circles, clubs, and cognitive-creative or scientific associations. Thus, their potential will be realized, and the child’s personal and professional development will begin.
Conclusion
The technology of level inclusivity has undoubted advantages. It makes it possible to set actual learning tasks for students and motivates the growth of interest in classes on the part of weaker students. This is because there are tasks that they can honestly perform on their own.
For stronger students, the inclusivity system provides opportunities for independent orientation in various educational materials and methods of academic work. It takes into account not only the general characteristics of students but also the individual needs of each of them. Thus, the strategy of inclusion is the choice of a feasible level of education for everyone and the opportunity to become a subject of cognitive activity for all students.
References
Australian Curriculum (2023). English (Version 8.4): Year 1. Web.
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 5–51. Web.
Comber, B. (2004). Three little boys and their literacy trajectories. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 27(2), 114-127. Web.
Cox, R., Feez, S., & Beveridge, L. (2019). Reading: An essential activity in our society. In R. Cox, S. Feez & L. Beveridge (Eds.), The alphabetic principle and beyond: Surveying the landscape (pp. 2-13). Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).
Hill, S., & Louden, W. (1999). Literacy development in the first year of schooling [Paper presentation]. ACER Research Conference 1999: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, NSW, Australia.
Hill, S. (2006a). Case Study. In Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching (pp. 20-21). Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
Hill, S. (2006b). Phonics. In Developing early literacy: Assessment and teaching (pp. 265-279). Eleanor Curtain Publishing.
Hoover, W. A., & Gough, P. B. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2(2), 127-160. Web.
Konza, D. (2014). Teaching reading: Why the “Fab Five” should be the “Big Six”. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(12), 153-169. Web.
Parkin, B., & Harper, H. (2019). Scaffolding alphabetic knowledge when teaching and learning about texts. In R. Cox, S. Feez & L. Beveridge (Eds.), The alphabetic principle and beyond: Surveying the landscape (pp. 127-148). Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).