CHAPTER 3

MAKING SCHOOLS
INCLUSIVE
Introduction

This chapter shall provide

insights and practical tips on
cultivating inclusive habits and
implementing such practices in
the classroom effectively. It is
entirely based on the Booth
and Ainscow (2002) framework
to help schools determine their
 Diversity is the new "normal."
Inclusive practices must be
dynamic and collaborative.
 To be truly inclusive, educators
must always check for the
presence, participation and
achievement of their learners.
 Differentiation plays an
important role in the success of
Differentiation is a proactive intervention to
assist CWDs in individualized learning and
best meets the child's diverse needs. The
focus is on the child's strengths and abilities,
which allows individualization of subject
content, learning process, and products to
address the needs of the learner.
This chapter aims for you to develop
the following competencies:
1. the ability to respond effectively
to educational needs of students
with additional needs; and
2. the ability to create safe,
inclusive, and culturally
responsive learning
environments for students with
A UNIFYING FRAMEWORK

In 2002, Booth and Ainscow

came up with an Index for
Inclusion, which aims to direct
educational institutions toward
developing their own next steps
and action plans if they want to
restructure into becoming more
"It takes on the social model of
disability as its starting point,
builds on good practice, and
then organizes the index work
around a cycle of activities
which guide schools through
stages of preparation,
investigation, development,
Figure 3.1. Three dimensions of the Index (Booth and Ainscow
Booth and Ainscow (2002) explained
that these three dimensions- creating
inclusive cultures, evolving inclusive
practices, and producing inclusive
policies - are interconnected and
"chosen to direct thinking about school
change" (2002:7).
Considered the backbone of the
framework is the laying down and
establishing of an inclusive culture.
Without this at the foundation, it
will be quite difficult to get people
to shift policies and practices.
A non-supportive culture would most
likely result in resistance from the
school's direct stakeholders. They
explain that these three dimensions
also branch out into sections to further
guide schools into implementing more
direct steps toward this paradigm shift.
The Dimensions and Sections in the
Index
DIMENSION A. Creating inclusive cultures
Section A.1 Building community
Section A.2 Establishing inclusive values

This dimension creates a secure, accepting,

collaborating and stimulating community, in
which everyone is valued as the foundation for
the highest achievements of all.
It develops shared inclusive values that are
conveyed to all new staff, students,
administrators, and parents. The principles
and values, in inclusive school cultures, guide
decisions about policies and moment-to-
moment practice in classrooms, so that
school development becomes a continuous
process.
DIMENSION B Producing inclusive policies
Section B.1 Developing the school for all
Section B.2 Organizing support for diversity

This dimension makes sure that inclusion

permeates all school plans. Policies encourage the
participation of students and staff from the
moment they join the school, reach out to all
students in the locality, and minimize exclusionary
pressures.
All policies involve clear strategies for
change. Support is considered to be all
activities which increase the capacity of a
school to respond to student diversity. All
forms of support are developed according to
inclusive principles and are brought
together within a single framework.
DIMENSION C Evolving Inclusive Practices
Section C.1 Orchestrating learning
Section C.2 Mobilizing resources

This dimension develops school

practices which reflect the inclusive
cultures and policies of the school.
Lessons are made responsive to
student diversity. Students are
encouraged to be actively involved
in all aspects of their education,
which draws on their knowledge
and experience outside school.
Staff identify material resources
and resources within each other,
students, parents, and local
communities which can be
mobilized to support learning and
participation.
CREATING INCLUSIVE CULTURES

