If you’re here it may be because you’ve found my website by chance. It’s more likely, however, seeing as Google doesn’t think my SEO is good enough yet, that you saw something on LinkedIn or Instagram and decided to give it a read.
Introducing… An Introduction to Inclusive Approaches
(Yes, I know – too many forms of the word ‘introduce’ for one sentence!)
This is the unimaginative name for my new course. I could have gone for something snappier but I really wanted it to ‘do as it says on the tin’ and reflect that a) it’s a short introductory course, b) it’s about making classrooms more inclusive and c) the way in which we can do this is by taking a different approach.
Because for me, inclusion means finding ways of making learning accessible and desirable for neurodiverse learners (and, as Martin Bloomfield posted on LinkedIn recently, 100% of the population is neurodiverse).
It doesn’t involve lots of differentiated activities and worksheets, even though these may have their place in your classroom.
This course isn’t about SEN (Special Educational Needs). You’re not going to learn strategies and tricks for ‘dealing with’ children with learning differences and diverse needs. There are other courses that will do a much better job than me in teaching you about that, run by trained SEN specialists.
So what is the course about?
It’s about changing the way we think about learning and teaching. It’s about turning what we typically do in the classroom on its head and thinking about it from different learner viewpoints. It’s about making lessons REALLY engaging so that each learner will find something they want to learn, whatever their interests and abilities.
It’s about finding ways for everyone to learn. And creating the best conditions for learning to take place.
Why should you take this course?
If you’re like me, you want to make the world a better place for future generations (yes, it’s a bit of a grand idea, but that is pretty much the bottom line of my dreams and aspirations). And I believe that one thing we can do is start to rethink our education systems, including ELT. I can’t promise that this course will help you change the world, but I can say that it will help you think more about your learners as individuals and their feelings about learning.
It may also encourage you to wonder what the future may hold for the children of today. What skills might they need when they grow up? What jobs will they have? Will rote learning and tests help them in the future? I don’t think so (at least I hope not).
I know it’s hard to predict the future and I don’t have any definite answers to those questions. But I do think it’s useful to keep these questions at the back of our minds when thinking about what we do in the classroom.
An Introduction to Inclusive Approaches is a short, three-week course that will:
✔ explore the key principles of inclusive classroom practice
✔ consider factors involved in a child’s wellbeing and social and emotional needs
✔ give you an overview of different learner-centred pedagogical approaches
✔ look at how we can align our course or programme with core standards, objectives and competencies
The course includes:
🔓3 x live workshops including group discussion activities (5 hours total)
🔓a community where you can reflect on the week’s content and discuss further
🔓feedback and support on how to implement changes to your own teaching
At the end of the course, you’ll
💡have a good idea of what factors need to be considered to make a classroom inclusive to a range of learners and needs
💡understand the benefits of a variety of inclusive approaches and the principles which underpin them
💡have considered what action you can take to make your classroom more inclusive.
The beta version of this course is at the discounted rate of 95€ (approximately £80 / $100) and will be held end of June/July. You will need 2 to 4 hours per week to complete the course.
Visit the course page to find out more and sign up now! 🙋
And let me know what you think. Are you interested in taking the course? What are your educational dreams and aspirations?
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