At PHI Learning, we are committed to the belief that education has the power to uplift and empower every student. This view underpins our choice to publish books that help incorporate inclusive education into the curriculum of B.Ed. and M.Ed. programs.

In India, most undergraduate and postgraduate Teacher Education courses include modules on inclusive education — and PHI Learning is committed to catering to their curriculum needs.

PHI Learning offers two bestsellers on this subject that provide comprehensive coverage for course requirements:

• Creating An Inclusive School by Asthana
• Creating An Inclusive School by Mangal

What is Inclusive Education?

Inclusive education, also known as inclusion, is founded on the principle that every child deserves access to quality education, including those with disabilities and special educational needs.

As highlighted by UNICEF, “Robbed of their right to learn, children with disabilities are often denied the chance to take part in their communities, the workforce, and the decisions that most affect them.” Check out the full article here – https://www.unicef.org/belarus/en/inclusion-children-disabilities#:~:text=Robbed%20of%20their%20right%20to,numerous%20programs%20around%20the%20world.

The article emphasizes the need to support all students to help them contribute their talents and knowledge to society. We at PHI Learning couldn’t agree more!

Inclusive education aims to foster equality, encourage social interaction, and enhance learning outcomes for everyone. It’s not just about helping students with disabilities succeed but about harnessing their valuable contributions to society. It’s not just about accommodating students with disabilities but about enriching the educational experience for all students.

Essential Teaching-Learning Aids and Equipment

Creating an inclusive classroom involves equipping classrooms with the right teaching-learning aids to meet the diverse needs of students. These include:

• Educational Videos and Interactive Software: Make learning engaging and accessible with videos, audio, and personalized interactive experiences.
• Digital Textbooks: Features like text-to-speech and adjustable fonts help make content accessible to more students.
• Screen Readers and Magnifiers: Help visually impaired students read digital content.
• Hearing Aids and FM Systems: Enhance hearing for students with auditory impairments.
• AAC Devices: Provide alternative communication methods for students with speech difficulties.
• Graphic Organizers and Visual Schedules: Aid in organization and task execution.
• Manipulatives and Hands-On Materials: Support kinesthetic learners and students with cognitive disabilities.
• Traditional Textbooks: Comprehensive and structured but may not meet all learners’ needs, especially those with visual impairments or dyslexia.

The Role of Teachers in Inclusive Education

The role of teachers is crucial in ensuring inclusive education for all learners. Teachers must learn to be both empathetic and receptive when dealing with a classroom full of students with varying capabilities.

For this reason, we believe that the subject of teacher education is among the most important courses being taught in universities today.

Teachers are crucial to inclusive education but need ongoing training to learn how to effectively use teaching aids and equipment.

PHI Learning’s textbooks on the subject are designed to help educators enhance their teaching strategies and contribute to a more inclusive educational experience.

 

 

We all know a teacher from school or college whom we loved! Teachers have been an integral part of our childhoods. They guide us not only through our educational curriculum but also serve as role models in life and shape our overall attitudes and beliefs. For example, a teacher who teaches physics but believes in sustainability practices may also influence their students’ attitude towards the environment. For this reason, we believe, all teachers should understand their value and just how important they are in the growth and development of a child or young adult.

Over centuries, educators have significantly shaped students’ personal development, serving as mentors and role models in their formative years. In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving educational landscape, these roles have become even more essential. Teachers must now navigate a world characterized by rapid technological advancements and a constant influx of new information. They have to navigate this technological world in order to ensure that students remain adaptable and well-prepared for this digital age.

In modern schools, teachers must integrate traditional roles with a technological dimension. As the educational environment evolves, educators have to learn to effectively utilize digital tools and resources. This integration is crucial to help students understand how to use the vast amount of information available to them in today’s digital age.

Embracing Technology and Information Literacy

In the current era of information technology, teachers face the dual challenge of integrating technology into their teaching methods while also guiding students on how to use the bottomless resources available to them via the internet. It has, indeed, brought in some pretty useful tools for teachers.

Did you know that more and more schools are using AI and other high-tech learning tools to tailor their students’ learning journey? Using technology, teachers are able to assess their students’ work in great depth and assign them a learning strategy which is most suitable for them.