Inclusion is as much the responsibility

of society as it is the responsibility of
schools. We realized from the previous
chapter that the keys to successful
inclusive practices are merging of
frameworks and aligning of definitions
of disability.
In this chapter, we shall learn that
inclusive education is an ongoing
collaborative process that needs
to be dynamically revisited. For it
to truly work, its essence has to
resonate to all stakeholders of
education.
In educational reform, stakeholders are
those who are "invested in the welfare
and success of a school and its
students"([Link]). In other words,
these are the teachers, administrators,
school staff, officials and other workers,
the parents and their families, the
community, and the government.
They may also be collective entities like local
businesses, advocacy groups, the media,
socio-cultural institutions, and other
organizations that may be directly or
indirectly involved in education. Stakeholders
are important because they play a major role
in "connecting what is being taught in a
school to its surrounding community" (
[Link]).
In 2017, UNESCO reported that there has
been significant global improvement in
accessing education, specifically in the
primary level for the last 15 years. However,
its 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report
reveals that there are still an estimated 263
million children and youth aged 6 to 17 all
around the world who are still not in school at
this time.
The report also confirmed the
continuous plight of women against
gender discrimination, among others.
With increasing globalization and
international migration, the problem
pertaining to inclusive education and
how it affects PWDs could not be more
real.
What Stakeholders Can Do

The rights-based approach to

educational programming "insists
that no right can exist without a
corresponding governmental
obligation" (Van den Brule-Balescut
& Sandkull 2005).
Thus, governments and communities
are starting to understand how they
are accountable to children with
additional needs in fulfilling their
right to education and providing
access to quality education that is
also safe, welcoming and inclusive.
Legally defining terms and formalizing
a system for setting up inclusive
schools in areas where there are none
to begin with ensures uniformity,
universality, consistency of
implementation, and eventual success
of inclusion in the country.
Set the parameters for inclusion. The
government has identified key people and
professions, and highlighted important factors
leading to the success of inclusive education-i.e.,
placement process, committees, staffing and
responsibilities, teacher training and
compensation, incentives for private sector
participation, and collaboration of the
Department of Education with other branches of
government.
Build key people. The government
recognizes the need for teacher training
both in the special needs education and
general education levels. It also pushes
for the use of evidence-based teaching
frameworks, provision of student
assistance, and access to instructional
materials.
Identify and eradicate barriers. UNESCO's Guide
for Inclusion (2005) advocates for the
identification and removal of obstacles that have
to do with transforming prevailing attitudes and
values on a systemic level. The Philippine
government seems to be in consonance with this
aspect in the light of its existing legislative policies
that ground the undeniable importance of
inclusion.
COMMON BARRIERS TO
INCLUSION
Attitudes, values systems,
misconceptions, and societal norms can
lead to prejudices and/or actual
resistance to implement inclusive
practices (UNESCO 2005).
Physical barriers - the lack of building, facility,
transportation, or road accessibility are types of
physical barriers that can literally affect one's
mobility.

Curriculum - a rigid "one-size-fit all" type of

curriculum that does not allow room for
individual differences can significantly stunt one's
learning and opportunity for growth.
Lack of teacher training and low teacher efficacy
- whether training in teaching strategies, using
curriculum frameworks, or behavior and
classroom management, lack of training as well as
low confidence in one's own skills can directly
affect how inclusive practices are implemented.

Poor language and communication - language

barriers may also directly have implications on
how well inclusive practices are implemented.
Lack of funding -enough funding can allow for training
more teachers as well as coming up with more
appropriate programs, instructional materials, or
facilities; lack of funds can be limiting and debilitating
to schools.

Lack of policies - policies have the ability to unify

beliefs and mobilize resources; unfortunately, lack of it
can become a convenient justification for inaction.
• Organization of educational systems -centralized
systems may have some type of detachment in terms
of implementing policies and seeing the reality of
how such policies are affecting learners and other
stakeholders.

• Too much focus on performance-based standards-

schools have also reportedly refused inclusion
because of fear that the presence of learners with
additional needs will pull down their rankings in
standardized tests.
 Special Education vs. Mainstreaming vs. Inclusive
Education

Part of what needs to occur when creating

cultures is to also determine distinctions
among frameworks and practices. Most
important in this scenario is to understand
how different special education,
mainstreaming and inclusive education are
from each other.
This is not to mean that special education
is an environment that violates human
rights. Because special education assesses,
instructs, and evaluates students
individually and intentionally, this type of
educational setting is beneficial to those
with very unique needs as well.
Mainstreaming shares more similarities
with inclusion than with special
education. Both look at integrating the
child with additional needs into a
general education setting. There are,
however, nuances between the two as
well (see Table 3.1).
 Special education Inclusion Mainstreaming

Selected learners are included in

Students who are not part of the classroom All same-aged peers/learners are in a general education class based
Learners norm one class regardless of ability. on their readiness instead of
their age.

