Kluth - All In: 18 Ways to Create Inclusive Virtual Classrooms

#All In

Ways to Create

Inclusive Virtual Classrooms

#All In

Ways to Create

Inclusive Virtual Classrooms

Paula Kluth, Ph.D.

and contributors

Copyright 2020 by Dr. Paula Kluth

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other- wise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Edited by Skye Loyd and Kendra Muntz

Cover design by David Miles

Book design by Kevin Fitzgerald

ISBN-13: 979-8-557792-24-0

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

To all who focus on the goals of inclusion, community, and belongingno matter what.

Paula Kluth

Paula Kluth

Cori Mohr

Lisa Orvis

Lauren Arends & Paula Kluth

Robin Weckerly

Sarah Brady

Camila Dvila with Eileen Yoshina

Cecilia Sweeney & Evan Trad with Paula Kluth

Paula Kluth & Rochelle Martin

Adie Buchinsky, Samantha Toews, Jennifer Selin & Amy Hanreddy

Paula Kluth

Paula Kluth & Mary Falvey

Paula Kluth

Chanda Kulow with Paula Kluth

Paula Kluth

Jennifer Kurth, Elissa Lockman Turner & Paula Kluth

Paula Kluth

Jennifer Spencer-Iiams

Table of Contents

Introduction

A s schools closed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, many teachers, advocates, and families became concerned that inclusion would no longer be a priority for their districts. As weeks became months, many of these same teachers, advocates, and families got creative and designed structures and strategies to help students with and without disabilities stay connected to one another and ensure that inclusive education con- tinued in virtual lessons and beyond.

The aim of this book is twofold. First, it is an attempt to catalog some of those aforemen- tioned structures and strategies. It is also a call to action: Schools must remain focused on the goal of inclusion, even when students are learning from home. Virtual learning poses many obstacles, but it also offers unique opportunities. In some ways, classrooms are more accessible in this format; students can enter and exit online classes in ways that work best for them and take different types of breaks (e.g., stand to learn, get a snack, shut off the camera) as needed. They can also respond to teacher questions and prompts in a variety of ways (e.g., verbally, by typing responses into chat boxes, by holding pictures or objects up to the webcam) and access lessons by listening, interacting with peers, or viewing related materials (e.g., teacher-created videos) asynchronously. Further, as you will see throughout this book, there is no shortage of ways students can connect to peers in our new reality.

Technology has limitations, certainly, but it also holds great potential to unite us, challenge our old paradigms, and provide access and support in ways that many of us could not have pre- viously imagined. The pandemic and the abrupt shift to virtual education has been shocking and devastating, but it has also offered insight and uncovered the need for our schools to evolve and grow. For instance, distance learning has revealed how very necessary it is to focus on belonging and community as classroom goalsin every subject area and grade level. It has inspired new conversations about teaching social and communication skills to all. It has also illuminated the need to personalize instruction and education in general.

# All In

This historical momenthowever disruptive and unwelcomeis causing a much-needed examination of what is possible in the classroom and in schools. Its allowing us to lean into inclusion and strengthen our efforts to bring all students into shared experiences and new op- portunities. When we consider the drastic differences in the look and feel of learning spaces since the spring of 2020, the expansion of tools used by educators, and the various ways we communicate and connect with one another, it is clear that all students can now be included in general education in some wayif not in every way. In virtual classrooms, architecture is not a hurdle to clear, an inability to sit and get is not an obstacle, and sensory struggles are minimized. In these circumstances, educators have unique opportunities to right some wrongs, to go all in, and to eliminate barriers to high-quality grade-level curriculum and instruction for students with and without disabilities.

So, how do we get there? How can we take advantage of these times? The structures and strategies in this book will help to answer those questions. # All In: Ways to Create Inclusive Virtual Classrooms is certainly not a thorough examination of all that is possible in distance education. Rather, it is meant to be a guide and a starting point for discussion and planning, not only for teaching in virtual spaces but for considering how to bring the learning we acquire in this format back to face-to-face classrooms. This book features stories from parents, community members, administrators, and teachers, as well as tips for making inclusion work for students of all ages. Pick one idea or try them all. Read it, share it, and pass it on.

Never waste a good crisis is a quote attributed to a few different 20th century political figures ranging from Winston Churchill to Saul Alinsky. While the origins of the phrase may be unclear, it is likely that whoever initially uttered or penned these words was not thinking about supporting students with disabilities during a global pandemic! The advice, however, seems quite fitting for this time and for this topic. Lets not squander this opportunity to expand supports, to rethink what is possible, and to see what can come from asking new questions and trying new practices in an effort to embrace the true promise of inclusive education.

Idea #1

Reach Out

Paula Kluth

W ith so many students currently learning from home, parents have become educa- tional partners in ways that would have seemed unimaginable in early 2020. Of course, moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, and other caregivers have always acted as teachers, counselors, and therapists, but distance learning requires family members to expand those roles and adopt a range of new responsibilities as well. In virtual education, parents and caregivers are our closest allies and collaborators. Therefore, regular communication with them is not just ideal, it is critical to student success.

Reaching out to families is a great way to create a positive school culture and learn more about students, but the most important reason to pick up the phone or send that note is to impact student outcomes. In a Harvard University study on collaboration, researchers found that schoolfamily communication increased the odds that students completed their homework by 40%, decreased instances in which teachers had to redirect students attention by 25%, and increased class partic- ipation rates by 15% (Kraft & Dougherty, 2013). Those kinds of results illustrate why connecting with parents and caregivers is the first strategy in this book and why it should be considered before any other strategy. Before brainstorming ideas for inclusive structures, classes, and extra- curricular activities, decide on how and when to collaborate and communicate with families. For many students with disabilities, virtual inclusion will not be sustainable without support from home, frequent teacher check-ins, and constant conversations about needs, progress, challenges,

# All In

successes, adaptations, and expectations.

There are many ways to reach out and keep your connections with family members strong. Four effective strategies are to ask and keep asking; host a coffee talk; open your office; and send a message.