Inclusive Education: GoalBall and Loose Parts

 I knew I wanted to write about two specific things for today's blog post, but I wasn't sure how to tie them together. After rolling around the ideas in my head, I realized that both are "ways in" for different people and examples of inclusive education.

Goal Ball Demonstration Event

My school has, what I believe is, the only Goal Ball team in the school board. I mentioned in January that we were starting a Goalball club. Three of us on staff received training on the sport from a Paralympic-level coach. Our staff drop-in club didn't obtain the traction we needed to keep it going, but our student teams were well-received. We ran sessions for the girls on Wednesdays and boys on Fridays. (The gender segregation was at the request of the girls.) To cap off the end of our "season", we provided a goalball demonstration at the Bloorview School Authority. According to their website,

Bloorview School Authority is an educational facility that provides innovative school programs to children and youth with special needs. We are located on the same site as Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, but we are a separate corporate and legal entity. Each year hundreds of children and young people from across Ontario benefit from our individualized educational programs, which are set up in conjunction with ongoing therapeutic and medical care. Students may be clients, inpatients or day patients of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

I am friends with their newest teacher-librarian, Mona Cheema, and so we connected to make this visit possible. Mona even arranged for us to take a tour of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Lab, as well as a walking tour of some of the parts of the school, such as the fully accessible playground and the pool. 

I don't have a lot of photos of the day, because there are strict rules around taking pictures of the students who take classes at Bloorview and anything that might identify individuals. 

Our students were amazing. They played extremely well. Goalball is usually played in silence, so that you can hear the jingle of the bell in the ball to know where and when it is coming. Our audience consisted of many of the youngest students at Bloorview, so there were lots of gasps, cheers and other extraneous noises during the game. Our players were able to participate even with this extra layer of challenge. 

This particular group of students tend to be a bit on the shy side, so I didn't know how our students would react when, after the game, they were approached by some of the students and educators with questions. Our athletes were attentive, modest and polite. Some of the questions were, "How did you get so awesome?" and one of our Macphail reps simply replied, "We practiced."

We also had a mini-workshop led by two of the staff members of Bloorview on disability awareness. When asked about media representations of disabilities, they responded with positive, affirming portrayals, such as in Dav Pilkey's DogMan series! Our students were lauded for including low vision students in sports, but the funny thing is that our team consists of many people of differing abilities, all of whom benefited from participating in this particular sport. Yes, we have a member on our team who is blind, but we also have students who are on various points of the autism spectrum, and students who are currently physically disabled due to injury. 

Our students enjoyed the spacious, comfortable, and modifiable options in the Bloorview library, such as tables with adjustable heights and big, cozy beanbags.

Big thanks to all the professionals at Bloorview for welcoming us to your facility and giving our students a chance to share their newfound skills with a wider (and very appreciative) audience!

Forest of Reading Review via Loose Parts

It's very close to the time where students vote for their favourite Forest of Reading book. We've been reading these books since January, so it can be a challenge for children to remember the books enough to select their preferred title. To help remind students about the content of each of the Blue Spruce nominees, we had a buzzer-like quiz review. This benefits some but not others. The Ontario Library Association offers access to hearing the authors themselves read their books - this is a bonus feature if you register for the Forest of Reading. This lent itself well to the return of my Loose Parts stations in the library. I decided to set up five of the books for loose parts provocations for one week, and then rotate and have the other five books set up as loose parts invitations. 

The one major wrinkle in my plan is that my new round tables have not yet arrived. We don't have enough table space. I set it up on the carpet, but I didn't have a lot of time to set it up as aesthetically pleasing as I would have liked to have done, since I was supply teaching the period before my first group of "guinea pigs" arrived. I'm posting my initial photos here so that people can give me suggestions on better question prompts, or more suitable materials to offer, or better work spaces.

The prompt for the book The Little Regent is "How does a good king serve?"

(I might alter the prompt to say "What makes a good king?")

Note that the term "king" is used for male and female rulers in parts of Nigeria.

The prompt for the book When the Stars Came Home is "Where are the stars? Where is home?"

(I might include some of those flat pattern blocks, since in the book, the mother makes a star quilt using flat pieces of fabric combined in an intricate pattern.)

The prompt for the book Asha and the Toymaker is "What makes a toy attractive?"

(I wonder if I should tweak the prompt to say "How can you make toys that will sell?" for simpler language.)

The prompt for the book Lost Stick is "How might you find the right stick?" (I had a student keep asking me, "So, what do we do?" What if I rephrase it to "How can you tell which stick is yours?" or "Where might you go to find that special missing stick?"?)

The great thing about this loose parts activity is that there really isn't a "wrong" way to complete it. Yes, some students will just completely ignore the prompt and use the parts to make whatever picture they want. That's okay. As long as they aren't swallowing or stealing any of the manipulatives, then it's fine. I remember from my Kindergarten AQ days that choosing the right materials, prompt and surface to work on are all very important considerations. I noticed too that I didn't have enough spots for students to work. Usually in a kindergarten class, there are so many other options that students can self-select and don't get mad waiting for their chance at a certain center. 

At least I have multiple chances to "get this right". Being inclusive or serving those with different needs isn't about getting everything perfect on the first try, or even scoring on how many times you do X. (Please note this, estranged relative of mine who likes to judge my actions.) I hope these efforts will help our students to recall the books they've read and make an informed choice as a voter. (Speaking of which, don't forget that the Canadian federal election is on April 28. Our Grade 5-8 students are participating in CIVIX's Student Vote program. Adults, take the time to be informed and participate in the democratic process.)