2.1 Inclusive education and learning in extra-ordinaryyouths
Inclusive education takes characteristics of youths with and without
disabilities into account. It involves modifying the material or group
activities to include all the participants and to be open to diversity
(Duchesne, 2002). This section proposes some pedagogical indications
that can facilitate participation and learning inextra-ordinary 11We use the term extra-ordinary to
designate youths who are living with physical or cognitive
disabilities. This terminological choice attributes a positive sense
to their differences and signifies our recognition of the value they
bring to our society. youths and their peers, in the context of
implementing an inclusive, adaptive musical program offered remotely.
The teaching-learning process for extra-ordinary youths must take
into account their potential and the different supports they might need.
To do this, a cognitivist and constructivist vision of learning can be
applied (Norman-Guérette, 2012). Cognitively, the youths need the
teacher to account for latency time (or reaction time) when giving
instructions, so that they have the time to encode the information
transmitted to them, process it, and produce an appropriate response.
This strategy is used by parents, teachers, and can also be taught to
peers in order to facilitate interactions and help to develop
communication and social interaction skills (Julien-Gauthier et al.,
2018). It is also useful for verifying the youths’ comprehension when
they hesitate to act. Similarly, the teacher must adjust to the
student’s rhythm by guiding them attentively toward the acquisition of
new knowledge (Côté et al., 2016). Further cognitive aspects can be
considered: the teacher must arrange the environment in order to capture
and hold youths’ attention. Learning must be structured to help keep
attention directed toward important elements. The tone of voice, for
example, can be modified, actions can be associated with words, or
students’ active participation can be encouraged by inviting them to
repeat what has just been taught (Jourdan-Ionescu & Julien-Gauthier,
2011). From a constructivist perspective, motivation is a determining
factor in learning. Using youths’ interests and preferences can inspire
and reinforce their motivation to complete a task. Lessons must be
concrete, gratifying, and should draw on prior knowledge. The
constructivist approach also allows the youth to participate in the
construction of their own knowledge. In extra-ordinary youths,
new knowledge must be consolidated with frequent and repeated practice,
to anchor it to existing knowledge. The youth is thus given
responsibility for their own learning process, by drawing on their
existing capabilities and by stimulating them to engage more and more in
the activity (Normand-Guérette, 2012). Extra-ordinary youths
learn in context, because of the challenges posed to them by the
transfer and generalization of knowledge acquired in a new environment
(Martin-Roy, 2019). On the organizational side, instituting a routine is
useful because it creates a certain familiarity, a security that makes
the youth more available for learning (Chénard, 2020).