Practice

folio

Student Diversity & Inclusive

Mitch Clisby

Topic 1
What is diversity?
Diverse

Learning styles

Interests

Gender

Personality

Intelligences

Age

Background- Socio-economic class/ cultural factors

Students will be diverse from their peers and teacher

Abilities/ Disabilities Handicap: Social disadvantage

Impairment: Result of organ/ bodily
dysfunction
Disability: Functional result of impairment
Using correct language when referring to students with diverse
needs is important
- The student with a vision impairment over The blind
student
At the beginning and throughout the school year, teachers should
interact and ask students about their learning, social and academic
needs to find out how they can best accommodate them all.
Do not be that teacher that has one set way of doing everything.
Students get fed up and bored with the same thing every lesson and
tend to lose motivation. Always accommodate all students and bring
new ideas and modes of teaching into the classroom.
Resources:
SPELD Special Learning Difficulties is a non-for profit organisation
that provides services to support children and adults with diverse
needs.
ACARA Student Diversity

An Australian Curriculum for all students

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA,
2008) (Melbourne Declaration) provides the policy framework for the Australian
Curriculum.

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Mitch Clisby

that each student can learn and that the needs of every student are
important

that each student is entitled to knowledge, understanding and skills that

provide a foundation for successful and lifelong learning and participation in the
Australian community

that high expectations should be set for each student as teachers account
for the current level of learning of individual students and the different rates at
which students develop

that the needs and interests of students will vary, and that schools and
teachers will plan from the curriculum in ways that respond to those needs and
interests.

All students are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning

programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that addresses their
individual learning needs.
Teachers will use the Australian Curriculum to develop teaching and
learning programs that build on students interests, strengths, goals
and learning needs, and address the cognitive, affective, physical,
social and aesthetic needs of all students (ACARA, 2015).
Resources:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/studentdiversity-advice

Topic 2
Understanding AD/HD & FASD
Initial thoughts/ ideas:
AD/HD has to do with bad parenting
Hyperactive students that have been brought up without
boundaries/ rules
Cannot pay attention
FASD can affect children physically and mentally
1. Indicators
AD/HD
Inattention easily distracted, disorganised, difficulty finishing
tasks
Hyperactivity motor excess constantly on the go, fidgety
Impulsivity acts without thinking, interrupts others often
FASD
Cognitive - Learning and memory, poor spatial abilities
abstract concepts
Slow/ impaired auditory processing

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Mitch Clisby
Behavioural Distractible, disorganised, anxiety
Social emotional immaturity, lack of social perception
Other gross and fine motor skills, sensory processing
2. Description
Neurobehavioural developmental lifelong
Working memory Ability to hold information actively in mind
while performing tasks
Atypical brain development - Reduced brain volume 3%-8% of
peers
- Pre-frontal cortex maturation 2-5 years
later than peers
- Motor areas earlier than peers (excessive
motor activity)
Executive function self-regulatory processes
Students find difficulty initiating, planning, organisation, shifting of
thought or attention, inhibition of distracting thoughts and sustained
sequenced behaviour.
Subtypes:
Predominantly hyperactive
Predominantly inattentive
Combined hyperactive and inattentive
3. Causes
AD/HD
Genetic
Brain injury
Infections (encephalitis)
Environmental factors smoking and alcohol consumption
during pregnancy, neurotoxin exposure
Very low birth weight (<1,500g)
Food additives
FASD
Alcohol consumed
during/ before
pregnancy
AD/HD Prevalence:
5% (2.5% in adults)
FASD Prevalence:
0.5-3: 1000 births
10: 1000 births

http://specialedpost.org/wp-content/uplo 1

4. Diagnoses/ management treatment

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Mitch Clisby
Medication
Methlyphendidate (Ritalin), dexamphetamine
Side effects insomnia, headaches, irritability, slow growth
Benefits (short term) 70% improved attention and
concentration, less impulsive/hyperactive
30% no effect
Psychotherapy
Cognitive Behaviour Treatment
Mindfulness
Behavioural
Environmental
Skill Instruction
5. Co-morbid disorders
AD/HD sufferers tend to be at risk of:
Learning difficulties
Language disorders
Developmental coordination disorders
Conduct disorder
Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD)
Tourettes Disorder
Anxiety/ depression
Bipolar disorder
Other risks
Lower school belonging/ connectedness
Lower engagement, academic achievement, retention,
completion
Higher suspension
Higher juvenile justice
Wellbeing
Family relationships
Traffic violation
Vocational and life
options

http://body-disease.com/wp-content/uploa 1

6. Classroom
Strategies
Understanding the student/s and building relationships with them
will aid in the teaching process. Having parental support is
important as well as understanding the disorder through research.

