Embracing Inclusivity: Teaching Students with Special Educational Needs

“The only ‘disabling’ conditions that our pupils have are low expectations and assumptions made by adults.” This statement from David Wilson’s Language Learning and Students with Special Educational Needs resonates with my own experience and mirrors my interactions with students of varied educational needs, prompting a reevaluation of my perceptions and methods in addressing their potential.

Students are often taken out of our world language classes to receive extra support and to avoid adding ‘the burden’ of learning another language to their busy schedules. But there is no evidence that this practice is beneficial to students with special needs.

I once had an autistic learner who would attend my grade 5 French class with the support of his mother. He enjoyed my class and made relative progress as he kept completing the tasks I gave him. Would it have been beneficial for him to be ‘removed’ from the language class he enjoyed?

Yes, these students may present challenges to teachers in terms of delivery and differentiation. The same challenges apply to students traditionally known as gifted and talented. Support may not always be available because of a lack of time or training. As practitioners, there is a lot we can learn, as we teach these students, about the strategies we can implement in our classrooms.

The strategies I use

Strategies to support individual student needs are as varied as there are individuals in the classroom. Those strategies must constantly be tested and adjusted to ensure that teaching is impactful. During my years with the IB program, I discovered this resource map to address the five approaches to learning. The map includes strategies such as those available on the PZ Thinking Routines Toolbox.

For example, students who struggle to listen or follow directions require clear instructions. To support these students, I make sure my instructions are typed and broken down into small chunks. Those instructions are permanently available on a document named ‘Class Notes’ linked on my class website. This is also helpful for students who may be absent on the day when the instructions were provided. I may ask the student who needs extra support to read the instructions to the class and explain the task to their peers if they are willing to do so. Hyperactive students always benefit from this approach and I make sure a variety of activities are included to engage students individually or together with a group.

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Special events or activities are another occasion for students who don’t spontaneously participate to shine in other ways.

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If a student or a group of students struggle to remain on task, I ensure that expectations are clear. I have a ready-made set of routines which my students and I review regularly. Our routines can be viewed here. I also use an array of timers available on Youtube to set a limit on the time students have to complete the assigned task. Students sometimes get to choose their favourite timer, too!

Students with special needs often respond well to praise. A positive teacher-student relationship is indispensable to ensure the students feel encouraged to carry on with the assigned task, provided respect is established at all times.

Setting goals is always a great tool to help students focus. Every single student in my class has a goal-setting document linked to their portfolio. They or I edit the document almost weekly to set goals that respond to the needs they have that particular week. Every student has different goals because they have different needs.

To make sure everyone is included and participates in my classroom activities, I use the Class Dojo randomizer as it gives students an opportunity to win points for their answers. Points can be awarded for any type of answer, ranging from the correct answer, an answer with a mistake in it, simple participation, and other criteria. Since I started using Class Dojo, I have never seen any student unwilling to participate in class. :)

Students can also participate by helping others using a special skill they possess, their super power. For example, during group work, a listener may be the scribe, or an outgoing speaker may be the leader. Additionally, special events or activities are another occasion for students who don’t spontaneously participate to shine in other ways. The world language class provides many opportunities to do this. Finally, routines like Chalk talk, Think pair share and other PZ thinking routines are highly effective to increase student engagement and participation.

Students with limited memory skills often struggle to learn a language effectively. We know that some people learn better by being actively involved in a task. I sometimes flip my lessons and ask my students to research a topic before I teach it. I created my own Youtube channel for this purpose, and it continues to be a work in progress.

Students watch a video at home and explain its content to the class to demonstrate their understanding. Together, we build up knowledge and understanding and record our findings in the student notebooks. Adding a fun element by incorporating games, especially vocabulary games, helps students remember important words and phrases they need for their assessments. Games like Blooket, Kahoot or Quizlet are popular. My students and I build a vocabulary list together using the Google Translate formula in Google Sheets. Once the list is ready, I simply copy and paste it into the game template and students can play straight away. This is a quick tip to promote vocabulary retrieval.

There are many other special needs that may need to be catered for such as dyslexia and other developmental language disorders. Each need requires a specific response.

During my journey with the IB, I also came across the PYP attitudes, which I listed on this document (see Twinkl versions here), the Learner Profile as well as the concept of learner agency, which is explained on the official IBO website. I use those resources to guide my students with their learning and help them develop life-long skills for my class and beyond. They transfer those skills to other subjects and the consistency this approach provides contributes to developing habits of learning that eradicate procrastination, a major roadblock that prevents students from learning or making progress.

Wellbeing in the classroom

Wellbeing is a core value at my school. As the Covid pandemic increased the levels of anxiety, it was important to consider ways that would help our learners cope with the challenges they faced during that difficult period. During that time, I would share this slide deck with each individual student to help them express their feelings and emotions. This helped me understand better why they could not respond in class.

We cannot underestimate the importance of the relationships we have with our students, the care we provide and the creativity we deploy to support them. This particularly holds true for students with special educational needs.

How do you support students with special educational needs in your classroom?