Humour can be effective teaching tool to build positive social relationships, if used wisely. However, there is little research on the use of humour in the classroom (Lovorn 2015), although there are studies on the impact of humour on marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities and people with disability. It

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a proactive approach to designing learning experiences to be accessible for all students, while differentiation is a reactive evaluation of the needs of individual students where adjustments are retrofitted into the learning environment. Some people use the terms synonymously, but they are different. However,

Planning is an important part of the educational process. For a student with delays or disabilities, developing an individual learning plan is vital to develop a roadmap so the student can achieve their aspirations for their future. A learning plan is student-centred, identifies appropriate learning goals and describes adaptations to

A number of years ago I taught a teenager who had big dreams for her future which included having a job, a boyfriend and becoming a mother. This girl also had a mild intellectual disability. The school that I taught at did not believe that students should attend individual planning

A common catch-cry is for teachers to use evidence-based teaching practice that result in better outcomes for students. But what does the term ‘evidence-based’ mean? Many people believe evidence-based practice refers only to quantitative research. Quantitative research is based on numbers and is also referred to as positivist, scientific and

The term ‘special education’ has highly political and multiple meanings (Cumming 2012) and is generally considered to refer to a segregated education due to ‘limitations’ within the student. However, with greater awareness of the role of oppression, society and the environment in creating restrictions (Goodley 2011), there is acknowledgement that