Tania Colligan Assignment 1 EDC245 SP1 2023

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Curtin University *

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245

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Psychology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Tania Colligan 1781878 List A Mainstreaming Mainstreaming began in the sixties when the movement started for all children, regardless of their disabilities or needs to receive equal access to education. Previously there were separate institutions for children with a disability, and they were segregated from regular schools (Duchesne et al., 2022). The mainstream practice is educating all children in a regular classroom where they experience the normal day-to-day life of a school environment. Dr Wolfensberger (1972) brought to attention the term 'normalisation', and the concept was developed because of the argument that children with disabilities have the right to experience "normal lives" (Duchesne et al., p405,2022). Children's experiences in segregated schools and institutions were unforgiving and far from a normal school-life experience. The idea of normalisation began to change and develop policies in Australian education systems in addition to the community's views that all children have the right to be included regardless of their abilities. It shaped the Australian education system, especially when making inclusive changes and providing good practices (Churchill et al., 2022). Policies and legislations have changed to accommodate and provide specific standards to appropriately guide schools to address students' needs (Duchesne et al., 2022). In addition to these policies in 1994, the Salamanca Statement was developed at a world conference to promote inclusive education. It introduced many principles, but the fundamental one is that children should be able to learn and grow together and be provided with the needed support and adapted to their needs (UNESCO,1994). A common misconception about mainstream schools is that when they have students with varying needs at their school, it means they are providing inclusive education. "Being there is not enough; it is no guarantee of respect for difference or access to the material" (Komesaroff & McLean, 2006, p.97). UNESCO states that teachers are critical to providing inclusive education; it depends on their knowledge, experience and understanding (UNESCO,1994). Behaviourism is a predominant teaching strategy in mainstream schools that helps educate inclusively. It focuses on changing measurable, observable behaviours and positive reinforcement (Churchill et al., 2022). A classroom can use a varied of strategies to get the desired behaviour, for example, using a reward system, a bell to quieten the class and 1

Tania Colligan 1781878 repeated phrases like when the teacher says, 'hands-on top', the students respond, 'that means stop' and stop what they are doing. Pavlov is the theorist that researched conditional and unconditional responses through his dog's response to a bell. It showed when an unconditional response and neutral response repeated together over time provide a conditioned response. (Duchesne et al., p405,2022). In a classroom situation, the example of the 'hands-on top' command is neutral and 'that means stop' is unconditional. However, repeated over time together will produce a conditional response from the students. Therefore, whenever the students hear the command, they automatically respond, 'That means stop' in any classroom, not just their current one. Positive reinforcement, rewards, and punishment work well with all students, especially those with special needs. Teachers can use reward charts/points to encourage and enhance a positive classroom environment to get the desired behaviour. For example, in the class using a class dojo online program, the teacher gives points to students who are on task, completing work, listening, following instructions and any behaviour they would like to reinforce (Churchill et al., 2022). Using positive reinforcement strategies work with students with special needs. The Disabilities Education Act of 1997 emphasises that positive reinforcement can reduce challenging behaviour (Chitiyo & Wheeler, 2009). An example of this is to have a chart on their desk with three smiley faces, then every time they make the right choices, they get a smiley face. Once they received all three faces, they chose something to do, e.g., build Lego, draw, play iPad, or play a game. Mainstream practice must accommodate all children's needs, be inclusive and provide quality education. Inclusive education embraces diversity, respect, and understanding of individual needs and abilities. It is about the school adapting to the students, not the student adapting to the school (Cologon, 2013). The teacher can provide the adapting by using their knowledge and experience, which will then determine the approaches they make. It is about connecting to the students through 2

Tania Colligan 1781878 modified tasks and breaking down barriers to which they could be exposed in class (Sumayang et al.,2022). In conclusion, mainstream education is for all students regardless of abilities. All students can learn from each other as well as from the teachers. Therefore, it is a cooperative approach to working together to achieve inclusivity. Using positive reinforcement strategies can help keep a cohesive classroom. Mainstream schools are diverse, and the curriculum should be adapted to suit all children's abilities, not vice-versa. As Wolfensberger defined it, everyone wants to experience normal lives, be treated equally, and access education in a mainstream school with their peers. 3

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Tania Colligan 1781878 Reference A Chitiyo, M., & Wheeler, J. J. (2009). Analysing the treatment efficacy of a technical assistance model for providing behavioural consultation to schools. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth , 53 (2), 85–88. https://doi.org/10.3200/psfl.53.2.85-88 Churchill, R., Keddie, A., Apps, T., Batt, J., Beckman, K., Grainger, P., Letts, W., Mackay, J., McGill, M., Moss, J., Nagel, M. C., Shaw, K., & Rogers, J. (2022). Teaching: Making A difference . John Wiley and Sons Australia, Ltd. Cologne, K., Inclusion in education towards equality for students with disability1–60 (2013). Canberra, ACT; Australian Government. Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., & Mackenzie, E. (2022). Educational psychology for learning and teaching . Cengage Learning Australia. Diedrich, J. L. (2010). Motivating Students Using Positive Reinforcement (thesis). SUNY, Brockport. Keefe, R. (1983). The Implications of Piagetian Theory for Mainstreaming. American Secondary Education , pp. 12 , 24–26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41063601 Komesaroff, L., & McLean, M. (2006). Being there is not enough: Inclusion is both deaf and hearing. Deafness and Education International, 8(2), 88–100. Sumayang, K. R., Celendron, K., Declaro, N. P., & Flandez, D. L. (2022). Mainstreaming Learners with Special Needs in a Regular Classroom: A Scoping Review. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 1(3), 106-114. UNESCO, (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on special needs education. Special Education, Division of Basic Education. 4

