Pre-requisites

ED6030 Classroom Management
ED6050 Brain and Learning

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Research and apply Christian perspectives in relation to inclusive education.

• Apply knowledge and understanding of legislative requirements and teaching strategies to support the participation and learning of students with additional needs and disabilities, including teachers’ professional responsibilities as described in The Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct and in relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies and processes required for teachers.

• Apply knowledge and understanding of a range of physiological, psychological and sociological factors that need to be considered when identifying students with additional needs and disabilities and when planning to support their learning

• Apply understanding of the roles of external professionals, parents/carers and community representatives in diagnosing and supporting students with additional needs and disabilities in school environments, as well as other sources of professional learning for broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice

• Demonstrate an understanding of the common additional needs and disabilities that present in a school environment, with an ability to identify and plan for reasonable adjustments in response to these needs.

• Demonstrate knowledge of Multi-tiered Systems of Support and Universal Design for Learning as it pertains to inclusive education and responding to the wholistic needs of students.

• Demonstrates an ability to explore research and investigate data to best support student learning,

Unit Description

Human diversity is one of the wonders of God’s creation. Diversity is a part of every classroom, and this unit is designed to help preservice teachers develop understanding and the skills to cater for all students wholistically and individually. It provides the opportunity to explore diversity and build strategies that are inclusive of all students. This unit covers the conditions and requirements associated with diagnosed and imputed additional needs (NCCD Categories) that students may present in class, and gifted students. In this unit you will explore appropriate responses, including a Christian response to students with disability.
The unit analyses physiological, psychological and sociological factors that should be considered in identifying and wholistically supporting students to ensure an inclusive environment. It explores strategies and resources available. The unit examines relevant legal and educational requirements to support students with additional needs to enable them to engage at school and achieve learning outcomes.
In this unit you will engage with The Victorian Teaching Profession Code of Conduct and relevant legislative, administrative and organisational policies, their implications and application for practice in order to meet the needs of students with additional needs and create inclusive environments and teaching and learning experiences, including the development of Individual Learning Plans, ensuring a team approach with key stakeholders (families and allied health professional) and the role of student support groups. You will consider the underpinning theory and fundamental elements of a Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). You will learn how MTSS framework works in a whole school setting while understanding the fundamental principles of Universal Design for Learning. The use of Response to Intervention will be explored in relation to classroom learning and ensuring an environment where all Tier Levels are considered. You will also develop knowledge of strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers, and will learn about the role and responsibilities of other professionals in planning and managing plans for students with additional needs. The unit also examines the role of external professionals and community representatives in broadening teachers’ professional knowledge and practice regarding students with additional needs.

Topics

1. Foundations of inclusion, Christian perspectives and legislative requirements
2. Designing for Diversity: Universal Design for Learning - Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Responses to Intervention.
3. Trauma Informed Practice
4. Promoting Mental Health
5. Specific Learning Disability - reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia) and math (dyscalculia) and literacy and the Victorian Education Disability website.
6. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory processing disorders
7. Executive Functioning eg. ADHD, FASD/RAD
8. Language and communication disabilities - supporting literacy competencies for students with learning difficulties. This includes hearing or vision impairments.
9. Independent Education Plan (IEP) and working with key Stakeholders eg. Educational support groups, Education Support Officers, families, and Allied Health Professionals.
10. Intellectual disabilities and Assistive Technology and Association for Children with Disability (ACD) website.
11. Inclusive Education for gifted (including 2e) students
12. Proactive Practices to support equity in the inclusive classroom.

Learning Experiences

Topic 2 cc2.6.3
Spotting the Protective Factors
1) PSTs review a summary sheet of the key research in this area.

2) PSTs are given a sample lesson place or unit outline.
In pairs, they:
- Highlight where the lesson demonstrates high-quality instruction features.
- Note where protective measures are missing or weak.
- Predict which students in the class might be at risk if the gaps are not addressed and why.
- Create 3 specific, evidence-based recommendations to improve the lesson/unit to prevent learning gaps.
- Justify these recommendations with reference to the research.

3) Gallery Walk:
- PSTs post their recommendations on the wall.
- They circulate, read and leave comments/questions on others work.

4) Whole class discussion:
- What features came up most often?
- What protective measures were missing most often?
- How can these strategies apply across subjects and year levels?

Topic 3
Pre-reading:
Complete the pre-reading above to inform understanding of inclusive strategies and tiered intervention models.
Australian Education Research Organisation. (2025, February). Planning: Supporting students’ diverse needs (Practice guide). Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/classroom-management-supporting-students-diverse-needs-planning-aa.pdf

Australian Education Research Organisation. (2023). How students learn best. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/how-students-learn-best

Activity: In small groups, discuss how inclusive strategies (e.g. visual supports, scaffolding, adaptive formats) benefit all learners, not just those with additional needs. The discussion includes how these strategies align with a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks by promoting proactive and layered support for diverse learners.

Individually, students draft a short (10–15 min) learning activity for a mixed-ability classroom, including:
- One adjustment or support strategy applicable within an MTSS or RTI model
- A brief explanation linking it to research evidence from the AERO guides cited above.

Reflection:
Students write a 150-word reflection on how inclusive planning informed by MTSS/RTI principles can improve engagement and outcomes for the for the vast majority of students, particularly those with additional needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Topic 8
Evidenced-Based Approaches for high-prevalent specific needs (cc 4.4.3)
Students create a pamphlet for other teachers that:
- Outlines the key aspects of this disability/need
- Discusses key evidence-based strategies for supporting students with this disability/need - Includes information that is from key experts, eg. psychologists, linguists, psychologists, medical professionals.
These pamphlets are distributed to the class for their professional learning.

Topic 9
Engaging with parents to promote learning Read current research regarding effective approaches to engaging families in the learning of their students.
eg. Higgins S and Katsipataki M (2015) “Evidence from meta-analysis about parental involvement in education which supports their children’s learning.” In Journal of Children’s Services, 10(3):280-290
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlights/strengthening-parent-engagement-to-improve-student-outcomes
In groups select 5 evidence-based approaches that you could use in your classroom.

Research

Topic 2
Australian Education Research Organisation. (2025). Supporting students’ diverse needs. Retrieved from https://www.edresearch.edu.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/classroom-management-supporting-students-diverse-needs-planning-aa.pdf

This reading (practice guide) supports teachers in creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for students with diverse needs through effective planning. It emphasizes the importance of identifying students’ preferences, strengths, and needs, and making reasonable adjustments to the learning environment, teaching, or curriculum in collaboration with students, parents, and support staff.

Topic 2 cc2.6.3
Lembke, E.S., Thomas, E.R., Gandhi, A.G. (2023). “Universal design for learning with an integrated multitiered system of support.” In Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 38(1), pp 57-69.

This reading highlights the positive impact that Tier 1 practices have on both student learning and behaviour. Through the integrated use of MTSS and RTI and UDL there have been improvements in student outcomes.

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Unit offerings

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.