You are on page 1of 2

Excerpts from Inclusive Education Assessment Task - Field Trip Report

Introduction
Inclusive education is founded on the principle that all students, regardless of any additional
needs, have a moral and social-justice right to be educated in a mainstream setting
(Foreman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014, p. 127). However, the existence of this right does not
necessarily imply that all students developmental and educational needs can be most
effectively met within such a setting. In fact, a broad and all-encompassing approach to
inclusion acknowledges that special schools or units are an appropriate context for
considering and catering for the additional needs of many students. This approach seeks to
address the learning needs of all children, youth, and adults with a specific focus on those
who are vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion (Westwood, 2013, p. 2). The following
report intends to explore these concepts further, with specific reference to a recently
undertaken field trip to the Special Education Support Unit at Hume Public School in
Lavington.
Teaching Strategies
A number of effective teaching strategies were present in the learning that was observed
throughout the field trip. As in mainstream education, the teaching strategies employed in
special schools and units need to be characterised by teacher flexibility, authenticity for the
learner, empowerment, a sense of timeliness, and a genuine understanding of each students
needs (Foreman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014, p. 192). The last of these was observed as being the
most significant within the Support Unit, with staff needing to cater for each students specific
learning preferences. Much of the pedagogy, particularly within the senior primary class,
involved direct instruction and modelling with considerable use of repetition and reference to
routine. Students were given abundant opportunities to practise new skills with the provision
of immediate feedback. This process was often reinforced by visual and written prompts and
cues around the classroom. As students with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities are
slower at processing information and need longer to master each new step in learning,
many educators consider such strategies to be the most effective means of meeting their
needs (Westwood, 2013, p. 24).
Additionally, much of the field trip consisted of observing and assisting the students as they
prepared for their approaching class assembly. These preparations, as well as many of the
Support Units regular activities, were typified by the integral role of technology and
multimedia. For example, the major component of the assembly was a projected video of a

song about emotions, with the students performing a related dance. This strategy was highly
effective, as research suggests that there are a multiplicity of benefits that can result from
incorporating technological devices when teaching students with disabilities, such as
enhancing student engagement, motivation, and learning (Yakubova & Taber-Doughty,
2012, p. 1465). Finally, the concluding activity that was observed in the junior primary class
was an imaginative drama game, throughout which the teacher encouraged students to act
as pirates searching for buried treasure. This was intended to develop students language
and communication skills, cooperative attitudes, capacity for imaginative thought, and
awareness of appropriate social behaviours (NSW Department of Education and
Communities, n.d.). These pedagogical approaches were observed as being highly effective.
They met the specific learning needs of the students in the Support Unit, allowing them to
overcome many of the inherent difficulties associated with their intellectual disabilities.

You might also like