Inclusionary Philosophy Statement

College of Mount St. Joseph

DaShonda L. Isham
July 24, 2013








Creating an inclusive learning environment
In my classroom, every student who is disabled and/or non-disabled will feel loved and
welcomed. My students will recognize that we are all different and have unique gifts and
abilities; these various backgrounds, identities, experiences and levels of privilege will make our
classroom special. To account for diverse learning styles, I will take into account that each
student has a learning style. According to Sternberg (1998), students learning style is a preferred
way of using his or her abilities. I will also account that my students maybe auditory, visual,
tactile or kinesthetic learners. To integrate diverse perspectives into my teaching, I will have a
philosophy of identifying what my students already know and build on their prior learning,
regardless of language, to promote an environment that engages all my students in learning.
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning
Within the context of inclusive practices, culturally responsive teaching and learning
means including all students no matter the disability or difference in the general education
classroom. As a teacher I will expect to encounter diversity of all kind in my classroom. The
various types of culturally responsive teaching and learning will involve diverse characteristics
such as learning styles, modality preferences for learning and performance preferences for
showing what has been learned. I will understand that many students do not come to school
adequately prepared, while others struggle to keep up with the curriculum for a various of
reasons.
Grounding in theory.
Relevant literature will inform my teaching practices based on data and evidenced based
practices. I believe research that can be supported and shown to be successful should be
implemented into my teaching practices. In contrast, literature that displays useless practices will
be avoided in my teaching practices. Theories of teaching and learning that I support are
Cognitive, Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theory. Cognitive theory supports the methods of
teaching for direct, differentiated and explicit instruction. In addition, inquiry based learning.
Behavioral theory supports the method of explicit instruction. Social cognitive theory supports
the methods of teaching for inquiry based learning, differentiated instruction, and affective
education.
Conclusion
As a future Intervention Specialist I feel that it is very important to have a philosophy for
Inclusion. I want to ensure that my students are included equally and have the best chance at an
equal educational experience. Best practice, supporting methods with theories and research are
very dear to me as an educator. One of my priorities is to know the learning styles and
backgrounds of each student that I encounter.