Inclusion
It is important that you take into account the needs of all your students when developing your HPE activities. It is the teacher's responsibility to meet the needs, interests, and abilities of each individual student and may require differentiated instruction. Differentiation might involve the teacher adapting/modifying the teaching instructions, the gym environment, equipment, rules, and/or student assessment. The goal is for each student to participate safely and successfully in the general Physical Education program.
A fantastic lesson unit is presented on PE Central, that was developed so that students, faculty, and staff could discover and explore together the world of a disabled individual. It helps to create an awareness of what the world is like from the perspective of a disabled person, and how we can better understand what it takes to include them in our physically active lives. The lesson was created by Don Knitt and is posted Here: Disability Awareness in Physical Activity Best Practice Idea.
Inclusive Instructional Methods
The following section is an excerpt taken from Professor Julie Mueller's Class Slides (EU423 Fall 2011, Mueller). Preparation for teaching inclusive physical education classes begins with knowledge of general inclusive practices—assessing needs of students, creating a warm and caring classroom environment, encouraging students to take risks, following Individual Education Plans, utilizing differentiation strategies and universal design, etc. Beginning with Universal Design will often eliminate the need to differentiate for individual students as the lesson and environment are already considering a wide range of abilities and experiences.
Universal design “means that the physical, social, and learning environments are designed so that diverse learners are supported through powerful possibilities for teaching and learning” (Lieberman & Houston-Wilson, 2009, p. 67). What does that look like in your instruction?
Instructional Methods that Employ the Principles of Universal Design (p. 68)
Universal design “means that the physical, social, and learning environments are designed so that diverse learners are supported through powerful possibilities for teaching and learning” (Lieberman & Houston-Wilson, 2009, p. 67). What does that look like in your instruction?
Instructional Methods that Employ the Principles of Universal Design (p. 68)
- Inclusiveness: the environment and teaching styles respect and value diversity
- Physical Access: the instructional field (e.g., gymnasium, playing field, facility) are clear and easily accessible; a wide variety of equipment is available and utilized
- Delivery Modes: a variety of methods are used to instruct, multiple methods in a single lesson (e.g., posters, explanations, discussions, videos, hands-on activities, etc.)
- Interaction: time and opportunity for interaction is included at a variety of levels (e.g., teacher-student, student-student, expert-novice, etc.)
- Feedback: specific feedback is given promptly and in an encouraging manner, effective prompting and cues are used to ensure success
- Assessment: students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways
Accommodations
Guidelines for meeting Special Education Needs in Health and Special Education are listed in the curriculum on pages 50 – 51. Students who are new to Canada and/or learning English may need accommodations as well but the social and physical aspects of physical education can be an outlet for students to learn social conventions and demonstrate their learning without language. Additional considerations for inclusion are described in the Daily Physical Activity in Schools documents (Grades 1 to 3 and Grades 4 to 6) pages 11 to 15.
Specific disabilities or conditions may require accommodations that address particular needs. Examples are included in the chart below: (Pangrazi & Gibbons, 2009)
Specific disabilities or conditions may require accommodations that address particular needs. Examples are included in the chart below: (Pangrazi & Gibbons, 2009)