How to Create an Inclusive Classroom
Written by:
Wilson College
• Jul 16, 2024
How to Create an Inclusive Classroom
Inclusive classrooms that provide students with equal access to resources and social interaction can be critical to student success. For example, a study published in the Journal of Special Education in 2022 found that students with disabilities who spent at least 80% of their time in inclusive classrooms scored better in math and reading than their peers who spent the majority of their time in special education classrooms.
Students with disabilities are not the only students who can benefit from inclusive classrooms. Students who face disadvantages due to factors such as race or socioeconomic status, as well as students from diverse cultural backgrounds, also can benefit from efforts to achieve more inclusive classrooms. When educators and communities promote inclusion, they help to ensure that all students can reach their full potential.
Anyone who may be interested in completing a Master of Education (MEd) degree program needs to know how to create an inclusive classroom and provide students with the opportunity to get the most out of their educational experience.
What Makes a Classroom Inclusive?
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has identified certain guiding principles that are crucial in creating classrooms that are inclusive. Specifically, inclusive classrooms:
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Provide students with a sense that they belong. It’s important to create educational environments that feel welcoming and safe and that are characterized by positivity.
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Address students’ social and emotional needs and support their physical and mental health. Educators can strengthen inclusion by promoting early intervention to address specific problems that students face, helping students develop social and emotional skills and identifying community resources that can address students’ nonacademic needs.
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Feature teachers who’ve received strong training in supporting students. For example, teachers who’ve been trained in managing inclusive classrooms and keeping students engaged can build trusting relationships with students in inclusive classrooms.
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Give students the opportunity to learn from teachers who come from diverse backgrounds. Achieving diversity among teachers helps to ensure that students in inclusive classrooms can learn from teachers with a wide range of lived experiences.
Benefits of Inclusivity in Schools
When educators work to instill inclusivity in the classroom, the benefits can be substantial. Inclusive classrooms benefit not only students facing disadvantages but also students, teachers, and society as a whole.
Benefits to Students Who Face Disadvantages
When students who are disabled or face other disadvantages learn in inclusive classrooms, they can:
- Improve their academic performance
- Strengthen their ability to communicate
- Develop problem-solving skills
- Boost their self-image
- Reduce emotional distress
- Encounter less harassment
Benefits to All Students
Regardless of whether they face disadvantages, all students who learn in classrooms that are inclusive have the opportunity to:
- Cultivate respect for the differences among people
- Build their acceptance of diversity
- Deepen their understanding of how to help others to participate in learning
- Strengthen their ability to demonstrate empathy
- Improve their skills in conflict resolution
Benefits to Teachers
Even teachers can benefit when they teach in inclusive classrooms. For example, teachers have the chance to:
- Improve their ability to create lesson plans for diverse learners
- Strengthen their skills in collaborating with other teachers
- Enhance their understanding of different learning styles
Benefits to Society
In the long run, our society can benefit from inclusive education because it can strengthen students’ ability to make positive contributions to our world. Inclusion also prepares students to operate in diverse environments after they leave school.
6 Steps for Creating an Inclusive Classroom
In making classrooms inclusive, educators can implement various strategies. The steps outlined below explain some of the common actions that can bring inclusion to education.
1. Know the Students
Successful inclusion rests on getting to know each student. Therefore, collecting specific data on students can help educators develop a profile of the student population they serve and identify their students’ needs.
For example, gathering information on students’ disabilities, racial identities, language learning needs, and income status can help in devising ways for educators to implement inclusion in classrooms.
Examples of other types of information that can be helpful to consider include data on disciplinary actions, graduation rates, and students’ enrollment in postsecondary education.
2. Involve All Stakeholders in Making Classrooms Inclusive
Engaging all stakeholders—for example, teachers, students, parents, and the wider community—can help in achieving success in inclusive classrooms.
Stakeholders can bring their unique perspectives to discussions on strengthening inclusion, and they can identify specific issues that inclusion should strive to address. They also may have valuable suggestions for specific inclusion practices that can benefit students.
3. Tailor Curriculum for Inclusion
Educators can make efforts to ensure that curriculum is geared toward inclusion. For example, they can make lessons culturally relevant to students from all backgrounds, particularly those from marginalized groups. Even courses on technical and scientific subjects can be made more inclusive through discussion of the contributions that people of differing backgrounds have made to those fields.
4. Train Teachers Regarding Inclusion in Education
Teachers need to receive sound training in inclusion, and schools can provide that training in various ways. For example, they can offer teachers individual training through educational videos, webinars, or self-study training modules. Teachers also can receive group training through workshops that engage teachers while they learn together about inclusion.
5. Encourage Collaboration
Promoting and encouraging collaboration can be very productive in striving for inclusion in education. Collaboration can result in sharing innovative ways to solve problems and strengthen inclusive classrooms. For example, a special education teacher may have tips for special education classrooms that other teachers can weave into their inclusive classrooms.
6. Evaluate and Adjust Inclusion Efforts
Reviewing inclusion efforts to assess their success is important. For example, some school districts conduct equity audits or perform self-assessments to judge whether inclusion efforts are reaching their goals.
After reviewing inclusion programs, educators need to adjust inclusion efforts that are not resulting in positive outcomes to help to ensure that students have the best opportunities to learn.
Create Inclusive Classrooms for Inclusion Education
Ultimately, making classrooms inclusive is crucial in enabling students to get the most from their education. When schools, teachers, and stakeholders make inclusion a key element in education, the benefits can extend to entire communities.
Individuals who have an interest in subjects such as inclusion and want to advance their knowledge of education can explore Wilson College Online’s MEd degree program to learn how it can help them achieve their career goals. Featuring self-paced courses and curriculum founded in best practices, the program can set you on the path to rewarding work in education.
Take the first step on that path today.
Recommended Readings
What Are the Benefits of Collaboration in Special Education?
What Can You Do With a Master’s in Education?
Sources:
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, Assessment of Inclusive Practices
Education Advanced, “Equity and Inclusion in Education”
Kids Included Together, Inclusive Schools Week 2022: The Benefits of Inclusive Classrooms
National Education Association, Inclusive Teaching Is Effective Teaching
Teach for America, “How Schools Are Building a More Inclusive Curriculum”
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Inclusive Practices Help All Students Thrive
