Honouring Diversity in Grade Ten to Twelve
High school is a time when students are beginning to discover more about who they are, and where they want to go in life. Students begin to learn about different career paths and opportunities that will become available to them once they have graduated. I feel that it is important for students at this time in their life to be able to identify with people who have disabilities, and find ways to continue creating an inclusive environment inside and outside the classroom. I also believe that students need to recognize how to be able to work with people who learn differently and behave differently, and learn ways to interact with people who have different levels of functioning.
Introduction: (The following lesson is designed for Career And Life Management AKA CALM)
I will have the students sit in their desks and take out a single piece of paper. I will then show the students the picture of a skull that is also the picture of a woman looking into a mirror. I will ask the students to write what they think they see in the picture. I will only let the students see the picture once, and only from where the students are sitting. Students who are in the back of the class will not view the picture the same as students in the front of the class. After two minutes I will randomly ask students to describe to me what they saw in the picture. The goal of this exercise is to introduce to students that people see things differently than others and that we need to respect how people view different aspects of life. I will then show the students an enlarged version of the original picture for an added affect. I will then explain to the students that people with disabilities and impairments view life differently and that we sometimes forget that we need to make life inclusive for everyone.
Introduction: (The following lesson is designed for Career And Life Management AKA CALM)
I will have the students sit in their desks and take out a single piece of paper. I will then show the students the picture of a skull that is also the picture of a woman looking into a mirror. I will ask the students to write what they think they see in the picture. I will only let the students see the picture once, and only from where the students are sitting. Students who are in the back of the class will not view the picture the same as students in the front of the class. After two minutes I will randomly ask students to describe to me what they saw in the picture. The goal of this exercise is to introduce to students that people see things differently than others and that we need to respect how people view different aspects of life. I will then show the students an enlarged version of the original picture for an added affect. I will then explain to the students that people with disabilities and impairments view life differently and that we sometimes forget that we need to make life inclusive for everyone.
The video above is the resource I will use for the activity the class will be creating over the next week to honour diversity. The video highlights what a Special Education Teacher experiences in a day, and the work that is needed to create a classroom that is inclusive to many different types of disabilities and impairments.
Body:
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- The above video will be used to inspire the students with humour in terms of how a teacher sometimes will go above and beyond expectations in order to use differentiated instruction in the classroom, but sometimes still not succeed. This video will serve as a reminder to the students to be creative, and also to show student that there are websites like xtranormal that they can use for their presentation.
- All presentations and lessons will be assessed on their use in the classroom. The teacher will decide if certain presentations and lessons need to be refined in order to ensure that all the groups have met the required tasks and have maximized learning
Conclusion:
The students will gain an appreciation for the many types of disabilities and impairments that are prevalent inside the classroom, and will make a connection between what a teacher goes through on a daily basis in terms of planning, and what a student can do to help the teacher make a classroom more inclusive. By researching and teaching their classmates about the different types of disabilities and impairments, students will gain insight on how to relate to their peers that have disabilities and impairments.
Students will gain an insight on how to work with students that have disabilities and impairments and to respect that others view the world differently and that people need to always feel included. This will result in the students honouring diversity for a week in school, but more importantly, honouring diversity throughout their life.
- At the end of the presentations, the students will be asked questions regarding the importance of inclusive classrooms and why differentiated learning experiences are important in education.
The students will gain an appreciation for the many types of disabilities and impairments that are prevalent inside the classroom, and will make a connection between what a teacher goes through on a daily basis in terms of planning, and what a student can do to help the teacher make a classroom more inclusive. By researching and teaching their classmates about the different types of disabilities and impairments, students will gain insight on how to relate to their peers that have disabilities and impairments.
Students will gain an insight on how to work with students that have disabilities and impairments and to respect that others view the world differently and that people need to always feel included. This will result in the students honouring diversity for a week in school, but more importantly, honouring diversity throughout their life.