“In an environment based on the principles of inclusive education, all students, parents, caregivers, and other members of the school community – regardless of ancestry, culture, ethnicity, sex, physical or intellectual ability, race, religion, creed, gender identity, gender expression, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or other factors – are welcomed, included, treated fairly, and respected.”1
An inclusive environment is one in which all students thrive. There is an inherent understanding that everyone feels like they belong and can achieve success. Expectations for participation and achievement are designed to optimize the learning of all students. To ensure that all students are learning to the best of their abilities, educators can offer a variety of settings that can be designed to target students' specific strengths/needs, provide a multitude of opportunities to learn in different ways, and ensure that students are physically and emotionally safe.
This section will assist you in:
- Deepening your understanding of the three settings in which Physical Education and physical activity can occur, and considerations for engaging students in learning in each setting;
- Exploring the benefits of each setting to promote quality Physical Education programming while ensuring student comfort, accessibility and safety;
- Using the guiding questions for support with program planning, including attention to the physical and emotional safety of your students, and;
- Analyzing the scenarios using questions under the Steps to Program Planning, Know Your Students, Define Your Student’s Learning Expectations, Take Action and Reflect, to assist you in planning for the range of abilities of your students, and identify additional supports that may be required.
To support students to learn, practice and demonstrate their knowledge and skills, consider the following three settings when designing a Physical Education program: Self-Contained, Integration, and Reverse Integration. Each setting provides different considerations and benefits for the student and the class.
1 Ontario Ministry of Education (2019). The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 1-8 Health and Physical Education. P. 75. Retrieved from: https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-health-and-physical-education