Reflection Essay: S00284792

The Institute for Community Inclusion defines inclusion as "all people, regardless of

their abilities, disabilities, or health care needs, have the right to: Be respected and

appreciated as valuable members of their communities.". (What We Mean When We

Talk About Inclusion, 2020). Having an inclusive classroom gives children the chance

to learn skills and develop an overall sense of patience and empathy. Giving all

students the ability to share the same classroom and create a collaborative

environment, allowing smoother learning patterns and an increase of awareness for

children who have not been exposed to certain learning behaviours, such as learning

disabilities.

The formation of attitudes towards people with disabilities is based upon, media, past

experiences, parents, peers/friends, knowledge, teachers/coaches, learning and

prejudice. According to Fazio Russel, attitudes are formed through three processes;

affect, cognition and behaviour. (Fazio, 2007). Affect refers to how the person, issue,

object or event makes you feel. Cognition is your thoughts and beliefs about the

subject. Lastly, behaviour is how attitudes influence your behaviour. (Gans, 2020).

Due to these processes being interrelated, all of the above moulds an overall attitude

towards how we proceed with people.

A learning disability is defined as a "serious and ongoing difficulty with one or more

of the following areas of learning – reading, spelling, writing, and maths. A child with

a learning disability will have a low level of ability in one or more of these areas when

his educational opportunities, age, and other abilities are taken into account.".
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(Learning disabilities: spotting the signs and supporting your child, 2019). According

to 'Learning Disabilities Australia', a learning disability can range from, dyslexia,

ADHD, non-verbal learning, language processing disorder, visual perceptual and so

on. There is no certain type of learning disability and someone can have more than

one. (Types of Learning Disabilities, 2020). Learning disabilities can take a major toll

on children; emotionally, socially and mentally. There are many positives to having

students with learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms. (6 Reasons for Fully

Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms, 2019). Positives such

as; children with learning disabilities add diversity to the classroom, as well as

bringing in new strengths for all students to learn from. As for the teachers, it allows

them to learn how to provide information in many ways and fulfil their student's

needs; which overall creates a more well-rounded teacher who can apply knowledge

in a way that everyone will understand. (Chan, Fong, & Hector, 2004)

During my previous practicum experience, I tutored my younger sister; who was

diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia at the start of year six. It took

me a great deal of research, advice and time to be able to completely understand the

extent of her disabilities. Dyslexia is a learning disorder which creates difficulty in

reading due to problems with identifying sounds and relating letters and words

(decoding). (Dyslexia, 2017). Since being removed from streamline classes, and

joining the mainstream classes, her grades have improved dramatically from D's to

B's. It is clear to see that being placed in mainstream classes has helped my sister

significantly, in not just her studies, but with her social wellbeing as well.

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I believe through my experiences with my sister, that having an inclusive classroom

is the best for all students, however, having a learning support teacher in the

classroom who can specifically help students who are experiencing learning

difficulties is a great option. Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)

acknowledges that finding strategies and activities for each individual is the most

efficient way in creating more inclusion. (Australian Professional Standards for

Teachers, 2010). This encourages a collaborative classroom, but as well aids

students with more challenging parts of the lesson; this allows the removal of

segregation and prejudice in classrooms.

After my practicum experience, I believe that my attitudes towards students with

learning disabilities have changed dramatically, as my opinion is at a more educated

and empathetic level. I used to believe that it wasn't as challenging for students

experiencing learning disabilities as it truly is. I thought that with extra tutoring it

would all be fixed, and in some lucky cases it can be fixed to a certain degree, but in

many cases, people will always have some trouble with certain parts of learning

compared to others. I learnt that teaching methods such as reading to students a few

times, going through information slowly and respecting any questions/confusion they

may have, will help them feel more comfortable and be more efficient in the long

term. (Corti & Cantero, 2015)

According to 4.1.1 APST, which is supporting student participation and comes under

creating and maintaining supportive and safe learning environments. The APST links

to my experiences as my sister has always been more motivated while being

supported with her learning difficulties. It is important for children to feel safe and
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comfortable in their classroom, and to be able to reflect upon experiences in a

positive light. (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, 2010). The APST is

an important guide, as teachers are able to have the best outcomes if they

understand and teach by these concepts.

I now understand that it can take time for people with learning difficulties to

comprehend certain information depending on the extent of their disability. I do

believe having all children in a mainstream classroom will encourage them to push

through difficult times and allow them to enjoy their time in class more. Creating a

more diverse and overall collaborative classroom helps all children and teachers in

the long term. I believe that segregating children who are already fearful of

judgement and not being a part of a 'majority' group is creating more of a divide. By

placing children in the same classroom despite their learning needs, will not only

create a collaborative learning environment but will eventually abolish any judgment

and attitudes towards students facing more challenges in the classroom. (Jovanović;

& Rajović, 2010)

In conclusion, attitude formations are easily established, and only through education

of my past practicum experience is how I learnt not to judge someone off of their

learning abilities. Through becoming more aware of my sister's needs I was able to

apply methods to help and encourage her to improve at school, whether it was

significant or not. It is clear to see that through the APST, inclusion is a main focus in

classrooms. It is important to have a collaborative learning environment in order to

succeed. I believe that learning disabilities create more diversity in the classroom

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and gives students the chance to widen their knowledge and accept challenges more

frequently.

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 References

6 Reasons for Fully Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms.
(2019). Retrieved from For Learning and Human Development:
https://www.institute4learning.com/2016/10/16/6-reasons-for-fully-including-ch
ildren-with-special-needs-in-regular-classrooms/

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. (2010, July). Retrieved from aitsl:
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Chan, C. C., Fong, C., & Hector, W. T. (2004). Factors influencing occupational
therapy students' attitudes toward persons with disabilities: A conjoint
analysis.

Corti, N., & Cantero, M. (2015). Future teachers and their attitude towards inclusion
of people with disabilities. A gender perspective.

Dyslexia. (2017, Jul 22). Retrieved from Mayo Clinic:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/sy
c-20353552

Fazio, R. H. (2007, Oct 01). Attitudes as Object-Evaluation Associations of Varying

Strength. Retrieved from NCBI:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677817/

Gans, S. (2020, Jan 10). Attitudes and Behavior in Psychology. Retrieved from
verywellmind:
https://www.verywellmind.com/attitudes-how-they-form-change-shape-behavi
or-2795897

Jovanović;, O., & Rajović, V. (2010). Professional and private experience with
persons with special needs and attitudes of teachers of regular schools
towards inclusion. University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of
Psychology.

Learning disabilities: spotting the signs and supporting your child. (2019, Aug 27).
Retrieved from Raising Children:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/learning-difficulties/le
arning-disabilities-signs-and-support

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Types of Learning Disabilities. (2020). Retrieved from LDA:
https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/

What We Mean When We Talk About Inclusion. (2020). Retrieved from Institute for
Community Inclusion:
https://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=213%C2%A0