Equal Opportunities (lesson planning)
When planning a lesson, it is always important to make sure ALL students are included in that lesson. No child is the same and all children learn at different speeds, so every child has to be taken into consideration. Differentiation in a lesson plan must include children at all levels. Gifted and talented children (G and Ts) need to be given extra challenging work, in order to be pushed further and obtain maximum results. On the opposite side of the spectrum, children that find a subject, such as music, difficult, need work that caters for their abilities, whilst still challenging them. Then there is the inclusion of children with learning difficulties and special educational needs (SEN) to consider. Does your class include a student that struggles to hold an instrument? Maybe an autistic child that finds it difficult to work in groups or needs lessons to be scheduled in a specific way. Knowing your students is vital when planning your lessons as every child matters! English as an additional language (EAL), is another factor that can create boundaries in a learning environment for children. If a pupil speaks very little English, it can be tricky sometimes to explain what the lesson objectives and outcomes are in a way that the pupil with EAL can understand. So always be clear and precise, be prepared to explain in lots of different ways, be patient and understanding, and show lots of examples. I have a few EAL students in my classes, but have found that pairing them with other children that speak the same language, but have better English speaking and listening skills, can be very effective. A lesson plan should account for every learner and as if this was not enough, there is the type of learner the child is. Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic are various ways that children learn. So a lesson needs to contain elements to suit every learning style. There are so many aspects that have to go into making a lesson plan to take into consideration.
The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement makes this very clear. It is the responsibility of the school to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils, based on the programmes of study for each key stage in the national curriculum. The teacher’s responsibility is to minimise any obstacles to effective learning and plan for all children to participate in the curriculum and achieve the best that they can. This will help to ensure an inclusive classroom.
The national curriculum sets out three key principles that are essential for developing an inclusive curriculum, and ensuring that equal opportunities are met:
- setting suitable learning challenges
- responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs
- overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.
http://www.new2teaching.org.uk/tzone/Students/essays/equal_opps.asp
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By Andy T