Inclusive teaching

While the narrative focusing on unique approaches for every individual is understandably alluring, the following five principles leverage the significant, evidence-based commonalities in how learners learn to build a more robust and universally effective foundation.

Short code	Description
Embrace Cognitive Similarity	While every learner brings unique experiences, strengths, and needs to the classroom, understanding the fundamental similarities in how we all learn provides a powerful foundation for inclusive teaching. This principle recognises that the core mental processes involved in learning—how we pay attention, process information, and build understanding—are remarkably consistent across individuals.
Prioritise High-Impact Core Instruction	Building on the principle of cognitive similarity, the quality of everyday, wholeclass instruction has a disproportionately large positive impact on learners with additional needs. While all learners benefit from good teaching, those who find learning more challenging are most disadvantaged by unclear instruction and gain the most from highly effective, explicit approaches
Make Lessons Accessible by Default	This principle involves proactively making lessons, resources, and the physical learning environment as inherently usable and understandable as possible for the widest range of learners from the outset.
Adapt Minimally and Appropriately	When high-quality core instruction and accessible design are insufficient for a specific learner to access learning, adaptations are necessary. However, this principle advocates for making these adaptations the minimum necessary to bridge the identified gap and enable the learner to engage with the core learning objective alongside peers.
Empower Effective Teacher Assessment	While formal diagnoses offer useful background, they are just one piece of the puzzle. Truly inclusive teaching hinges on teachers using effective formative assessment to understand each learner's learning in real-time