Case Study

You have been offered a graduate teacher position in a primary school located in a suburb 25km from Melbourne CBD. The school is located in what has been identified as Melbourne’s lowest socio-economic post code. Over recent years, it has experienced a considerable amount of growth. A retired principal volunteers at the school on a regular basis and has recently set up a school garden. The students spend time in the garden planting, maintaining and harvesting crops. The children also spend time in the kitchen cooking cuisines from countries around the world and this helps embrace the variety of cultures in the school. The children at the school love spending time feeding the chickens.

Classroom Profile

There are 25 children in your Year 1/2 classroom. As the teacher, you receive the support of a Teacher’s Aide 2 days a week. The school has recently received a grant from a local supermarket and the Principal has given you permission to spend $1000 on any additional resources you may need to support the students in your class.

The profiles of five children who are identified as needing additional attention and support due to their special and unique circumstances are listed as follows:

Amara

Amara came to Australia as a refugee when she was three. She did not have access to medical interventions when she was a baby and, as a result of disease in early childhood, she now has impaired vision. Amara loves music.

Trent

Trent has been diagnosed by a paediatrician as having Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Due to his sensory needs, he often requires movement breaks to assist him to stay on task. He is fascinated about cars and spiders, and is fanatic about his local sports club.

Stephanie

Stephanie is a very popular student. Stephanie has global development delay. Stephanie has an aide who assists her with her work in the classroom. Stephanie is passionate about animals and has a dog called Jeffery, a cat called Samuel, and two goldfish called Ben and Bob.

Nic

Nic has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Nic has been learning the piano for the past two years, and has already completed several music exams with high distinction. Nic has an aide to assist him in the classroom. Nic will always follow the rules, is very sensitive and will hide if he feels that he is in trouble.

Michael

Michael was born with a medical condition which impaired the function of his legs, and he walks with the assistance of a walking aide. Michael is an excellent swimmer and his goal is to swim at the Paralympics in the future.

Introduction

Briefly define the key challenges you have identified in the case study. 

The ability to define and encompass the key challenges to form an inclusive classroom for students with additional needs may be challenging towards educators. The primary school case study holds many key challenges that involve a rural primary school with limited resources and financial assistance. Based on the case study the profiles which have been provided ensures various students with additional varying needs are included within the classroom environment to ensure inclusiveness for the children with additional needs in an educational setting. As the educator receives the support of a teacher’s aide two days a week, there would have to be a plan for the children with additional needs to be catered for on these specific days. As Stephanie and Nic already require a teacher’s aide to assist them in their learning, the additional four students may benefit from the extra assistance when the other aide arrives. Trent requires movement breaks so he can stay on task and remain focused on his learning. As a child with ODD, Trent may suffer from sporadic behaviour troubles. This may distract the students around him as he may deliberately bother others and refuse to comply with classroom rules. Therefore, Trent will require movement breaks throughout the day. Amara suffers from a childhood vision defect and as a refugee she may have undergone traumatic experiences in her early years of life. Amara’s love of music may comfort her from her distressing upbringing as a refugee and may be a reason for the teacher to include music in the student’s curriculum.

The center allows rabbits to roam freely in the outdoors, which means that the animals have unlimited access to the children’s playgrounds. Interaction between animals and the children’s play environment introduces a challenge in maintaining a clean outdoor environment that is safe for play. Rabbit dung and related pests on the playgrounds may be a constant challenge to deal with at the center.

Active parental involvement is a challenge in a mid-low socioeconomic zone. The center has facilitated family interaction through activities such as sharing vegetable harvests and a working roster for parents. However, Sienna’s parents work full time, which makes their involvement at the center minimal. Their need for constant updates throughout the day takes time and concentration off the rest of the children when communicating with them via text or a phone call. The staffing arrangement is wanting as all parents work at the center on rotational basis. This arrangement may enhance development of the children, but it fails to provide continuity.

• Discussion

In your discussion consider:

o the capacity to include children with additional needs—what are common adjustments that take into account a range of additional needs

o some of the issues that impact on educators’ capacity to provide a care environment that is inclusive of all children

o how educators can manage the competing demands of inclusion of children with additional needs, with the demands of providing an inclusive environment for all children.

Being a low socio-economic primary school in a rural town of Melbourne, the school has inadequate funding which can result in a lack of support for students with additional needs as they may require further resources or a teacher’s aide to assist in the classroom. As there are 25 students in the classroom, with five having additional needs, it is important to carefully make adjustments and cater to each child’s needs.

There are 25 children in your Year 1/2 classroom. As the teacher, you receive the support of a Teacher’s Aide 2 days a week. The school has recently received a grant from a local supermarket and the Principal has given you permission to spend $1000 on any additional resources you may need to support the students in your class.

You have been offered a graduate teacher position in a primary school located in a suburb 25km from Melbourne CBD. The school is located in what has been identified as Melbourne’s lowest socio-economic post code. Over recent years, it has experienced a considerable amount of growth. A retired principal volunteers at the school on a regular basis and has recently set up a school garden. The students spend time in the garden planting, maintaining and harvesting crops. The children also spend time in the kitchen cooking cuisines from countries around the world and this helps embrace the variety of cultures in the school. The children at the school love spending time feeding the chickens.

this financial constraint is also implied by the fact that children bring their own lunch from home and the probable lack of multiple rooms to separate the children into different age groups. If the rooms are available, the center would require additional early childhood educators, including one who is fluent in Mandarin for Amos’ language development, to be assigned to each room full time. Separation and increasing the number of educators at the center would mean that each child with additional needs receives the support that they require. Handling 40 children in one room, the educators may only give attention to the children with special needs and neglect children with normal development. Providing a quiet learning environment for Abby in one of the rooms would also benefit Julie since she gets upset by loud noises.

• Recommendations for action, support and implementation

Provide a brief list of actions you would take to provide a fully inclusive environment for the classroom and specific children in the case study. This should include:

o the documents and processes you would undertake and who you would consult

o setup and adaptations you would make to the learning space (indoor and outdoor)

o learning experiences and programs you would run

o types of play you would encourage and schedules and structure you would introduce.