Integrating Technology With Instructional Frameworks to Support all Learners in Inclusive Classrooms

Abstract

In Ontario, as the number of students requiring special education support continues to rise, the transition to inclusive classrooms has become more challenging for teachers due to limited time and lack of resources and support in the classrooms. However, this study explored how eight elementary school teachers addressed these obstacles in their successful transitions to inclusion through the integration of technology, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks in both online and physical classrooms. Through online interviews and classroom observations, the teachers orally shared and demonstrated how technology could increase student engagement, differentiate instruction, provide students with alternative instruction and assessment methods, and build teacher capacity within the classrooms. Despite this successful integration of technology and instructional frameworks, inefficiencies were revealed in screening approaches and teachers’ access to streamlined assessment resources to identify the needs of students. A discussion examined the teachers’ barriers in supporting the needs of all learners with proposed technology-based considerations that may assist other teachers in their transitions to inclusive classrooms.