Social+Inclusion

Friendships are something we all have, or at least should have. Friendships help in making us who we are today as well help build social skills, which is a skill necessary for everyday life. Often students with a learning disability or a student who is seen as ‘different’ from a mainstream student may struggle when it comes to making friends, therefore may affect any chance of them developing strong social skills. A Strategy implemented by classroom teacher’s to help with social skills/inclusion is where students work in small groups to complete assigned tasks. This task is one that encourages students to all equally participate. It lets every student with a learning disability or not a chance to voice their ideas and opinions in front of a smaller group rather than a large group of people, which they may find intimidating. ‘Developing social skills requires practice, patience and perseverance, not things students would want to invest in if their early attempts to socialise are unsuccessful’ (Foreman, 2008). This strategy for encouraging social skills can be aimed at any age group of students. However, the earlier a student can build strong social skills and gain acceptance for who they are will definitely make thing easier for them in the future. Being socially accepted is something that can influence a students learning, therefore having confidence to proactively socialise can encourage students to participate fully in their education, especially when it comes to whole class activities.

There are many good and fun ways to group students into the correspondent groups. One of which is using types of fruit. For example if you wanted 4 equal groups use 4 different fruits and give each student a fruit name. Once each student has a fruit ask students to group with all other students of the same fruit. A great website I found which explains some other great ideas on how to place students into groups is:[|Super Teacher stuff]

Reference: Foreman, P. (2008). Inclusion in action second edition. Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.

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 * Social and Emotional Inclusion **

A child’s emotional development is just as important for teachers to nurture as well as the academic side of learning, especially for those students with difficulties and disabilities of any nature. As suggested in Foreman 2008, 208; many students, particularly adolescents with moderate and severe disabilities, remain socially isolated (Albery & Simunds 1997), therefore it is crucial to identify if a child is conflicted with social and emotional issues as it may hinder the learning process significantly.

WINGS are an organisation that aims at producing learning outcomes that achieve appropriate behaviour, good decision making and building healthy relationships in children. The program harvests various activities which include developing skills that focus on social awareness, coping with anger and stress and improving how one may express emotions constructively. If a student is having trouble in a social setting and is feeling anxious and over-whelmed, a possible reason for this is that a specific need is not being met. We can better understand this notion and see a correlation through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.



The hierarchy looks at human needs and how we cannot move up levels if a previous need has not been met. A child may not be developing on a social and emotional level if they do not attain needs that are required on a daily basis (e.g. having a decent breakfast or feeling secure and safe by those who are influential in their lives). Therefore it is important to be mindful of this, otherwise the learning process may be significantly affected. This program is not only beneficial for SEN students (be it intellectual or physical), but also for fellow students and teachers. It reiterates the importance of establishing a rapport on an emotional level with students as this is vital for a stable, positive and inclusive environment.

The teacher will find the content to be practical and constructive in the classroom for all ages. They are flexible and adaptable depending on the year level and what is believed to be appropriate for that level. For example, a child aged 5-10 years old with ADD or ADHD may respond well to the following activity: [] The activity is titled ‘Don’t become a human volcano’: [] The metaphor of the volcano is a great one as it is easy for students to identify and relate to. It also incorporates a series of questions which enables students to be open and honest with themselves and peers in regard to how and why they feel the way they do. Activities like this one will educate students in how they can achieve positive outcomes without resorting to unwarranted and inappropriate behaviours. Overall, the organisation provides valuable tools and resources for teachers that will benefit all students with or without a disability/learning difficulty.