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Tania Colligan 1781878 List B Specific Disability or Learning Difficulty – Dyslexia Specific Disabilities or Learning difficulties can be defined as a deficit of one or more learning skills. When a student struggles with learning and cannot be specifically diagnosed, such as an intellectual disability, a specific disability can describe other learning difficulties like dyslexia (Duchesne et al., 2022). Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability affecting the student's reading and spelling ability. In addition, the student's short-term memory speed and coordination are also affected, with cognitive aspects related to it. Dyslexia can be a hidden disability; some students may not get diagnosed until later. The symptoms can be subtle, affecting individuals from mild to severe (Reid, 2020). Knight (2018) surveyed 2,600 teachers in the UK and found that 60% were aware of dyslexia which admitted knowing it as a literacy problem and unaware of the cognitive aspect involved. Another issue indicated in the survey is the teacher's lack of knowledge and training in dyslexia, to which 72% stated, "dyslexia was not covered well during their 'teacher' training (Reid, p10,2020). Students with dyslexia need support from teachers to differentiate their work so they can access the same content by adjusting the work to their learning needs. Carol-Ann Tomlinson "believes students can still learn the same content and essential skills but approach their learning differently" (Churchill et al., p247, 2022). Schools and teachers must be familiar with strategies, intervention approaches, and programs for children with "difficulties such as dyslexia" (Reid, p92,2020). Programs like MultiLit, which provides a systematic approach to teaching phonics, provide an intervention with tier 2 support programs. It provides repetition and looking at spelling rules which then contextualise the sounds and how to put them together to read words. There is no single program or approach to dealing with dyslexia. However, many strategies are recommended, like allowing more time for the cognitive process of retaining information and learning (Reid, 2020). Another strategy is using multisensory approaches to help with their varied learning styles. Learning styles came about through research that students learn better through varying modalities like visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. These different ways of learning acknowledge the varying ways students learn. Visual learners prefer using graphs, power points, and videos. Auditory learners like information explained, group conversations and podcasts. Kinaesthetic learners thrive on hands-on learning and enjoy the physical experience (Duchesne et al., 2022). In the classroom, because students with dyslexia struggle with reading, using an auditory strategy would help students by listening to the novel online and or kinaesthetic by using different hands-on ways for the students to learn or write their words, like; writing in chalk outside, making words with pipe cleaners, using a different font on word, and writing words in the sand. All these strategies can be used for the whole class, not just for learning difficulties like dyslexia. It then makes it inclusive for all learners to access a curriculum suited to individual learners (Reid, 2020). 6

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Tania Colligan 1781878 Inclusive education is about supporting and acknowledging all learners and their needs. Dyslexia is often overseen and not supported in traditional mainstream schools. Teachers, specialists, and school leaders must work together to provide appropriate training, resources, and intervention programs that the whole school can access, providing appropriate support for students with dyslexia (Reid, 2020). Dyslexia students can have low self-esteem and negatively perceive themselves because they get annoyed with their learning struggles (Marcuzzi & Romero-Naranjo, 2017). UNESCO supports schools to ensure children feel safe and have the right to learn in an environment that caters for their needs (Churchill et al., 2022). In conclusion, specific disabilities or learning difficulties come from needing to describe students struggling with their learning, and dyslexia is one of those that come under that umbrella. It affects the student's short-term memory and phonological awareness. They struggle with reading, writing, and comprehending their work. When dyslexic students are recognised and provided with the right learning strategies, the school is inclusive of their needs. The reality of school life is that not all teachers have the right training or knowledge to support students with dyslexia. The teachers and school can access different programs and resources to help students learn effectively. A flexible approach is recommended for students with dyslexia that embraces their different learning styles. Some students are auditory learners or like being hands-on, which is a kinaesthetic learner. Students with dyslexia can strive well in mainstream school when provided with the right support and resources. 7

Tania Colligan 1781878 Reference B Churchill, R., Keddie, A., Apps, T., Batt, J., Beckman, K., Grainger, P., Letts, W., Mackay, J., McGill, M., Moss, J., Nagel, M. C., Shaw, K., & Rogers, J. (2022). Teaching: Making A difference . John Wiley and Sons Australia, Ltd. Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., & Mackenzie, E. (2022). Educational psychology for learning and teaching . Cengage Learning Australia. Marcuzzi, C., & Romero-Naranjo, F. J. (2017). Bapne method, developmental dyslexia, and Inclusive Education: Cognitive, socio-emotional, and psychomotor stimulation in secondary school. A practical resource for education within a cross-curriculum. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences , 237 , 1291–1298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2017.02.212 MultiLit. (16 November 2022). Retrieved 27 March 2023, from https://multilit.com/ Reid, G. (2020). Dyslexia and inclusion: Classroom approaches for assessment, teaching, and learning . Routledge. Unesco, & Learning, U. N. E. S. C. O. I. for L. (1970, January 1). Inclusion in education . UNESCO.org. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.unesco.org/en/inclusion- education 8

Tania Colligan Assignment 1 EDC245 SP1 2023

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