Timira
Inclusive education does not restrict itself to ensure that schools must accommodate children with special needs. Inclusion is more than just that. It needs to be a part of our everyday vocabulary where all unheard voices get heard and represented. So how can we make room for children’s voices to be heard? Children’s literature has taken the first step by publishing books for children written by children. Therefore it is time to listen.
Category: I for Inclusion
Arts-based teacher training – an imperative need
Timira
The arts offer a unique vocabulary which can help teachers to be inclusive in their approach to teaching. Teachers must learn to experience art in order to know and use it and eventually make it their own. Teacher-training workshops that are designed around arts- based engagements and play help teachers to focus on discovery, communication and collaboration. Such experiences give room to teachers to develop reflective practices that can help them review their approach to teaching.
Art as a pathway to inclusion
Timira
Art, in any form, is an all-embracing medium. Observing and practicing art invites and encourages creativity, freedom, and openness. Let us not restrict art to that one period on the time table. Let art become the medium of instruction in schools so that our classrooms transform into welcoming, patient, and inclusive learning environments.
An environment that welcomes all
Timira
How can schools create an environment that is inclusive? And what does ‘environment’ stand for? Library spaces to playgrounds or even display boards come under ’environment’. Each of these elements need attention to create inclusiveness, not forgetting the people who are part of the school space. As the new school year begins, every school must try and bring in small changes so that inclusiveness becomes a way of life.
What we learnt from Shreya
Timira
The talk about inclusion is all very well, but can a differently-abled child really ‘fit in’ in a normal school? Read this story about Shreya and how she spent a successful few years in a regular school, both improving her life and enriching those of the children around her.
Talking inclusion
Timira
“Special” or differently-abled people are as much a part of this world as are the able-bodied; it is time that they felt included and at home in a world that is now largely meant for “normal” people. As teachers we have to nurture an empathetic and sensitive generation by introducing small changes to our pedagogical approaches so that tomorrow we can create a truly inclusive and understanding world.
Imagining the possibilities…
Timira
This article looks at how an arts-based approach can help special needs children overcome their limitations and experience joy in whatever they do. The possibilities are endless.
A sports day without a victory stand
Timira
Is an inclusive education really possible? How have schools put this into practice, and are teachers negotiating this with sensitivity and without any hurdles? Are there any success stories? This column will showcase stories of hope and empathy.