Of the nine expectations in an inclusive classroom, the most difficult to be defined is AUTONOMY
1. Autonomy – may be chaotic
Creating
opportunities for students to take ownership of their own learning, (i.e.,
provide students with the opportunities to make their own meaningful choices) (e.g.,
establishing classroom rules, choosing assignment deadlines; allowing students to
choose their own paths toward a solution, justifying their claims with
evidence, establishing their own personal learning goals; and allowing students
to have some choice in how they present their work (e.g., preparing a written
report versus a brochure, choosing materials to use in an assignment); provide
students with opportunities to take on roles in the classroom such as cleaning
up after an activity or leading the students in some aspect of a lesson, taking
attendance; At the secondary education level, teachers can also assign roles
that relate to real school problems that need resolving (e.g., peer mediation
to deal with school bullying); establish a supportive classroom environment in
which all students are comfortable and willing to generally volunteer their
answers in class.
The caveat of MEANINGFUL choice makes Autonomy to be chaotic. Who determines what is meaningful - the teacher or the student? If the teacher does not guide the student in making their choice, the choice made by the students may be meaningless and ineffective. Moreover, there may be divergence of choices among the students which may necessitate consensus building. Without the teacher's intervention, it may end up breeding enmity among the students which is contrary to the notion of the 'autonomy'.
Since the teacher has to be involved in the making of choice at one point of the other, the autonomy is already compromised.