The observation records were descriptively analyzed and organized around seven themes related to the practices used by the schools to support students with severe disabilities: (a) the teaching arrangement (who was providing instruction) (b) the type of engagement the student demonstrated during the activity (c) the types of general classroom supports that were available during the observations (d) the types of student supports that were provided to the student during the observation (e) the type of work or activity the student was performing (f) the interactions the student had with others and (g) the choices provided the student. An appreciative inquiry lens was applied to these observations. Eighteen K-8 students with severe disabilities in six schools recognized for their implementation of inclusive practices were observed in a variety of school settings and activities. The purpose of the present study was to investigate practices that support the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in the learning and social activities of inclusive K-8 schools to inform inclusive school reform research and practice. This article forwards an initial collection of intellectual resources for an inclusive education that can accommodate such complex schooling conditions and invites rich scholarly exchange on this issue. As inclusive education gets increasingly taken up within international policy discourses, it may be imperative to explore and identify theories and ideas that can be responsive to diverse and hugely unequal contexts of schooling. This article imagines and initiates such a new dialogue among educational researchers and teacher educators about the intellectual resources that can best support inclusive educators everywhere. Still, we have yet to have a dialogue on what conceptual foundations may be most generative for the growth and development of the field of inclusive education. Numerous scholars have suggested that the standard knowledge base of the field of special education is not a suitable intellectual foundation for the development of research, policy, and practice in the field of inclusive education.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |