Embed Inclusive Practice In Teaching

Before learning this unit, my conception of inclusive practice was very limited. When thinking about inclusive practices, I firstly reflected on my stands of treating people who are physically disabled. I believed that people with disability should be treated normally as others in the society and this is one way of respecting and protecting their self-esteem. Treated normally means they can lead their lives like other ‘normal’ people; they feel secure in the society and do not need to worry about being stigmatized and excluded in any social situations; they have the opportunities to chase their dream and career without being objected just because of the reason that some of them can not move conveniently; they have access to social resources
According to the learning outcome two of the Early Years Learning Framework [EYLF], children should learn to 'respond to diversity with respect’ (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments [DEEWR], 2009, p.27). In order to promote and prepare children to face difference and diversity in a positive way, I should provide opportunities for children to broaden their perspectives towards individual differences and encourage appreciations for diversity. To successfully embed inclusive practices in the classroom, my role is to ensure every child’s participation and engagement in my teaching activities. I will strive to build a learning community where difference is normalized. I believe that it is important for the teacher to talk through and model the way of how to respond to differences. Eventually, children will notice and react to difference and diversity with respect. In order to meet the need of the diverse needs of children and their families, building trusting and respectful parent-teacher relationship is important (Cologon, 2014). Through effective communication with parents, I recognize children’s needs and therefore will be able to provide genuine caring and timely supports when they need help. Cologon (2014) suggested that working collaboratively with other professionals allow knowledge and expertise to be shared, which is beneficial in creating an inclusive environment in the early childhood settings. Developing inter-professional relationships allow me to gather information from other experts on how to design more inclusive practices in the kindergarten as well as receive sufficient supports when I need help. The learning of inclusive practices in this unit has raised my awareness of the importance of recognizing and respecting