ADDRESSING DIVERSE RANGE OF LEARNERS: GUIDANCE FROM NEWLY DEVELOPED ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS IN INDIA

By addressing learning needs of all children during the textbook development process, rather than as an afterthought, inclusive pedagogy-based textbooks help teachers create lesson plans that truly include all children while maintaining high expectations for all students. The focus of this article is to analyze the content and learning activities included in the newly developed English textbooks of class 1 and 2 title ‘Mridang’ that promote inclusionary practices to address the diverse range of learners including children with disabilities. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the study applied a rubric adapted from Sleeter & Grant’s (2009) multicultural textbook review framework and Florian & Black-Hawkins’ (2011) inclusive pedagogy indicators. Each textbook unit was analyzed for cultural and linguistic representation, disability accommodations, gender neutrality, and pedagogical flexibility. Teacher notes and student activities were also examined in relation to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Based on the findings, the article proposed a textbook-led instructional planning model- I.N.C.L.U.D.E, for pre- and in-service teachers that can act as an instrument for them to use the newly developed textbooks appropriately and design their lesson plans. It is expected that it will guide the teachers to teach in a manner that is best suited to their own pedagogical styles to address the diverse range of learners in their classrooms.