Best Planning Practices for Differentiated Instruction for Learners With Disabilities

7.2 Objectives Of The Chapter

This chapter will:

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  define key terms of the concepts

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  explain the importance of DI in the education of learners with disability

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  assess the capabilities of learners with disabilities

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  describe the learners’ needs, resources, and various teaching methods to differentiate the process.

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  identify activities that could assist learners with disabilities to learn better in a classroom environment.

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  determine the strategies that could be used to restore “Ubuntu” in education

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  identify the challenges faced by teachers, learners, and parents when confronted with a learning disability situation.

7.3 Background

The global inclusive education movement is built on the agreement reached at the 1994 Salamanca conference held in Spain. The conference was attended by educational officials, policymakers from different countries, representatives of the United Nations and non-government organisations (NGOs). The main objective was to make countries educate everyone by ensuring that all children in mainstream schools are comfortable. The agreement emphasised that every child, including learners with disabilities must be educated without segregation in schools. Various countries worldwide have adopted inclusive education in line with the conference agreement. The agreement encouraged African to implement inclusive education. The conference motivated departmental heads and district heads to come up with the best plan for implementing differentiated instruction in teaching inclusive classes.