Session Information
04 SES 03 B, The Skilled Practitioner
Paper Session
Contribution
The concept of teachers’ craft knowledge has been used by educationalists for many years as a means of recognising, valuing and exploring the complexity of teachers’ daily work (see Grimmett & Mackinnon, 1992). It can play an important role in research which seeks to understand how teachers enact policy, particularly when that policy is contentious. A current example is inclusive education: the idea that all children can be taught together in mainstream schools. This policy is contentious because not everyone agrees that it is possible to educate all children together, and even where there is agreement, there are debates about how this can and should be achieved (for example, Warnock and Norwich, 2010). In addition, it is often reported that classroom teachers, from across a range of different national contexts, feel they lack sufficient knowledge and skills to teach learners identified as having ‘special’ or ‘additional’ educational needs (Avramidis, Bayliss & Burden, 2000; Blecker & Boakes 2010; Sharma, Forlin & Loreman, 2008; Lambe & Bones, 2006; Pijl, 2010). Concerns have also been expressed that the findings of research into inclusive education are not very useful or relevant for mainstream classroom teachers (see, for example, recent discussions by Dyson and Gallannaugh, 2007; Rix et al, 2009). To help bridge the policy/practice gap (Hiebert, Gallimore &Stigler, 2002; McIntyre, 2005) we drew on the concept of craft knowledge to examine the inclusive practice of eleven teachers, in two Scottish primary schools, so as to contribute to a more robustly theorised knowledge of what we have termed inclusive pedagogy. Furthermore, as teacher educators as well as researchers, we were keen from the outset to use the evidence from the study to inform our own practice, so as to improve what we offered students on our university courses. This paper describes the processes involved, arising from the application of craft knowledge in the study. The research questions which helped to shape the study were:
(i) What teaching strategies help to increase the participation and achievement of all children, including those identified as having special educational needs or requiring additional support for learning?
(ii) How can examples of inclusive pedagogy in action be articulated in ways that are useful to other teachers and supportive of their practice?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Avramidis, E., Bayliss, P., & Burden, R. (2000). A survey into mainstream teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the ordinary school in one local education authority, Educational Psychology, 20(2), 191–211. Blecker, N.S. & Boakes, N.J. (2010) Creating a learning environment for all children: are teachers able and willing?, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14:5, 435 - 447. Dyson, A. & Gallannaugh, F. (2007) National policy and development of inclusive school practices: a case study, Cambridge Journal of Education, 37, 4, 473-488. Grimmett, P. & Mackinnon, A. (1992) Craft knowledge and the education of teachers, Review of Research in Education, 18, 385-456. Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R. & Stigler, J.W. (2002) A Knowledge Base for the Teaching Profession: What Would It Look Like and How Can We Get One?, Educational Researcher, 31, 5, 3–15. Lambe, J. & Bones, R. (2006) Student teachers' perceptions about inclusive classroom teaching in Northern Ireland prior to teaching practice experience, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21(2), 167-186. McIntyre, D. (2005) 'Bridging the gap between research and practice', Cambridge Journal of Education, 35, 3, 357-382. Pijl, S.J. (2010) Preparing teachers for inclusive education: some reflections from the Netherlands, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 10, 1, 197–201. Rix, J., Hall, K., Nind, M., Sheehy, K. & Wearmouth, J. (2009) What pedagogical approaches can effectively include children with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms?, Support for Learning, 24, (2), 86-94. Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2008) Impact of training on pre-service teachers' attitudes and concerns about inclusive education and sentiments about persons with disabilities. Disability & Society, 23(7), 773-785. Warnock, M & Norwich, B. (2010) (Ed. L. Terzi) Special educational needs: A new look, London.
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