Sara Tinney

Inclusive education is described within Alberta Education as “a way of thinking and acting that demonstrates universal acceptance and promotes a sense of belonging for all learners.

The following six principles are listed on the Alberta Education website:

1. Anticipate, value and support diversity and learner differences - Welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments create a sense of belonging for all learners and their families.

2. High expectations for all learners - Creating a culture of high expectations begins with an accessible curriculum and meaningful and relevant learning experiences. Educators and families act on the idea that, with the right instructional supports, every learner can be successful.

3. Understand learners’ strengths and needs - Meaningful data is gathered and shared at all levels of the system—by teachers, families, schools, school authorities and the Ministry—to understand and respond to the strengths and needs of individual learners.

4. Reduce barriers within learning environments - All education partners work together to identify and reduce barriers within the curriculum, the learning environment and/or instruction that are interfering with students' ability to be successful learners and to participate in the school community.

5. Capacity building - School leaders, teachers, education professionals, families and community partners have ongoing opportunities, relationships, and resources that develop, strengthen and renew their understanding, skills and abilities to create flexible and responsive learning environments. Capacity building takes place at the personal, school and system levels.

6. Shared responsibility - All education partners, including school and jurisdictional staff, families, community service providers, post-secondary institutions, teacher preparation programs and government are committed to collaboration and are committed to the success of all learners

Inclusion in any classroom can benefit from being familiar with the GSA's and QSA's in Alberta Schools: A Guide for Teachers. In my classroom, I would begin by discussing diversity, making sure that the discussion involved gender. I would use the GenderBread Person and the Gender Unicorn to discuss sexual diversity and gender diversity, stressing that no one identity is "right", just as no one person is "perfect", and that our differences make us human and provide us with unique perspectives. I would then lead the discussion towards the critical examination of various texts (articles, plays, images, songs, music videos, movies, textbooks...etc), focusing on how gender and sex are portrayed. 

Check out the Blendspace I created about GSAs by clicking here, or by looking below. 

Or scroll down to check out some of the ATA and Alberta Education resources I found on promoting sexual diversity. You will also see a few resources I found on creating gener neutral or gender inclusive classrooms.