Strengths-based and needs-based Learner may have access to both

Curriculum individualized curriculum General education curriculum general education curriculum and
a more individualized curriculum.

Assessment and Mostly strengths- based but is sometimes also Both norm- referenced and
evaluation standards-based Norm-referenced strengths-based

Receives services in both the

Learning placement All services happen inside the special education general education classroom and
and delivery of classroom but other services such as All services happen inside the outside through the use of
services therapeutic interventions may be integrated general education classroom. resource rooms and therapeutic
into this setting or delivered separately. programs.

Rights-based: all learners have a Preparatory and integrative:

Learner-centered: some learners have very right to access quality education learners are given access to
Philosophy specific needs that may not be appropriately that is available to others. general education but will need
addressed in a general education classroom. to catch up on skills first.
PRODUCING INCLUSIVE POLICIES

As reiterated in the previous chapters, the

premise of inclusion starts with an acceptance
and embracing of diversity. It is difficult to start
movement if this practice is not rooted on a
culture that assumes the right perspectives and
values. For simultaneous paradigm shifts to
happen among its education stakeholders,
schools must first create a new culture.
UNESCO (2005) realistically acknowledges
that a societal change in attitude need not
be initially present in a community before
inclusion can be fully practiced. Rather, it
must be viewed as a perspective or an ideal
to work toward. Without this realization,
differences in standards and quality of
education may surface as potential
problems.
Just very recently, the pre-service
education curriculum was restructured
so that special needs education units
are not only given to special needs
education majors but to other
education majors as well. This is a huge
step for teachers and a nod to inclusive
education.
The following is a list of other possible
steps that educators can take to
facilitate the much-needed societal
shift and inform policy: (1) Involve
other sectors of society. Current
training and awareness campaigns
seem to limit the movement of
inclusion to a mere home- school
Collaborate. Each member of the
inclusive education team would
have their own strengths and
weaknesses, and these have to be
used wisely to benefit the child
with additional needs.
Recognize the shift in roles of the teachers.
With the shift to inclusive education, the
role of special education (SPED) teachers
suddenly seems to be reduced to only "as
needed." As a result, the SPED teacher's
role no longer becomes that of an
implementer but that of a consultative
nature instead.
The SPED teachers' role - their trainings, their
insights, and their skills as a supposed prime
mover in the inclusive education framework-
must neither be diminished nor disregarded.
Instead, these must be used to ensure a good
inclusive program is provided to children
with additional needs.
Include transitions in planning. An abrupt
systemic change that is not well-planned or
that disregards practices whether existing
or implied - may hinder the shift to
inclusion and cause resentment from all
stakeholders. Instead, current practices
have to be respected and honored so as to
facilitate a gradual shift to inclusive
Booth and Ainscow (2002)
recommended that schools reflect on
their current policies and practices to
check their readiness for an inclusive
set-up. They also devised a
questionnaire that would help
administrators, faculty, and other
stakeholders comprehensively gather
A move that would greatly help in informing policy would be
to examine different aspects of the school and the delivery of
its services. Specifically, schools may look at the following:

