Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

Here in this article, we are going to talk about what is roles and responsibilities of administrators in ensuring an inclusive and equitable school system. let's explore the main key points of it

Define clear minimum standards for behaviour:

All children in your class should be perfectly clear on what the minimum basic acceptable levels of behavior are. behaviour. These are rules devised and agreed upon by both you and your class. I have to. Once agreed, have the children sign the class contract and make sure they understand that class rules are everyone's responsibility. You may want to involve children in creating your class rules ad. Keep it short and simple so everyone can understand it. Don't use these rules specifically for learning, make sure everyone feels safe and respected.

Examples of rules you might agree on are:

• Be kind

• Keep your hands and feet to yourself

• Use kind words at all times

• Always respect the property of others

• Everyone has the right to feel safe and respected

• Everyone has the right to express themselves and listen to

2. Enforce rules consistently, with proportionate consequences.

Just as basic class rules should be perfectly clear and understandable, so too should we agree on the consequences of ignoring those class rules. These results must be proportional and consistently applied. Remember:

A code of conduct is the minimum acceptable in a classroom. So try to be consistent with the results when they break. If you notice a problem with your teaching method, the first thing you should do is review your own teaching method. “Is this lesson inclusive and engaging for all children?” There may be ways to adjust your teaching to avoid this kind of confusion.

3. Deal with children who misbehave in a sensitive way.

You know how we said not to write the name of the child who kept calling out on the board? That's because it is an insensitive way of dealing with an issue, which visibly singles out a child in front of everyone. If you write a child's name down on a piece of paper, they know they have misbehaved. They also have the opportunity to stop consequences and amend their behavior without further consequences. If you write the name of a child who misbehaves on the board—visible to everyone—why would they choose to change their behavior? Their name will remain up there, for all to see, regardless of whether they start to behave better, or not. It's humiliating – not inclusive, especially for children who regularly struggle with some of the basic rules (e.g. those with attention deficit disorders).

4. Create opportunities to listen to all children.

This is especially important when resolving conflicts between children in the class. Give the children involved in the incident time to explain in detail how the incident happened, what upset them, and why. Create opportunities to listen to children in their daily lives, in regular education and learning. This allows you to participate in learning and feel involved. Ask each child for their thoughts on creating additional classroom rules (beyond the minimal, basic rules previously described).

5. Develop a 'scaffolded' approach to learning.

What is scaffolding as it relates to teaching and learning? A book could be written about scaffolding, but in a nutshell, scaffolding is about making sure all students have access to the same learning. to provide support. Scaffolding is absolutely critical to building an inclusive learning environment. All children in the class should have access to the same information during the lesson (even with a slight distinction between resources and activities). Do not substitute activities with the same goals and outcomes for activities that are completely different than those planned for the rest of the class, but adjust activities to meet the needs of the children.

The same applies to actions. Some children may find it difficult to follow the rules set throughout the class. For example, it is nearly impossible to keep a child with ADHD sitting for long periods of time. So expecting every child to sit on the rug and listen for a while may not be a comprehensive approach for that child. If you're watching the start line of a race with a child in a wheelchair, it's not a fair race. This also applies to children with behavioral problems. Being inclusive means adapting our approach to action in the same way that we differentiate learning.

6. Be aware of the specific needs of every child in your class.

Achieving a truly inclusive classroom requires more than knowing which children have special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs). Which of your children may be receiving free school meals (FSM), who is a caregiver, which child is in foster care, English as an Additional Language (EAL), and which children belong to vulnerable Roma and traveler communities. Knowing this allows us to consider all aspects of the classroom and make it inclusive, safe and purposeful.

7. Provide support that benefits ALL children in your class.

Some inclusion strategies are so universally beneficial to all students that they deserve to be applied in every classroom. For example, many children with dyslexia have difficulty reading all-black text on a pure-white background. Simply changing the colors used in the slides and avoiding black-on-white can help all children, not just those with dyslexia.

What if you have a child with mild dyslexia that is likely to go undiagnosed? Changing slides will help them too. Changing the color of the slide to a color with less contrast makes it less tiring to watch and read.

Better for everyone, including you! This is just one example of inclusive change that benefits all children, but there are many more.

8. Create a calm, purposeful learning environment.

This is another big step in promoting inclusion for everyone in the classroom. We all need rest to learn. However, it is difficult to create a calm environment in the classroom. Clearly define when group discussion or work is necessary and acceptable and when it is not.

A calm environment is inclusive for many of your children, regardless of whether they have a special need for it or not.

 9. Clearly display timetables and key information.

This is one of those little changes you can make which helps everyone and makes all children feel included. Some children with dyslexic and dyspraxic traits struggle with organization, as do some with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

A clear timetable (a visual timetable is especially great for younger learners) helps you and all your children feel involved in school. With a clear schedule, children can anticipate what they like and dislike and prepare accordingly.

You may be thinking, "How can I show everyone how good I am at history later?" You can empower and empower children by sharing a timetable for all to see. The same goes for important vocabulary, facts, or concepts related to what you are currently learning in class. Post this information on a bulletin board for everyone to see. This helps children remember their previous learning, answer questions and complete tricky tasks. 

10. Use pre-assessment to inform your planning.

You might be thinking to yourself: 'What has this got to do with inclusion?' Well, again, this is about engaging children and making them feel like they have a say in their own learning.

Don't just assume what your children already know or don't know when you're planning a new topic; ask them! That way you'll identify areas that children are curious to learn more about, and avoid going over very familiar learning.

Pre-assessing children's prior knowledge, and interests around a subject, in this way, show them that they have been listened to, and included in their own learning. It's a powerful tool for inclusion in the classroom.

11. Let children choose how to show what they have learned.

Inclusion works by finding the best way to ensure all children can access the learning, and have the opportunity to achieve. Setting exactly the same task for all children may not help you to achieve that, particularly when it comes to assessing learning.

When you get to the end of the topic, it might be tempting to assess children's learning with a written test. Don't do this (at least not every time, anyway)! Instead, offer children a choice of ways of presenting what they have learned. For example, at the end of a topic about the Arctic, give children the choice of showing their learning by:

• Writing a blog

• Creating a poster or infographic

• Making a slideshow presentation

• Recording a short information film or radio program

Of course, you'll need to provide sufficient resources and support, plus encourage children to choose a way of showing their learning which plays to their own strengths.

Giving children a choice empowers them. It's inclusive because it creates equal opportunities to show learning and progress in a way that a standard test (which many children struggle with) may not.

12. Don't compare the progress of one child to another; personal progress is key.

And so, our final and possibly most important strategy for an inclusive environment that benefits all students: don't compare them to one another!

Learning is not a competition. It is a never-ending process, a journey. Think about yourself for a moment: If you had recently started learning electric guitar, would it feel fair if your guitar tutor compared you directly to Eric Clapton?

For some children with additional needs, the comparison between themselves and others in their class can feel as stark, and as disheartening. Don't do this.

What's the point, anyway? How can comparing the attainment of one learner to another possibly help either of them?

Instead, focus entirely on children's personal progress, and encourage them to do the same. Ask: 'Can you do even better than you did last time?', 'What do you want to focus on that you found tricky the last time we looked at this?', or 'What's changed from when we started learning about this, to now?'.

lastly: Sometimes kids don't get ahead of something. This can be devastating for any child, but especially for a child with special needs who is likely to experience such disappointments over and over again. However, you can make them feel like they can participate in the learning process and achieve something. As? Even if a child hasn't made progress, they can identify ways in which they want to. Teach children that identifying their own shortcomings or areas for improvement is learning. By doing so, they are still actively engaging with the learning and including themselves in it.