EDAC135 - Inclusive Learning

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit is the first in a series of units that build students' knowledge and skills to successfully include and facilitate learning for individuals living with disability.

This unit develops students' ability to meet the overall course outcome of having the necessary skills and practices to support successful inclusion. A cornerstone to facilitating the full participation of people with disabilities in society is inclusive learning experiences across the lifespan. Inclusion recognises each individual's right to be treated equally, and to be accorded the same opportunities as all other people. This requires physical, instructional and social inclusion. It needs to be acknowledged however that some people may have additional needs which must be accommodated in order for them to attain the same conditions that other people experience. This unit will examine the impact of disability on learning and develop students' knowledge and skills about inclusion principles, learning methodologies and specific strategies for achieving physical, social and instructional inclusion. This will include differentiation, universal design and accommodations.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Discuss the concept of inclusion and its applicability across the lifespan (GA2, GA5)

LO2 - Analyse factors that may inhibit learning and inclusion (GA2, GA5)

LO3 - Develop strategies that support physical, social and instructional inclusion in school settings (GA5, GA6, GA10)

LO4 - Implement methods to individualise learning (GA5, GA8, GA10)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include: 

• Philosophical and empirical underpinning of inclusion
• Physical, social and instructional inclusion
• Universal design concepts
• Differentiation and adaption of learning materials 
• Instructional strategies to support inclusion.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

150 hours in total with a normal expectation of 36 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 36 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then becomes private study. 

The teaching and learning organisation may take a number of forms, depending on specific course/subject requirements at the time of delivery, this may include a combination of face to face and/or online learning delivered on a weekly or intensive schedule. Tutorials and/or synchronous learning will enable students to participate in cooperative and supportive learning opportunities. All learning modes will be delivered and/or supported by a range of resources and activities on ACU’s technology learning platform (LEO). Case studies of individuals with disability will be examined with scenarios involving problem solving approaches to build understanding of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiation.

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessments have been designed to build student’s knowledge and understanding of Universal Design and the principles of inclusion while developing strategies to support good practice. Assessment one requires students to reflect on their own professional experience to discuss inclusion practices and explore their observations (LO1). Assessment two is an essay describing strategies for inclusion in either a school or community setting. Students begin to examine and analyses the physical, social and instructions principles of inclusion (LO1, 2, 3). The final assessment focusses on the implementation of adaptation and modification strategies to support differentiation of a text to produce a unit of work which meets the needs of all learners. Students demonstrate their understanding of contemporary teaching practices and methodologies which are inclusive of all learners (LO2, 3, 4).

Assessments in this unit provide students with a contemporary understanding of diversity in the classroom and community settings to promote a rich learning environment which is based on collaborative and differentiated content. Strategies used in these assessments build capacity in the student’s ability to differentiate and meet the needs of all individuals.

Minimum Achievement Standards

The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. In order to pass this unit, students are required to participate in and submit all assessment tasks and gain an overall score of 50% or more. 

The total of assessment tasks will amount to the equivalent of 4,000 words.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Boyle, C. (2012). What works in inclusion? Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.

Cologon, K. (2014) Inclusive education in the early years: Right from the start. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Crave, R.G., Morin, A.J.S., Tracey, D., Parker P.D., & Zhong, H.F. (Eds.) (2015). Inclusive education for students with intellectual disabilities. Charlotte, NC, Information Age Publishing.

Foreman, P., & Arthur-Kelly M. (2014). Inclusion in action. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.

Gargiulo, R.M., & Metcalf, D. (2017). Teaching in today’s inclusive classrooms: A universal design for learning approach (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Metcalf, D.J. (2011). Succeeding in the Inclusive Classroom: K-12 lesson plans using universal design for learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Steinfeld, E. (2012). Universal design creating inclusive environments. Chichester: Wiley.