• Student admissions
• Accessibility to utilities and facilities
• Supports available to students, parents and school personnel
• Learner accommodations
• Exclusionary or discriminatory incidents
• Number of bullying cases
• Faculty and staff promotions
EVOLVING INCLUSIVE
PRACTICES
•Evolving inclusive practices is the third
dimension to Booth and Ainscow's framework
for schools (2002)
•where administrators must first try to create
an inclusive culture among its stakeholders,
then build better, more all-encompassing
policies
•inclusive teaching practices are expected
•the term "evolving" assumes that we
already have strategies in place which we
just have to revisit for possible tweaking.
•It suggests advancement and positive
growth, which means we can look at these
existing strategies and just adjust these
according to the needs of our students along
the way.
Two effective evidence-based
inclusive practices that can be
used in the classroom:
1. Universal Design for Learning
(UDL)
2. Differentiated Instruction
1. Universal Design for
Learning
• In architecture, universal designs refer to
structures that were made in such a way
that they can be used by customers or
clients with a wide range of needs (Dukes
& Lamar-Dukes 2009 as cited in Salend
2011).
• ensure accessibility for all.
• refers to the design of instructional
materials and activities to make the
content information accessible to all
children (Ros & Meyer 2006 as cited in
Turnbull et al. 2013)
• it is best used in a general education
classroom where learners are
different.
• through the provision or delivering
content and allowing student to
Three elements to UDL:

1. Multiple means of
representation (providing learners various ways to access and engage with

)course materials and information

2. Multiple means of action and

expression (encourages students to demonstrate their learning through various forms (e.g., exams,
multimedia, concept maps, papers, projects)
TABLE 3.2 UDL PRINCIPLES ADAPTED FROM
SALEND
UDL principles UDL Principle and inclusive Practices Examples of UDL
Implementation and
Inclusive Practices
Principle 1: Inclusive Practices are designed to be • Use UDL principles
Equitable Use useful, appealing, and safe for all students, equitably.
families, and professionals to use. • Use culturally responsive
Individual differences and various contexts teaching strategies and
are respected. materials like MTBMLE
(mother tongue- based
multilingual education).

Principle 2: Inclusive practices are designed to

Flexible Use accommodate the individual preferences,
abilities, and needs of all students,
families, and professionals. Flexibility in
providing choices for methods and pacing
are exercised.
Principle 3: Simple Inclusive practices are • Establish classroom rules and
and Intuitive Use designed to be easy for all to routines
use and understand. • Use graphic organizers for
synthesizing material
• Develop scoring rubrics with the
students

Principle 4: Inclusive practices are • Use technological and assistive

Perceptible designed so that they devices to support learning,
Information communicate valuable communicate with parents, or share
information to all through information
various formats.
Principle 5: Inclusive practices are • Teach study and learning strategies
Tolerance for Error designed to minimize errors • Teach self-regulatory techniques
and unintended • Encourage students and foster their
consequences by providing intrinsic motivation
safeguards and warnings to • Offer grading alternatives that are
assist all in using them safely. valid and appropriate
Principle 6: Low Inclusive practices are • Chunk activities and give
Physical Effort designed to be used more breaks. Teach
comfortably and efficiently mindfulness
without much effort from • Provide additional support as
all. needed

Principle 7: Size and Inclusive practices are • Take advantage of seat

Space for Approach designed for use by all, arrangements and classroom
and Use regardless of their mobility, furniture (e.g., specialized
physicality, or way of chairs, stability balls, use of
communication. ambient music, and
appropriate lighting). Provide
opportunities for outdoor
work
• Allow technology as needed
Principle 8: Inclusive practices are • Use project-based learning
Community of designed to promote • Promote collaborative activities such
Learners social interaction and as fish bowl discussions or think-pair-
communication for all. share
• Establish strong home- school
partnerships
• Classroom check-ins and check-outs

Principle 9: Inclusive practices are • Make students aware of and

Inclusive designed to foster comfortable with diversity
Environment acceptance and a sense • Emphasize social roles in the
of belongingness for all. classroom; (e.g., that we students are
there to teach each other and learn
from each other.)
• Allow bonding activities
• Do team-building exercises regularly
and integrate lessons in such activities
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
•Differentiated (or differentiating)
instruction is a teacher's response to
students varying needs, interests, and
learning styles.
• "It refers to a systematic approach to
planning curriculum and instruction
for academically diverse learners.
•It is a way of thinking about the classroom
with the dual goals of honoring each
student's learning needs and maximizing
student's learning capacity.
•When teachers differentiate instruction,
they use a variety of teaching and learning
strategies that are necessary to meet the
diverse needs of students in any class
( Friend & Bursuck 2009)
Why Differentiate Instruction?

