ACTIVE OBSERVATION AND CRITICAL REFLECTION JOURNAL

Inclusivity

Reflection Questions:

1. How does Student inclusivity impact the classroom?

My placement is currently affected by the Covid Pandemic. I’ve been put in an online correspondence class
made available through the Greater Essex County District School-Board. Instead of daily communication with
the students, we have designated meeting days where weekly packets that the students receive in advance
are discussed, and any questions the students may have are answered. The students are from various areas,
with some having reliable access to the internet and others not so much. In an effort to support student
inclusivity, my associate teacher has made it so that the packets contain written explanations and visual aids
so the students can guide their own learning, as well as supplemental reading links that the students can
access, rather than rely exclusively on the synchronous classes. There are multiple IEP students amongst the
students who have been placed in this correspondence group for the duration of the pandemic, and the
associate teacher makes every effort to familiarize herself with their specific needs, however, the nature of
correspondence learning makes extra support difficult.

2. What type of strategies did you use to ensure that each student could be successful?

I make every effort to create packet content that is equitably accessible for the students, after some guidance
from my associate teacher. At the beginning, I wanted to take advantage of the online format to incorporate
more digital learning activities, but was informed of the barriers that some of the children face in terms of
internet and technology. I now focus on making packets for the children that have infographics, graphic
organizers, and simple yet comprehensive explanations of content. The synchronous components of the
classroom tend to be dominated by students without IEPs, with better grasp on the English language, and who
have better internet and technology access.

3. How can you successfully integrate student inclusivity into your classroom culture and pedagogy?

My associate teacher and I try to actively engage the other students in order to create some balance during
synchronous sessions by inviting others to speak, and showing that the various opinions and backgrounds of
the students in the class are all valid and worth deliberation. Though we cannot invite speakers or engage the
students physically, we make sure to apply culturally competent pedagogies in our planning for them. In the
unit packets, we use examples and scenarios with a diverse spectrum of representation, and try to make
thinks appeal to the children’s current interests as well, and we encourage the children to share their own
thoughts at every synchronous session.