Reflection point: Being more inclusive

Are there any small changes such as the following that I could make in my own teaching?

 In his lesson, Kevin could have:

• brought different types of leaf into the classroom (e.g. from trees in the school grounds),and asked his students to work in pairs to identify what they had in common (engaged students/related content to their lives/surroundings)
• asked his students to read aloud from the book and then answer questions on the text in their pairs. They could have then swapped work with another pair and reviewed each other’s work (providing the opportunity to talk about their work)
• moved around the room while they were working and supported individuals as necessary (opportunity to build on prior learning/provide individual support)
• drawn a diagram of the leaf and asked them to work with a partner to add labels and an explanation of the function of each part of the leaf (opportunity to develop thinking skills/relate learning to everyday life).

If I were a teacher, I would adopt all these changes because they make students more responsive and active in class and in the process the learners’ self esteem is enhanced.