In this blog post, Dr Carly Lassig and Dr Sofia Mavropoulou discuss strategies for applying inclusive teaching practices to learning at home, drawing on approaches such as Universal Design for Learning and differentiation, as well as adjustments for students with disability. You can download this information as a PDF – Inclusive teaching practices for learning at home (PDF file, 2MB)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been working harder than ever to ensure that learning continues for their students at home. The challenges associated with teaching and learning at home ― including access to and use of technology; changed interactions with teachers, peers, and support staff; and the potential stress and anxiety experienced by teachers, students and families ― require creative, innovative solutions to ensure that all students are learning. An important consideration is addressing accessibility and differentiation for all students and ensuring that adjustments to curriculum, teaching and assessment continue for students with disability.
Even though many students are now learning at home, schools are still required to meet their legal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005). However, as an Australian Academy of Science (2020) report has cautioned, primary and secondary students with disabilities are among the most at risk of poor educational outcomes from learning at home for an extended period.
Although some states are starting to plan the reopening of schools, many students with disability will be learning at home for longer than their peers. Due to the higher likelihood of falling into high risk groups for COVID-19, some parents/caregivers of children with disability report that they are anxious about their children’s return to school and it may be some time before they feel safe to send their children back, even if schools reopen.
Designing and providing adjustments for students in the online environment requires additional consideration by the teacher, but it may also create unique opportunities for schools and families to learn a lot about each other and work collaboratively to focus on the most important learning outcomes. Parents/caregivers can also gain a unique insight into their children’s learning, and the new knowledge and skills gained by teachers and families can continue to be applied longer after COVID-19 resolves.
In this blog post, we consider the checkpoints that can help educators plan and review their strategies for continuing to provide universal access and differentiation for all students, and how to make adjustments for students with disability while they are learning from home.
Setting up the physical environment
Questions to ask | Examples of effective practices | |
▢ | How can students plan their daily schoolwork? | Teachers could:
▢ | Are the required materials clear and accessible? | Teachers could:
▢ | Are there ways to improve the accessibility of technological resources? | Depending on the student, some strategies that might make technology more accessible include:
▢ | Will students and families understand how to complete the tasks? | Tasks may seem self-explanatory to teachers, but without the usual presentation and explanation of them in a classroom setting, students might be unsure of what to do. Teachers can assist by:
▢ | How are students learning to use technologies for their learning? | Teachers could:
How is material presented to students?
Questions to ask | Examples of effective practices | |
▢ | Is the font and presentation of text accessible? | It is recommended that teachers:
See Vision Australia’s Online and print inclusive design and legibility considerations and the Dyslexia friendly style guide for more details. |
▢ | Is there alternative (alt) text for images for those students with vision impairment or who turn off images to save data? | Guidelines for writing alt text:
▢ | Are there closed captions on videos, and a transcript for videos/podcasts? | If you create an online presentation using newer versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, there is an option to have real-time automatic captions displayed or even subtitles in another language. You can also write your own captions/subtitles and add these to your PowerPoint presentation.
YouTube has automatic captioning for videos, but those videos must be hosted on YouTube. There are other programs and apps that also add captioning, some are free if you allow a logo to be displayed on your video, e.g., Kapwing. |
▢ | Do you have a video of yourself in your online classes or video recordings? | While sharing their PowerPoint slides or other resources on their screens or in recordings, teachers can include a small video of themselves speaking in the corner. The video of the teacher’s face has two key purposes:
▢ | Are videos/podcasts short to maintain student attention and reduce the file size? | Research shows that the optimal length for an educational video is 6 minutes or less! Chunk material into multiple short videos rather than one long video. |
▢ | Are alternatives provided alongside auditory information? | Alternatives to auditory information could include:
▢ | Are the materials available in multiple modes? | Some examples of materials in multiple modalities include:
▢ | Is there a choice of materials/texts to work with? | For example, students might have choice in:
▢ | Are key vocabulary and symbols accessible to all students? | Some strategies include:
How will students be learning?
