Shining a Light on Inclusion in Fort Nelson

As a Provincial Resource Program, SET-BC supports school districts, classrooms, and students in all corners of BC.  In the northeastern corner, lies the northernmost classroom to receive services in the 2017-2018 school year – R.L. Angus Elementary, in Fort Nelson.

This classroom, led by Miss Alexsia Dekaneas, is a shining example of inclusionary practice! Miss Dekaneas uses all tools at her disposal to include all learners across all subject areas. Any visitor to this grade six class will quickly notice seating options, snack options, technology (with speech-to-text and text-to-speech) options, and a variety of other tools and practices to ensure a positive, safe, and inclusive learning environment.

SET-BC partnered with the Fort Nelson school district (#81) to provide Chromebook computers and consultant support to Miss Dekaneas’s class for the 2017-2018 school year. With the overarching goal of incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the school team identified the following three goals for their year:

• Increase student independence and their ability to solve problems and troubleshoot on their own
•  Improve meaningful inclusion in the classroom with student collaboration on projects supported with technology
• Increase written output with the support of technology in the classroom. With the support of a SET-BC consultant and her school-based team, Miss Dekaneas has incorporated the technology (and more) deeply into her everyday practice.  The results, as this video shows, are “life changing”.

As her students move into grade seven, and Miss Dekaneas receives a new group of learners next year, we have no doubt the impact of this amazing initiative and positive practice will be felt next year and beyond!