The value of differentiated instruction in the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream schools

Abstract

The aim of this presentation is to analyse the current international policies on inclusion and to discuss the value and use of differentiated instruction as a means to the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream settings. The movement to inclusion requires teachers to create inclusive learning environments, which would encourage the use of practices that would benefit all students. In this respect, differentiated instruction has rapidly evolved as a teaching approach to meet the diverse and heterogeneous needs of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Modifying and adjusting instruction to allow all students in a classroom to access the general education curriculum is at the heart of inclusive education. In this presentation, I shall discuss the development of differentiated instruction as a means to inclusion for students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Information will be provided with regard to the main principles of DI as well as the basic criteria in designing individualized adaptations for these students. In addition to this, I will review the factors which influence the development of differentiated instruction based on research findings. Finally, I will argue that differentiated instruction provides a learning environment which takes into consideration the individual characteristics of students and, as such, is a useful approach for the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream settings.