Notes: Addressing Children from Diverse Backgrounds | Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET Preparation - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Society encompasses a diverse range of backgrounds, and consequently, learners also come from diverse backgrounds. It is essential for teachers to cater to the needs of students from varied backgrounds. Inclusive education facilitates meeting the needs of children from different backgrounds effectively. Although inclusive education may appear to be a relatively recent concept, it embraces a multi-dimensional approach in the teaching process.

Article 21A of the Indian Constitution

Article 21A of the Indian Constitution ensures free and compulsory education as a Fundamental Right for all children between the ages of 6 and 14, irrespective of race, class, color, gender, disability, and language, under the RTE Act, 2009. This initiative has brought disadvantaged and deprived communities, including backward classes, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), disabled children, and girls, into the mainstream of education.

Inclusive Education

Inclusive Education creates a learning environment that promotes the full personal, academic, and professional development of all learners, regardless of their background. Key milestones in the history of Inclusive Education in India include:

• Integrated Education for Disabled Children (1974)
• District Education Programme (1985)
• National Policy on Education (1986)
• Integrated Education for the Disabled project (1987)
• Persons with Disabilities Act (1995)
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (2000)
• Action Plan for Inclusive Education, aiming to make all schools 'Disabled Friendly' by 2020 (March 2005)

Concept and Implications of Inclusive Education

Inclusive education allows children to develop friendships with their peers, reducing social tension about their backgrounds or disabilities. Studies show that children with special needs learn more in regular classrooms, provided they receive the necessary support. The principles of inclusive education include:

• No discrimination between students
• Equal educational opportunities for all
• Schools adapting to the needs of students
• Equal educational benefits for all students
• Listening to and taking students' views seriously
• Viewing individual differences as a source of richness and diversity

Purposes and Need for Inclusive Education

Inclusive education aims to:

• Fulfill constitutional responsibilities
• Enable children to stay with their families
• Develop healthy citizenship
• Achieve universalization of education
• Help all students develop self-respect
• Utilize modern technology to meet objectives
• Provide social equality
• Make students self-reliant

Understanding Children with Special Needs

Initially, learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN) were defined as children with visual, hearing, locomotor, or intellectual disabilities. In India, this definition also includes children from disadvantaged communities, such as child laborers, street children, victims of natural disasters and social conflicts, ethnic and religious minorities, and economically weaker sections (EWS).

Learners from Diverse Backgrounds

Educating learners with SEN is a powerful instrument for social change, helping bridge gaps between different societal sections. However, disadvantaged and deprived children often face discrimination and humiliation in classrooms, affecting their self-respect and confidence. These children can be identified by:

• Poor verbal and language abilities
• Low motivation due to inadequate stimulation
• Poor nutrition, unhealthy sleep patterns, and lack of cleanliness

To address their needs, steps should include:

• Meeting their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter
• Waiving school fees and providing free textbooks and uniforms
• Encouraging vocational skill development to make them self-sufficient
• Providing psychological counseling and rehabilitation for socially problematic children

Methods of Inclusion

Inclusion involves not only placing disadvantaged students in normal classes but also fundamentally changing how the school community supports each child's needs. Two key methods are:

Improvement in Pedagogy

Inclusive education recognizes that no two learners are alike. Therefore, inclusive schools should create opportunities for varied learning and assessment methods. Teachers should consider different learning modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and design a curriculum that promotes creativity and connection to indigenous knowledge and skill systems.

Improvement in Language of Instruction

Disadvantaged learners may speak their local dialects rather than the language of instruction. Teachers should acknowledge and incorporate these languages, using concrete concepts related to daily life to enhance understanding.