Fathia Balgahoom is a northern New Jersey educator whose academic background and classroom experience center on making social studies instruction accessible to diverse learners. With training in history, special education, and inclusive practice, Fathia Balgahoom has worked in public secondary school settings where students bring varied reading levels, cultural backgrounds, and learning needs into the same classroom. Her professional focus includes designing culturally relevant lessons, coordinating with co-teachers, and collaborating with Child Study Teams to monitor progress and adjust educational plans. She has supported both general education and special education populations, emphasizing collaboration, clear expectations, and multiple pathways for student engagement. In addition to her classroom work, she has gained experience in early childhood education and student mentorship programs, further shaping her understanding of how learners access content at different developmental stages.
Making the Study of the Past Accessible to All Learners
Secondary educators in social studies classrooms work with learners who bring different reading levels, background knowledge, and processing styles into the same lesson. Without deliberate design, some students miss key ideas or disengage, even when educators plan carefully. Accessibility, therefore, sits at the core of inclusive teaching.
Accessibility in education means designing instruction from the outset so students can process, engage with, and express understanding of academic content. In the study of the past, which draws on historical, civic, and cultural developments, secondary educators often encounter barriers when lessons rely on dense texts, assumed context, or a single way to show learning. Accessibility serves students with formal learning plans and also supports any learner who benefits from clearer context, multiple formats, or structured options.
Secondary educators see access break down when materials outpace comprehension, assessments reward only one demonstration style, or instruction assumes shared context for civic education and cultural inquiry. These barriers affect students with reading challenges, students learning in a second language, and students who process information differently. When secondary educators name the barrier rather than the learner, they can adjust the structure without lowering expectations.
Inclusive classroom educators can use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) routines to plan for variability before a unit begins. Clear goals, multiple ways to access material, and options for engagement and expression let students reach the same targets through different paths. When educators build these options into the plan, they avoid last-minute fixes that cost time and still leave gaps.
Secondary educators help students track chronology, cause and effect, and perspective when they use visual scaffolds. Timelines, annotated maps, and graphic organizers give learners a framework to hold ideas in place. These visual anchors reduce confusion about sequence and relationships, helping students focus on meaning rather than on the layout of the information.
Language barriers also block access, especially in primary sources such as letters, speeches, and founding documents. Archaic wording, dense syntax, and missing context can prevent students from reaching the underlying ideas. Educators can preserve rigor by pre-teaching key terms, adding side-by-side explanations, or providing annotated excerpts or simplified notes of key points so students can work with the ideas rather than stall on the language.
Assessment design should match that same flexibility. When educators allow summative options, such as visual projects, structured oral responses, or other formats, students can demonstrate historical literacy in different ways. Educators still assess comparison, causation, and interpretation, but they stop using a single format as a gatekeeper.
Formative practice keeps learning on track before students reach the final product. Posting success criteria, giving timely feedback tied to those criteria, and using short reflections or self-monitoring checklists show where students are getting stuck, while adjustments are still possible. This approach prevents end-stage surprises that force reteaching, grade disputes, or rushed accommodations.
Curricular selection also affects access. When materials center only a narrow range of cultural or national perspectives, many students struggle to see relevance and withdraw from the work. Broadening voices and lived experiences strengthens connections and participation, reducing off-task behavior and increasing the likelihood that students complete demanding reading and writing.
An accessible classroom keeps the challenge but removes avoidable obstacles. Students can enter material at an appropriate starting point, show understanding through formats that fit their strengths, and engage with content that reflects a broader range of perspectives. When educators align curriculum, instruction, and assessment around access, the study of the past becomes a shared academic endeavor rather than a course that only some students can navigate.
About Fathia Balgahoom
Fathia Balgahoom is a social studies and special education educator with experience in public secondary schools and early childhood settings. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from Montclair State University, where she received departmental merit recognition and scholarships. Her work includes collaborating with Child Study Teams, co-designing classroom instruction, and supporting inclusive learning environments. She has also served as a mentor and admissions ambassador and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Special Education and Inclusive Practice at Rowan University.