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Mitch Clisby

Multimodal instruction
Explicit instruction
Activity movement
Differentiated curriculum
Personal Learning plan

Resources:
http://complexld.ssatrust.org.uk/
Broad Medows Primary/ Secondary School Programs for AD/HD
disorders

Topic 3
Planning for students with special needs
Speaking encouragement into students lives is a great way to build
relationships and helps those with low self-esteem levels to be
encouraged to learn.
Negotiated Education Plan (NEP)
Written statement/ program for a student with special needs
designed to aid their learning.
Intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities are legally required to
have an NEP.
An NEP should include:
Background information
Childs current strengths and preferences relevant to learning
Learning goals
Who is responsible
Planning will consider modification to the learning environment, to
resources or equipment, curriculum adjustments and teaching
methodologies.
One Child One Plan
- One plan for students that require assistance in various means
-

My Previous Experience
Autism Spectrum student at my previous professional
experience Tyndale Christian School Year 9 Design and
Technology

This particular student would never pay attention in class, always

called out, talked and distracted his peers. He would respond
respectfully when I told him to return to his work but would return to

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Mitch Clisby
being off task when I wasnt there. He required complete and
explicit instruction otherwise he would complain that he didnt know
what to do.
One particular lesson, I concentrated on making sure he achieved
something that lesson. It took a lot of effort and one on one
instruction but he responded well when I was with him.
I found that the most important thing was encouragement. He
responded really well to verbal encouragement. He needed that
push to stay on task and believe that he could the task by himself.
Resources:
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/brighterfutures/files/pages/pid/onechildon
eplan.pdf
NEP on SERU website: http://web.seru.sa.edu.au

Topic 4
Understanding Giftedness
Characteristics of gifted students:
Precocity The capacity to learn at faster rates
Intensity Capacities f=to find, solve and act upon problem
more readily
Complexity Capacities to manipulate abstract and make
connections, and to work at multiple levels
High achievers work hard whilst gifted learners often play around,
yet tests well.
Gifted learners:
Are highly curious about a particular topic
Elaborates/ discusses answers at length
Display strong feelings and opinions
Gifted learners
already knows the
answers
Only need 1-2
repetitions whilst it
takes high achievers
5-8 times
Construct abstracts
Initiates projects
Are intense
Often have other things on their mind

Student Diversity & Inclusive

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Mitch Clisby
Often gifted students find difficulty writing down their ideas and
thoughts; their handwriting can be poor.
Teachers should give gifted students the opportunity to expand their
knowledge and interests throughout each lesson, not just
occasionally. Gifted students often become bored and uninterested
when they are not being challenged.
My thoughts:
I feel including more advanced work/ tasks for gifted students would
be really exciting in Design and Tech and PE. Developing new jigs,
larger furniture, more difficult joints or higher accuracy, faster times,
better technique would be fun to try and excel the gifted students.

Topic 5
Case Study of Matthew Turnbull
Dyspraxia
Processes information, yet struggles to articulate it (orally, visually,
through writing).
- High number of divorce from disability in the family
- Disenfranchised grief
In regard to supporting students with a disability, good teachers will:
Plan ahead and get to know the student
Meet with parents regularly
Get to know parents and their issues
Value parental input and understand they know their child
best
Maintain open, regular and frequent communication at their
initiative
Set a bar for the student
Set homework not to be completed in class
Give encouragement as well as highlight difficulties
Give feedback on things they CAN do
Encourage life skills for the students

Student Diversity & Inclusive

Practice
Mitch Clisby
Issues for Teachers/ School
Importance of NEPs
Inclusivity
Mainstream vs. Special Units
Bowes et al, (2014) describes in their publication on the affects of
disability in communities and families that if siblings of a disabled
person are not receiving adequate parental attention, they carry a
burden of care for their sibling and are at risk of psychological and
behavioural maladjustment.
My Thoughts:
Some students with siblings suffering from a disability may find
themselves trapped in a caring role for their loved one, which can
adversely affect them. Students could suffer from low self-esteem
because their focus is one that is too selfless. Teachers must ensure
they encourage all students to strive for their best, as it is an
important part of finding oneself and ones interests/ abilities.