Learn more about technology and assessment here-

https://www.prometheanworld.com/resource-center/blogs/how-can-technology-be-used-for-instant-assessment/#:~:text=Technology%20can%20be%20used%20for,and%20support%20further%Deeper%20learning

The article explains how Cloud-based edtech tools enable teachers to evaluate students’ learning process through real-time assessments. This immediate feedback helps educators identify knowledge gaps, allowing them to personalize the learning experience to meet the specific needs of each student.

In today’s time, there is an almost bottomless range of such tools being offered by various companies. Teachers must help students understand how to use these digital tools to leverage their benefits. It is also important to teach students how to extract relevant information from the noise and how to avoid irrelevant information in today’s age of information overload. This empowers students to navigate the digital world more effectively.

Technology proficiency is a key skill for modern educators with the rise of digital tools like interactive whiteboards, educational apps, and online learning management systems. By integrating these tools, educators can now transform the learning experience, making it more interactive and tailored to individual student needs.

Today, as educators continue to fulfill their evolving roles, embracing technology and information literacy is essential for preparing students to thrive in the digital age. The combination of traditional teaching and modern digital tools enables teachers to provide a comprehensive and adaptable learning experience for their students.

Enhancing Educator Skills with PHI Learning

For educators seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge, ongoing professional development is essential. PHI Learning offers several top textbooks aligned with the current NEP 2020 syllabus in India, focusing on Teacher Education and Teacher Training. Notable titles like Teacher Education by Radha Mohan provide valuable insights and practical guidance for aspiring and current educators.

 

Inclusive education is the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school, learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. It means all children in the same classroom and in the same school with equal learning opportunities despite their disabilities or languages they speak. Inclusive education system values the unique contributions students of all backgrounds bring to the classroom and allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to the benefit of all—children, parents, society, and country at large.

Inclusive education is about ensuring access to quality education for all students by effectively meeting their diverse needs in a way that is responsive, receptive, respectful and supportive. Students participate in the education program in a common learning environment with support to diminish and remove barriers and obstacles that may lead to exclusion.

The latest provision in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, approved by India’s Union Cabinet in July 2020, encourages, and promotes “Barrier-free access to Education for all Children with Disabilities.” India’s first Education Policy was initially established in 1986 and last revised in 1992. Since then, India needed a change in its entire Education Policy. The New Education Policy describes the much-awaited new reforms that India was looking for. These adaptations are designed with special consideration for children with impairments and those from low-income families. The focus of this new rule’s implementation is on two things– Imparting knowledge and training faculties on how to teach children with specific disabilities. These norms are made keeping in mind the Right of Persons with Disability Act-2016 to provide barrier-free education to children with disability. According to the NEP, children with disabilities will be able to participate equally in all aspects of the educational system.

The major challenge this system faces is the progress of children at a slow pace. All students are different and therefore have different individual needs. Similarly, children with different disabilities have differing needs. Hence, it is important to choose the right type of inclusive education for the students based on their individual needs, and to get appropriate outcomes, the inclusive education system requires amendments at all levels of society, especially at the level of school and teaching instructors. The first and foremost requirement is the teachers’ training. The instructors or teachers dealing with special children must be well trained as per the needs of the children. Thus, under the New Education Policy, a provision has been made that all teacher education programmes must include instruction on how to teach children with specific impairments. Ensuring the inclusion and equal participation of children with disabilities, the students will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 defines inclusive education as a ‘system of education wherein students with and without disabilities learn together and the system of teaching and learning is suitably adapted to meet the learning needs of different types of students with disabilities’. This Policy is in complete consonance with the provisions of the RPWD Act 2016 and endorses all its recommendations with regard to school education. Barrier free access for all children with disabilities will be enabled as per the RPWD Act.

School buildings must be refurbished and schools will be supported for providing all children with disabilities accommodations and support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs and to ensure their full participation and inclusion in the classroom. In particular, assistive devices and appropriate technology-based tools, as well as adequate and language-appropriate teaching-learning materials (e.g., textbooks in accessible formats such as large print and Braille) will be made available to help children with disabilities integrate more easily into classrooms and engage with teachers and their peers.

The Latest book on CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL, published by PHI Learning, addresses all the above issues and meets the demand of the NEP 2020 to make learning successful. So, if you are a student of education or a teacher at any school in any capacity, Get your copy now and avail our discount offer …!