Inclusive Learning Environments

How many indigenous people are there in Costa Rica?
How many differert indigenous groups are there in Costa Rica?
What challenges do indigenous students face in the classroom?
What challenges does a teacher working with indigenous teachers face?
What strategies can I use in order to better serve the learning of my indigenous students?

Generative Questions for Working with Gifted Students

What is a gifted student?
What are some characteristics of gifted students?
What are some challenges of working with gifted students?
What are some strategies I can use when working with gifted students to better serve their learning?

Generative Questions for Working with Students with Special Needs

What are special needs?
What types of adaptations can we make for students with special needs?
What are significant adapations?
What are non-significant adaptations?
What are some challenges teachers face when teaching students with special needs?
What are some strategies I can use to better serve the learning of my students with special needs?

PDF of Slides from the Webinar

Inclusive Environment 2.0.pdf

Video of the Webinar

Additional Resources

Teaching Indigenous Students.pdf

Teaching Gifted Students.pdf

Teaching Students with Special Needs-Handout.pdf

Inclusive Environments

Teaching students with special needs

Useful websites and links

· Information about special needs:

https://www.care.com

https://www.hcbgroup.com/types-of-special-educational-needs.html

https://public.csusm.edu/Quiocho/vocabula.htm

http://www.nethergreen-jun.sheffield.sch.uk/types-of-special-needs-and-general-information

· Information about methodologies:

https://www.teachervision.com/special-needs/teaching-students-special-needs

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/english-language-learners-special-needs-effective-instructional-strategies

https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/faq/newest-teaching-methods-students-learning-disabilities

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/universal-design-for-learning/understanding-universal-design-for-learning

· Institutions that can offer more specialized support:

-Instituto Helen Keller: http://www.irfhk.galeon.com (specific support for working with blind or visually impaired students)

-CENAREC: http://www.cenarec.go.cr

-Departamento de apoyos educativos: http://www.ddc.mep.go.cr/educacion-especial

-ETIR: http://www.drea.co.cr/ETIR

· YouTube videos

-Strategies for working with students with different special needs:

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFtg2xub10E

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7jDWwPSUTE

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Mru-0rbk8

4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2eZwku-QyM

- Universal Design for Learning (a framework for teaching in inclusive classrooms):

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOUdmzaZrc8

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndlhp9xmrUo

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4

· Games

1) https://www.mep.go.cr/educatico/recurso-interactivo/follow-me

2) https://www.mep.go.cr/educatico/recurso-interactivo/verb%C2%B4s-fair

Link to an article about indigenous languages and learning: https://theconversation.com/five-ways-indigenous-languages-can-be-championed-for-learners-114651?fbclid=IwAR3Q2-tqtsum9wmZm8DaeSnZF9p2x9Hnz4SzIJKw9JTdtw-d2e1pMdH4mkw

Link to myths about gifted students from the National Association for Gifted Children: https://www.nagc.org/myths-about-gifted-students

References and Bibliography

Abdallah, Mahmoud (2015). TEFL/TESOL for Students with Special Needs: For EFL Student Teachers. Assiut, Egypt: Assiut University College of Education

Borland, J. H. (2004). Rethinking gifted education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Bryant, D. P. (2020). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Gargiulo, R. M., & Metcalf, D. J. (2009). Teaching in todays inclusive classrooms: A universal design for learning approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Karnes, F. A., & Stephens, K. R. (2008). Achieving excellence: Educating the gifted and talented. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Rose, R., & Shevlin, M. (2010). Count me in!: Ideas for actively engaging students in inclusive classrooms. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Steinberg, S. R., Burridge, N., & Whalan, F. (2013). Indigenous Education: A Learning Journey for Teachers, Schools and Communities. Rotterdam: Sense.

Wallace, B., & Eriksson, G. I. (2008). Diversity in gifted education: International perspectives on global issues. London: Routledge.

About the Designer(s), Presenter(s) and Resource People

Roger Ramirez

Roger is from New York and has lived and taught in three different continents. Roger received his Bachelor’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. After feeling passionate about second language learning and taking the SIT TESOL certificate course, he went on to do his Master’s degree in TESOL at the SIT Graduate Institute. Roger obtained a Ph.D in Education at Universidad de La Salle. He has taught English to learners of all ages and levels and trained teachers from over twenty-five countries. Roger is a fellow at the Institute for Collaborative Learning.

Laura Zalazar

Laura is originally from Argentina but is currently living in Costa Rica. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from San Fernando Rey Teacher Training College in Argentina and an MA in TESOL from Marlboro College in Vermont, USA. Laura has been an English teacher for more than 13 years and has worked in various language centers and in both public and private schools. She has taught English to learners of different ages and levels. Laura has worked as a teacher trainer in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the United States, South Africa and Mozambique training teachers from more than 15 countries. She is a fellow at the Institute of Collaborative Learning.