What Inclusive Classrooms look like?
Story Time! Let’s begin by reading about this school somewhere in Kolkata, India.
St. Stewart’s is a small English-medium school with only one or two sections for every grade. The families who send their children to this school all live in same the neighbourhood in two-story buildings, isolated from the more affluent parts of town. Despite similar living situations, the community members are very different from one another. Some parents are established professionals with stable families while others are beginners in small corporates. Some have lived here for many years, others are new with no local social networks. Some are from large urban areas, others from small towns. Some families are fairly fluent in English, while others are not quite proficient in the language.
Let’s zoom into two fifth-grade classrooms at St. Stewart’s, 5-A and 5-B. Students in both classrooms are learning mathematics from two different teachers. This is what is happening inside each classroom:
I would love to be a part of Classroom 5-B! And, here are three reasons why I would choose it:
1. The teacher ensures students clearly understand what they’re supposed to do. This lets them take the responsibility of their own learning.
2. The teacher focuses on identifying students’ thought processes. She discusses both, the approach to the problem and the solution, not simply the correct answer.
3. The teacher thinks deeply about the effects any of her decisions would make, including whom she chooses to respond to/question.
Classroom 5-A is an example of a classroom that is exclusive. While Classroom 5-B is a good example of an inclusive classroom. Here’s what we mean:
The example used here is adapted from a teacher’s first-hand account. You can read the full case study HERE.
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