Session Information
04 SES 09 A, Teachers and Teacher Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Whilst the policy commitment to inclusion in schools is clear across the Europe, (European Agency for the Development of Special Needs Education 2006) the development of inclusive practice within schools has proved to be challenging (Evans and Lunt 2002). The role of teachers in the process of change is critical (Forlin 2001), and Rouse (2008) suggests this depends upon teachers ‘knowing’ (having a detailed knowledge of the theoretical legislative and policy background) , ‘doing’ (turning knowledge into action) and ‘believing’ (in their own capacity to support learning in all children).
In an attempt to support the development of high quality educational provision for all learners, the authors and colleagues have been developing the notion of inclusive pedagogy (Black-Hawkins et al 2009, Florian 2009, Florian and Kershner 2009, Florian and Linklater 2009) as a just and effective response to students experiencing difficulties. This approach differs from previous notions of special and inclusive education whereby provision for all was addressed by offering a different experience for some. By focussing on how achievements in learning are realised by through participation in the community of a classroom, the inclusive pedagogical approach acknowledges the diversity of learners, but avoids the problems and stigma associated with marking some learners as different.
The Inclusive Practice Project at the University of Aberdeen School of Education is developing new approaches to Initial Teacher Education to ensure that beginning teachers have an awareness and understanding of the educational and social problems/issues that can affect children's learning and they develop strategies they can use to support and deal with such difficulties. The approach is informed by our research on inclusive pedagogy. The philosophy of the course is underpinned by three principles. Firstly that difference must be accounted for as an essential aspect of human development in any conceptualisation of learning. Hence a socio-cultural perspective on learning is adopted. Secondly, teachers must believe they are capable of teaching all children; a stance which would lead them to conceptualise difficulties in student learning as dilemmas for the teacher, rather than shortcoming in the pupils. The third principle requires that teachers must develop create ways of working with and through others to improve the learning experience of everyone.
This paper reports on a project entitled Becoming a Teacher, a follow-up study of new graduates from the one-year Post-Graduate Diploma in Education. This study aims to explore the extent to which the principles of the course are enacted, and how they are manifested by newly qualified graduates during their early career. It will explore the interaction between the school context and the ways in which teachers develop their inclusive practice. Implications for the professional development of teacher educators will be discussed.
Research Questions:
- To what extent can the pedagogies of the new teachers be regarded as inclusive?
- Why, or why not, can they be seen as inclusive?
- To what extent, and how, does the school environment interact with the inclusive practices of new teachers?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Black-Hawkins, K., Florian, L. and Rouse, M (2009) Inclusive pedagogy and children’s achievement Paper to the European Educational Research Association, Vienna, Austria September, 2009. European Agency for the Development of Special Needs Education (2006) Inclusive Education and Classroom Practice http://www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/projects/archive accessed 14.01.2010 Evans J. and Lunt I. (2002) Inclusive Education: Are there limits? European Journal of Special Needs Education 17 (1) 1-14. Florian, L. (2009) Towards inclusive pedagogy. In P. Hick, R. Kershner, & P. Farrell (Eds.) Psychology for inclusive education: New directions in theory and practice, pp. 38-51, London: Routledge/Falmer. Florian, L. & Kershner, R. (2009) Inclusive Pedagogy. In H. Daniels, H. Lauder and J. Porter (Eds.) Knowledge, Values and Educational Policy: A Critical Perspective, pp. 173-183, London: Routledge. Florian, L. & Linklater, H. (2009) Enhancing Teaching and Learning: Using ‘Learning without Limits’ to prepare teachers for inclusive education. Paper presented to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Annual Meeting, Chicago, February. Forlin, C. (2001) Inclusion: identifying potential stressors for regular class teachers. Educational Research 43 (3) 235-245. Rouse, M. (2009) Developing Inclusive Practice: A role for teachers and teacher education? Education in the North 16 6-13.
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