Effective inclusive teaching needs synergistic knowing and learning 

[Extract] The focus of this chapter is the extent to which the classroom is inclusive for individual students. Its critical perspective is on the need for inclusive practice to be referenced on an explicit theory of learning. Without this, it is argued, models of inclusion portray the student as passive, acted on by the inclusive practices. It presents the case for an alternative perspective; that of the student as an active agent with a stakehold in the inclusion process.

Students differ in their learning profiles. Pedagogic practice makes assumptions about how students learn. The extent to which the classroom is inclusive for a particular student is determined by the degree of match between these factors. As the level of mismatch increases, the likelihood that regular teaching will provide optimal learning opportunities decreases and consequently, the likelihood that the student will perceive the classroom as inclusive decreases. The learning profiles of some students are such that they merit specific adjustments and modifications to the regular teaching. In this chapter these students are seen as ‘exceptional’ or ‘diverse’ learners. Without this differentiation, the classroom will be less inclusive.

To differentiate the instruction, educators need to take account of how these students know and learn. This chapter supports its perspective by unpacking a model of learning that leads to a framework for personalizing the teaching for exceptional or diverse learning profiles. The model can be used to evaluate the quality of inclusive pedagogy in terms of its alignment with student learning profiles.

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