Resources:
Bowes, J. G. (2014). CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES (4th
ed.). . South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press .

Topic 6
Teaching students with hearing impairment
Auditory Processing Disorders are much more prevalent in classes
these days.
Severity of hearing loss in students:
Mild (20-39db) Difficulty understanding speech in noisy
surroundings
Moderate (40-59db) Only face to face speech within 2
metres, yet loose 50% of
noise any further away than 2m.
Severe (60-90db) Conversation must be very loud to hear at
all. Maybe able to discriminate some vowels only. Will rely on
visual more so than auditory.
Profound (91db+) a jet engine is 90 decibles May only hear
loud environmental sounds. Rely heavily on visual
communication (lip reading, sign language). English skills are
poorly developed.
Approximately 5% of school-age children have some type of
auditory processing disorder, and according to the National
Institutes of Health, children with learning difficulties the prevalence
of auditory processing disorder has been found to be up to 43%.

Student Diversity & Inclusive

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Mitch Clisby
25% of children with learning difficulties have both APD and
dyslexia
The true prevalence of APD is most likely greater, however,
since children with APD often go undiagnosed or are
misdiagnosed as
inattentive,
ADD (attention deficit disorder),
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder),
PDD (pervasive developmental delay),
dyslexic,
learning disabled,
behavior problems,
receptive language disorder.

Or, children may have one of these disorders or delays in addition to

APD.
Majority of student suffering from a hearing impairment attend
classes alongside same age peers without these difficulties.
Cora Barclay Centre Guest speaker Notes
Established 1945, first Oral School in Southern Hemisphere.
Teaching hearing impaired children to listen and speak.
They serve by: Early intervention Verbal Therapy, Family
counselling, audiology, group programs, child care/ kindergarten
support, and student services.

Babies are being diagnosed with hearing difficulties today

through neonatal practices. This gives us the ability to have
early intervention as opposed to starting when a child is older.
92% of children are born to hearing parents

Through the Cora Barclay Centre:

86% of deaf preschool children have better vocabulary skills
78% had better language skills
73% had speech in the normal range or better
Children spend 45% of the school day engaged in listening activities
(Berg, 1987).
Problem:
Hearing loss is an invisible acoustic filter that distorts, smears or
eliminates incoming sounds.
Solution:
Improve the acoustics
As hearing impairment becomes more severe, sounds like th, s, t,
ed, sh, sch, etc. are faded out. Plurals are difficult to distinguish,

Student Diversity & Inclusive

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Mitch Clisby
past and present tense cannot be heard, and therefore general
language interpretation is highly distorted and affected.
Typical ambient classroom noises should not exceed 35db, however
typical classrooms noise levels range from 41-51db. Students with a
hearing aid or cochlea implant receive these noises amplified.
Assistive Listening Devices:
Students have a personal FM device in a headphone form and the
classroom has a sound field system with the teacher using a
microphone.
Practical Classroom strategies:
Be aware of the nod usually this means they did not
understand
Rephrase rather than repeat
Ask the student to tell you what they need to do
Ask questions to check understanding
Ensure he/ she knows routines and expectations
Provide summaries
Give novels before hand
Be prepared to give more time
My thoughts:
After wearing the hearing aid in class, I noticed sound distance is
completely eliminated. The distance and pitch of the lecturer was
the same that I was hearing from someone sitting next to me, just a
different volume. There were no reverberations through the earpiece. This would definitely cause difficulty in picking up tone and
also distinguishing teacher voice from peer interruption.
Resources:
http://www.auditorycenter.com/what-is-auditory-processingdisorder/prevalence-of-apd/

Topic 7
Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Condition,
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Referred to as a spectrum because of a range of differences with
each diagnosis. No two cases are exactly the same.
It is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) that affects the
functioning of the brain.
Their brains messages are distorted.

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Mitch Clisby
-

Influences peoples perceptions and understanding

Impacts on the way they communicate, behave, and respond.

