- What is an inclusive classroom?
UNICEF defines an inclusive classroom as a space where every student, regardless of their similarities and dissimilarities, studies in the same place.
Students from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds, students with a wide range of learning styles and several other unique traits, come together creating a vibrant, diverse and engaging learning environment.
- Proven benefits of an Inclusive Classroom:
- Interactive Learning- Inclusive classrooms are melting pots of the creative and unique geniuses of every student. It encourages active and interactive learning that not only helps the students to absorb information but also encourages their creative streaks.
- Problem-solving Skills- In an inclusive classroom, the teachers or home tutors are generally advised to frame open-ended questions. Such questions push the students to think out of the box and come up with creative ideas and develop problem-solving skills.
- Teacher-Student Rapport- Since teachers need to be a lot more mindful and attentive to details in an inclusive classroom, they need to communicate and understand their students on an individual level. This develops teacher-student rapport which is not only beneficial to the student’s learning but also their well-being on a personal level.
- Student-student Rapport- Inclusive classrooms promote better student-student rapport as a diverse range of learners come together in one spot. This allows the learners to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses and help one another for sustainable and healthy growth.
- Practical Skills Development- The real world is a mixed bag of unique people, environments and situations and one must navigate their way through this collage to move forward in life. Inclusive classrooms create a realistic setup of the world for students, exposing them to the delicate intricacies and uniqueness of the real world.
- Where can we find Inclusive Classrooms?
- Schools- More and more schools are switching the traditional classroom with inclusive classrooms. If you wish to study in such schools or want your child to reap the benefits of an inclusive classroom, enquire beforehand and choose a school accordingly.
- Private Tuitions- Inclusive classrooms are not limited to schools. Group tuitions, be it biology, chemistry, history or physics tutors in Kolkata, hundreds of tutors have been practicing the ethos of inclusive classrooms, long before it was popularised. One of my friends is a home tutor for Physics and he has always been specifically insistent on forming batches with a diverse range of students.
- Online Forums- Online classrooms, courses and forums are a great way of becoming part of an inclusive classroom. Not only can you reap the benefits of an inclusive classroom, but you can also get valuable international exposure.