• To ensure engaged, successful and flourishing

learners; teaching and learning experiences need to
be designed in a way that provides opportunities for
students to learn and demonstrate their
understanding in varied ways.
• Differentiating Instruction (DI) helps ensure that
learners are engaged in respectful tasks and provide
diverse means of learning that reflect their strengths
and address their needs simultaneously.
How is instruction
Differentiated?
Identified elements of the curriculum that
can be differentiated:
(1) content
(2) Process
(3) Product
(4) learning environment
Differentiation is achieved by
providing materials and tasks:
a. at varied levels of difficulty;
b. with varying levels of instructional
support
c. by using multiple grouping
arrangement;
d. that involve student choice; and
e. Use varied evaluation strategies.
As teachers,
• know your curriculum.
• identify which are non-negotiable and negotiable learning
objectives and tasks.
• know your students' interests, readiness level (based on
diagnostic data), and learning styles/profile (strengths and
needs).
• create a class profile to provide an overview of the class's
characteristics and needs.
• identify and plan what and how to differentiate your
material.
 DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES
CONTENT PROCESS PRODUCT LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
• What is taught? • How is it taught? • How is it assessed?
• What is learned? • How is it learned? • How is learning • How is the
• Provide additional • Choices of reading demonstrated? classroom
materials/skills materials • Homework options arranged?
• Reduce materials • Varied • Flexible Student • Flexible grouping
Skills presentation choice on product whole class, small
• Explorations by styles: Say it. Show (oral groups. one-on-
interest it, and Model it presentations, one, peer-
• Use media (video, written report, role teaching, pairs,
audio, computer, plays, simulations, partner learning.
TV, and etc. independent
manipulatives) learning. and
cooperative
learning
• Varied pacing Reading
buddies: -Read/
• Varied journal
prompts
• Flexible
summarize
• Choice Boards
seating
Read/Question/
Answer -Visual • Think-Tac-Toe • Preferential
organizer/ • Tiered activities seating
summarizer (by readiness and
• Think-Pair- Share by interest) • Pull-out from
readiness, interest,
and learning profile • More items class (for
• Learning centers/ (advanced learners with
stations learners)
• Small-group • Less items (with special
instruction special needs) needs)
• Jigsaw (expert
groups) • Learning
• Cooperative learning contracts
activities • RAFT (Role,
• Teams, Games: and Audience, Format,
Activities Topic)
• Cubing
• Learning contracts
How is the classroom managed during differentiated
learning?

Structure the classroom by establishing routines during

differentiated learning activities.

1. Explain to the students the reason for differentiation.

Make sure this is understood by all.
2. Use "anchor activities" which students can automatically
work on when completing assigned tasks to maintain a
productive work environment and maximize instructional
time.
3. Assign roles during small-group activities/instruction to
ensure accountability and a positive learning environment.
a. Facilitator
b. Recorder
c. Summarizer/Timekeeper
d. Presenter
e. Errand monitor
4. Implement routines for collaborative work.
f. Establish working groups (by interest, by readiness, etc.)
g. Have a plan for "quick finishers"
h. Have a plan for when to ask for help (role of the errand monitor).
 TABLE 3.3 ANCHOR ACTIVITIES FOR DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Anchor Activity Options
(for secondary students)
• Journals or Learning logs
• "Project extensions”
• Independent reading
• Lab work-related course readings with questions or extension activities
• Test prep or practice test reviews for ACT or SAT
• Project Interest
• Learning packets
• Independent studies
• Computer skills
• WebQuests or telecollaborative projects
TABLE 3.3 ANCHOR ACTIVITIES FOR DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Anchor Activity Options
(for upper elementary/middle school students)
• Work on your book report selection (read quietly until time is
called). If you have already finished your book, then work on
your review (consult the hint book for guidelines).
• Complete one of the three journal prompts provided.
• Select a Learning Interest packet from the anchor option file
box.
• Select at least one area of test prep practice you believe you
need to review.
• Work on your Orbital or Independent Project.