ASD people typically have special interests whereby they are

obsessed with one particular topic, trouble communicating socially
and are easily stressed. One child in every 160 children (aged 612
years) having an ASD (MacDermott et al, 2007) or over 10 000
primary aged students in Australia, which is consistent with
international trends. This incidence level makes ASD more common
than the combined number of children with cerebral palsy, diabetes,
deafness, blindness and leukaemia.

ASD is more common in boys than girls - 4 to 1, however, may

change with more recent studies
Some people diagnosed with ASD can have genius abilities
Prevalent in all races
1 in approximately 68 people are diagnosed with ASD
Dont pick up social cues (facial expression, body language,
etc.)
Inflexible thought patterns and like things to be predictable
70% of ASD students are taught in mainstream classrooms/
schools
Difficulty with self-regulation Dont know why they did
something
Difficulty Pretending/ deceiving
Organisational difficulties

ASD people have a lack of imagination, which can affect empathy.

They have difficulty seeing things from other peoples point of view.
Resources:

Student Diversity & Inclusive

Practice
Mitch Clisby
Australian Advisory Board on ASD:
http://www.autismaus.com.au/aca/pdfs/Prevalence Report.pd
http://www.autismadvisoryboard.org.au/uploads/file/pdfs/Communiq
ue%20re%20CRC.pdf
Starting guide for teachers
http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/speced/files/pages/autism/ASD_book_FA2
.pdf

Topic 8
Intellectual Disability Down syndrome
It has been proven that most students with a disability actually work
more effectively in an integrated mainstream classroom.
Sometimes, dependent on the situation, this can impair learning and
these students may benefit from a specialized school. No two people
with an intellectual disability will have the same intellectual
functioning. They are individuals with different strengths,
capabilities and abilities.
Each and every person, with or without an intellectual disability,
inherits genes from both parents, giving him or her totally different
characteristics to another person with the exact same intellectual
condition.
1 in 1150 live births Down syndrome
Types of Down syndrome
Trisomy 21: 90-95%
Translocation: 2-5%
Mosaic: 4%

Physical
puberty
Medical
Communication
language
Behaviour
Memory

short limbs, Hypotonia, fine/ gross motor, early

heart, hearing, high pain threshold, vision
great receptive language, poor expressive
stubborn, poor attention, errorless learners
short term, long term, and poor auditory learners

Student Diversity & Inclusive

Practice
Mitch Clisby
Williams Syndrome
Physical
early puberty
Medical
Communication
language
Behaviour
incontinence
Memory

short in stature, Hypotonia, fine/ gross motor,

heart, hearing, high pain threshold, vision
great receptive language, poor expressive
hyperactive, attention span is low, emotional
short term, long term, and poor auditory learners

Students with Williams syndrome tend to find difficulty socializing

and have no control of their feelings.
Learning styles
Students with intellectual disabilities need a diluted curriculum. As
each student is completely unique, they each need an intellectual
profile, specific to their learning needs. Instead of asking a student
with Down syndrome Where did you g on the weekend? say On
the weekend, you went to? Down syndrome students find
difficulty with words and auditory processing.
Jobling & Moni (2004) as cited in Konza, (2008) found that most of
their sample of pre-service teachers believed that responsibility for
the academic progress of students with disabilities would remain
with special education personnel, and that the purpose of placing
these students in mainstream classrooms was for socialisation
purposes only. In many classrooms, a teachers aide is the person
who spends most time with the student with special needs, often
being solely responsible for the implementation of the students
instructional program. Specialist teachers are often involved with
the students on an itinerant basis.
Resources:
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1036&context=edupapers
Adapting curriculum changes in the classroom:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/sid/21.htm

Student Diversity & Inclusive

Practice
Mitch Clisby
My Thoughts:
Down Syndrome students are poor auditory learners. Teachers tend
to be talkers; therefore Down syndrome students suffer in these
classroom situations. Teachers need to use more practical and
hands on ways to teach them. They tend to have a maximum of
two-digit attention span. Instead of saying I want you to pick up
your pens and then begin writing about. Rather use phrases like
pick up, draw this, come here, think of

The above 8 topics are lecture notes, reflections, thoughts and

resources I have collated of the last 13 weeks about the diversity I
will face in the classroom. I have learned many teaching tips and
information about a range of diverse needs I will come across as a
teacher.