Questions to ask | Examples of effective practices | |
▢ | Are there opportunities for choice in learning? | Students might have choice in:
▢ | Are there different levels of challenge for students to choose from? | Some ways to differentiate the challenge level:
Students who were accessing curriculum at an alternative access point at school should continue to have these adjusted tasks (and scaffolds) while learning at home. Link these to the overarching goals and understandings that the rest of the class is working towards, and ensure the learning is age appropriate. Some students might need some guidance about selecting the right level of challenge. If you have students who need encouragement to select more challenging tasks, you can ask them to reflect on questions such as:
▢ | Are adjustments made to how the teacher communicates in online learning classes? | Depending on the task and the level of adjustment typically provided to the student, during online classes, teachers might:
▢ | Are there opportunities for students to reflect on their learning? | Students can reflect on their learning throughout the week/term/semester using strategies such as:
Teachers can lead a group discussion after collecting students’ reflections and guide students on the next step of their learning. |
▢ | If all else fails, do families have suggestions of educational activities (online and offline) they can engage in with students? | Example lists of online and offline educational learning activities:
Resources with suggestions of activities that don’t require technology could be printed and delivered to families without access to a device/internet. |
How will students show what they have learned?
Check point | Examples of effective practices | |
▢ | Are there opportunities for students to choose how they show their learning? | Students are more motivated to complete tasks that allow them to have choice and that link to their interests and strengths. Offer variety in how students present their learning.
Try non-traditional formats for students to show their learning, for example:
▢ | Are there adjustments to the task requirements or format? | Teachers might adjust the:
▢ | Are there varied amounts of supports and scaffolds offered to complete the task? | Teachers can vary:
▢ | Are there challenging learning goals for all students but different ways of meeting those goals? | All students can be working towards the same essential understandings, but show these understandings with different levels of content or skills.
Example from Digital Technologies, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic:
▢ | Are there tools to help students compose work that shows what they know? | Students could have access to:
▢ | Are there supports to help students manage assessment deadlines? | Teachers could:
▢ | Are there supports to help students cope with anxiety and fear of failure? | Teachers could nurture persistence and help students build resilience, by:
▢ | Do students understand how their learning will be assessed? | Teachers can:
Every student still matters
During and post COVID-19, we will observe changes in the ways we teach and in the ways students learn. Dealing effectively with a crisis requires a return to our values and principles that guide our thinking and practice. Embracing student differences and ensuring equitable learning opportunities for all are core values and principles of inclusive philosophy and practice. Teaching inclusively in these circumstances requires creativity, innovation, agility and an open mind. We are taking this learning journey together and this resource is designed to support teachers so that they can maintain and strengthen these values in their inclusive teaching. We also hope that this resource continues to assist teachers in implementing inclusive practices once all students have returned to school.
Our acknowledgements. We would like to thank the parents/caregivers and teachers who have shared ideas with us about what’s happening in their schools and what they are aiming to achieve for all learners.
Scholarly Bibliography and Educational Websites
Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education. (2020). Providing inclusive education for children and young people with disability in a ‘time of crisis’. Retrieved from: https://acie.org.au/2020/04/27/providing-inclusive-education-at-a-time-of-crisis-principles-and-recommendation-from-acie/
CAST (2018). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials. (n.d.). About accessible educational materials. Retrieved from: http://aem.cast.org/about
Swancutt, L. (2019). Matrix of quality practice and adjustments: Students with disability. Retrieved from: https://inclusiveschooling.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/matrix_quality-practice-and-adjustments_students-with-disability-1.pdf
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd. ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2016). How to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Dr Carly Lassig is a Lecturer in the QUT Faculty of Education with a passion for social justice, equity, and inclusion. Her research and teaching interests include inclusive education, differentiation, Universal Design for Learning, educational experiences of children with disability, gifted education, and creativity. Carly is passionate about reimagining schools to be places that are inclusive of all students and supporting teachers, families and students in achieving this goal.
Dr Sofia Mavropoulou is a Senior Lecturer in the QUT Faculty of Education. Her research and teaching are focused on inclusive strategies, educational supports for social understanding, social inequalities and parenthood in autism. Sofia is very passionate about creating autism-friendly environments to accommodate the strengths and preferences of persons with autism to promote their inclusion, independence and well-being.