Inclusion – From Being a Class to Becoming Individuals: How students shape a class with their own uniqueness.
Course Description:
This course is intended for teachers who would like to gain information about the relationships in a classroom and knowledge about classroom climate with regards to student diversity. These days teachers face the challenges of having students with variety of disabilities, such as learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia), emotional and behavioral disorders (ADHD, ADD, depression), physical disabilities, developmental disabilities (autism), and even gifted children. The presence of such children in classrooms is becoming greater, and the task of integrating such children into the classroom is likewise becoming more difficult.
Participants will learn how to respond to students’ needs and understand their motivations in school. Moreover, they’ll learn how to increase students’ academic success by understanding how rewards and punishment affect students. Recently the digitalization of education has been expanding rapidly; therefore, the psychological aspects of digital education and key factors for motivating students and teachers within the context of digital learning will be discussed. Participants will also become acquainted with the myths about learning that influence the awareness of effective learning.
By the end of the course, participants will have gained greater insight into issues regarding teaching and learning in special and inclusion settings. They will have learned about practical activities which they can implement in their classroom to help students understand diversity and inclusion. As a result, this course will prepare teachers for creating a safe school environment that can support various pupils with various needs.
Course Objectives:
- To be able to understand how classroom climate works
- To gain a better understanding of group dynamics and the types of classrooms
- To become aware of the types of students’ needs and the role of motivation in a school setting
- To learn classroom management techniques
- To be able to support inclusive learning and students with special needs
- To gain knowledge about the specifics of rewards and punishments
- To understand the psychological aspects of digital learning in school
- To become aware of myths about learning
- To share experiences with the other participants
- To experience specific activities that improve classroom climates and to learn how to support individual students with their own unique traits
Tentative Schedule:
Day 1:
Introduction, presentations by participants
Classroom climate and relationships in the classroom (sociometry and the types of class collectives)
Day 2:
Inclusive education, students with special needs, gifted students
Day 3:
Students’ needs and motivations in school
Specifics of rewards and punishments
Day 4:
The psychological aspects of digital learning
Day 5:
Myths about learning (e.g., that people have different learning styles – auditory, visual, etc.; if we can look up whatever we need, it’s not necessary to memorize anything; we use only 10% of our brain capacity; including digital technology can easily increase the efficiency of education; etc.)
Course Designer:
Bc. Adéla Králová
Bachelor's degree in psychology at Palacký University Olomouc