Assignment 3:

Why is it important to identify and meet individual needs in your teaching?
It is important to identify and meet individual needs in my teaching in order to be able to teach the whole class, the same lesson and to the same standard. I must try and make all students feel that they are positively and equally valued and recognise their efforts. This can be done by using the equality and diversity techniques, taught in earlier lessons as below.
Equality in education is not about treating everyone the same; it is about giving everyone an equal opportunity to access the learning experience.
Diversity is about celebrating people’s differences such as backgrounds, knowledge, skills and experiences, by encouraging and using those differences to broaden the learning experience.
To promote equality in your classroom you need to respond positively to the diverse needs of your learners. You should consider whether any of the following is relevant to your teaching role; how you communicate with learners (make sure they can understand – use appropriate vocabulary and terminology, ensure your comments will not be taken as discriminatory or offensive, check that your body language is appropriate); the resources you use (consider whether they could be viewed as discriminatory or stereotypical and that are they suitable for the learners’ needs); the teaching methods (make sure all learners can participate and that the methods are varied and support all learning styles); the environment (gives learners opportunities to establish working relationships effectively, ensure everybody is being included, check that the room is accessible and safe especially for people with sensory disabilities or lack of mobility).

Inclusive teaching and learning is only possible when equality and diversity policies are positively promoted. Inclusion means that learners’ needs (and an individual learner may have more than one need) are appropriately met to enable full participation in the learning process.
Inclusive practice relies on a range of differentiation strategies which could include some of the following: additional classroom tutor support (or learning support assistant), adapted or specific resources, peer support; varied presentation; content selection; reducing or increasing time for activities or expected output.
When individual needs have been identified sufficiently, the lesson allows for everyone to feel comfortable within themselves and able to fully understand what it is that is being taught, so that everyone can progress at the same speed. If individual needs have not been identified, then some learners might be disadvantaged and not progress the same as the rest of the group.

Identify and explain ways to promote supportive and safe environment in your classroom?
It is best to create an atmosphere that would allow everyone to feel confident and at ease within themselves right from the start. This would encourage everyone to get to know each other and feel as if they are part of a happy learning group. Class participation in easy going ice breakers, such as talking about whom they are (or who the person sitting next to them is) and what they are interested in, etc. would be a good way to promote this. Giving help when needed and praising/complimenting what they are saying/doing when the opportunity arises, all helps in promoting this. Inclusive learning is about ensuring that all learners have the same opportunity to be involved and included in the learning process.

Define inclusive learning?
Inclusive learning is about ensuring all your learners have the opportunity to be involved and included in the learning process. It’s also about treating all learners equally and fairly, without directly or indirectly excluding anyone. Inclusion is about attitudes as well as behaviour, as learners can be affected by the words or actions of others. You are not teaching your subject to a group of