EDU10712 Supporting Learners with Diverse Abilities. Session 1, 2017. Assignment 1: Response to Classroom Scenario Assignment Description Due: Monday 10th April. 11pm/23:00 (NSW time). Response to be submitted through Turnitin via the ‘Assignment 1’ link on the Unit Bb site. Length: 1,500 words (+/- 10%) or equivalent (not counting the reference list) Weighting: 40% of the total marks for this unit. In this assignment Section 1 has a weighting of 25%, Section 2 has a weighting of 60%, and writing, presentation, quality of sources and referencing has a weighting of 15%. Format: Multiple response formats will be accepted. Your response can be in the format of a word document (.doc), PowerPoint, Prezi or other multimedia file. Ensure your submission addresses the marking criteria with depth and quality, and that the response format you choose is used effectively. Scenario. You are a Year 2 primary teacher or a Year 8 teacher in your secondary curriculum specialisation (Maths, English, Science, etc.). The school you teach in is in a large regional centre and it is promoted as ‘an inclusive school where all students learn together’. You have a student in your class, Amir, who has cerebral palsy. It is now the beginning of Term 2 and he was new to the school at the beginning of the year. Amir’s teachers provide adjustments to support him to participate in regular classroom teaching and learning and in school routines and events. His personalised learning plan identifies the following domains as strengths: Cognitive, communication and social skills; and the following domains are targeted for further development: Attentiveness to learning (i.e. fully participating, being organised and engaged) and personal independence (i.e. mobility and personal care). Amir’s parents and the teachers from his previous school state that it is important to have high expectations for Amir, as he will choose easy options if they are available. The impact of having cerebral palsy means that Amir has restricted mobility. His learning abilities and communication are age appropriate. The main areas of impact are fine and gross motor skills – he requires a wheelchair for independent mobility and he cannot write using pen and paper. At times Amir can be inattentive to teaching and learning although it is not clear if this is an impact of her disability or more of a personal characteristic. You find Amir to be a happy and co-operative member of the class most of the time. Amir is in a small friendship group with 2 other boys (they are all die-hard fans of the Sydney Kings basketball team), and with them he seems confident to express his ideas and personality. However you see that Amir seems reluctant to socialise beyond this small group. You have noticed that there are many instances within the classroom and in the broader school context when Amir is, perhaps unintentionally, excluded by other students and even other teachers.Section 1 – Obligations of the teacher (500 words or equivalent) a) Does Amir have a disability according to the definitions proposed in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) (Australian Government, 1992)? Justify your answer. b) The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) (Australian Government, 2006) specify three main obligations for educational providers. These are specified in the Disability Standards for Education fact sheet (https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/dse-fact-sheet-2-dse_0.pdf ). What role would you, as Amir’s class teacher, have in each of these obligations? Provide some specific examples of what you would do. c) Should Amir be included in his school’s upcoming Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability? Justify your answer. d) Using the information provided above and in the document “Levels of Adjustment Provided to the Student” http://www.schooldisabilitydatapl.edu.au/docs/default-source/defaultdocument-library/level-of-adjustment-provided-to-the-student.pdf (Australian Government Department of Education and Training, n.d.), identify which level of adjustment would be most appropriate for Amir. Justify your answer (Hint: Amir is NOT provided with extensive adjustments). e) Which of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) ‘Broad Categories of Disability’ best describes Amir’s disability? Justify your answer.Section 2 – Inclusion in Action. 1000 words or equivalent. What does inclusion mean in a contemporary Australian school setting? With reference to Amir, his identified strengths and needs, and the impact of his disability (as outlined in the scenario) describe ‘inclusion in action’ for Amir. Consider the contexts of the classroom, the broader whole school setting, and relevant legislation and policy. In your response include specific examples of inclusive practices to promote learning and participation that you would implement in your classroom as well as examples of broader social inclusion in action in the playground and/or at whole-school events. Ensure your examples are relevant to the details mentioned in the scenario, and that you refer to quality sources to support your points. Note: You may ‘fill in’ extra detail about Amir if necessary in your submission but ensure that the extra information is consistent with what is already provided in the scenario and used to inform your response. For example, in Section 2 you might include in your response that Amir watched basketball at lunch time but didn’t join in, so you set up an app on his tablet so he can be the scorer and timekeeper. References. Australian Government. (2006). Disability Standards for Education (2005) plus Guidance Notes. Attorney-General’s Department and Department of Education, Science and Training, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. Australian Government. (1992). Disability Discrimination Act. Attorney-General’s Department, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. Australian Government Department of Education and Training. (n.d.). Level of adjustment provided to the student. In Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability. Retrieved from http://www.schooldisabilitydatapl.edu.au/docs/defaultsource/default-document-library/level-of-adjustment-provided-to-the-student.pdfAssignment 1: Response to Classroom Scenario Marking Rubric STUDENT NAME: GRADE: Marking Criteria HD D C P F Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the implications of the DDA and teachers’ key obligations under the DSE (Section 1) Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the steps for data collection in the NCCD (Section 1) Clearly identified and justified a range of appropriate adjustments that address the specific learning needs as described in the scenario, and support inclusion in classroom teaching and learning (Section 2) Clearly identified and justified a range of appropriate adjustments that address the social inclusion needs as suggested in the scenario, and support inclusion in playground and/or whole-school events (Section 2) Referred to quality sources and accurately acknowledged all sources in APA referencing style Conformed to relevant academic writing standards and literacy requirements with regard to structure, format, language conventions and effective use of the response format