Student engagement and inclusive education: reframing student engagement

Engagement, or student engagement, is widely used in educational research and public discourse to refer to the problem of public education. The underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions buoying engagement are rarely, if ever, addressed by educational researchers. The ‘silent omission’ (Sidorkin 2014. “On the Theoretical Limits of Education.” In Making a Difference in Theory: The Theory Question in Education and the Education Question in Theory, edited by Julie Allan Gert Biesta and Richard Edwards, 121–137. New York: Routledge) of engagement’s metaphysics has implications for inclusive education. This paper finds that despite being employed with good intent, engagement operates in a paradigm of normativity. In a gesture of bifocality (Weis and Fine 2012. “Critical Bifocality and Circuits of Privilege: Expanding Critical Ethnographic Theory and Design.” Harvard Educational Review 82 (2): 173–201), I critique engagement discourse and its historical context to find that it reproduces a longstanding tradition of psychologising public problems (Fine and Cross 2015. “Critical Race, Psychology and Social Policy: Refusing Damage, Cataloguing Oppression, and Documenting Desire.” In Contextualizing the Costs of Racism, edited by A. Alvarez and H. Neville. Washington, DC: APA Publications), thereby displacing conversations about what may be the most influential issue of public education: social and economic inequality. A reframing of engagement as [student/teacher] engagement is proposed. Highlighted in the reframing is the educational relationship and the context in which it is nested. Mitigated is the pathologising and exclusionary effect of engagement discourse which operates within a dialectic of normal/engaged // ab/normal/disengaged.     

Embracing inclusive teacher education

This paper examines the extent to which initial teacher education (ITE) programmes contribute to the development of inclusive attitudes, values and practices. Inclusive education is the entitlement of all children and young people to quality education, irrespective of their differences or dispositions. It is about embracing educational values of equity, diversity and social justice. The data which underpins this paper was obtained through research commissioned by the Department of Education (DE) Northern Ireland (NI) which sought to identify existing practices that increased the motivation, participation and achievement of all pupils of school age with special educational needs (Moran & Abbott, 2006 Moran, A. and Abbott, L. 2006. The development of inclusive schools in Northern Ireland: a model of best practice Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Research Report 42 [Google Scholar]). Head teachers and Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) views were sought on the effectiveness of ITE programmes in preparing student teachers to work in inclusive school settings.

Cet article considère jusqu'à quel point les programmes de formation pédagogique initiale (ITE) contribuent au développement d'attitudes, de valeurs et de pratiques inclusives. Tous les enfants et les jeunes ont le droit à un enseignement de bonne qualite sans tenir compte de leurs différences, de leurs tendances ou de leurs infirmités. Il s'agit d'embrasser les valeurs éducatives de l'équité, de la diversité et de la justice sociale. Les données qui sont à la base de cet article ont été obtenues à partir de recherche commandée par le ministre de l'Education (DE) pour l'Irlande du Nord (NI) qui cherchait à identifier les pratiques actuelles qui ont augmenté la motivation, la participation et la performance de tous ceux qui ont des difficultés d'apprentissage scolaire (Moran & Abbott, 2006 Moran, A. and Abbott, L. 2006. The development of inclusive schools in Northern Ireland: a model of best practice Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Research Report 42 [Google Scholar]). On a demandé les opinions de Directeurs et de Coordinateurs pour l'enseignement spécialisé sur l'efficacité des programmes de formation pédagogique initiale (ITE) à préparer les enseignants stagiaires à travailler dans des établissements d'enseignement inclusif.

Este documento examina el punto hasta el que los programas iniciales de formación pedagógica contribuyan al desarrollo de actitudes, valores y prácticas inclusives. Todos los niños y los jóvenes tienen derecho a la enseñanza inclusive, o sea, de buena calidad, sin distinción de diferencia, temperamento ni discapacidad. Se trata de dedicarse a valores educativos de equidad, diversidad y justicia social. Los datos que respaldan este documento fueron obtenidos por medio de investigaciones encargadas por el Ministerio de Educación de Irlanda del Norte. Este pensó identificar prácticas actuales que aumentaran la motivación, la participación y el rendimiento de todos los alumnos de edad escolar que requirieran una educación especial (Moran & Abbott, 2006 Moran, A. and Abbott, L. 2006. The development of inclusive schools in Northern Ireland: a model of best practice Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Research Report 42 [Google Scholar]). Solicitaron las opiniones de los directores y de coordinadores de la educación especial respecto a la eficacia de los programas iniciales de formación pedagógica en lo que se refiere a preparar a los estudiantes de magisterio para trabajar en colegios con ambiente inclusive.

Dieses referat untersucht, inwieweit die ersten Lehrerausbildungsprogramme (ITE) zur Entwicklung von inklusiven Einstellungen, Werten und Praktiken beitragen. Inklusive Ausbildung bedeutet die Berechtigung aller Kinder und Jugendlicher zu einer erstklassigen Ausbildung, ungeachtet ihrer Unterschiede, Veranlagungen oder Behinderungen. Es geht um die Wahrnehmung der erzieherischen Werte von Fairness, Vielfalt und sozialer Gerechtigkeit. Die Daten in diesem Referat wurden anhand von Forschung im Auftrag des Kulturministeriums Nordirland (DENI) erworben, die versuchte, die bestehenden Verfahrensweisen zu identifizieren, welche die Motivation, Teilnahme und Leistungen aller schulpflichtigen Kinder mit besonderen schulischen Bedürfnissen förderten (Moran & Abbott, 2006 Moran, A. and Abbott, L. 2006. The development of inclusive schools in Northern Ireland: a model of best practice Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Research Report 42 [Google Scholar]). Schulleiter und Koordinatoren von Besonderen Schulischen Bedürfnissen (SENCOS) wurden befragt im Hinblick auf die Wirksamkeit von ITE‐Programmen, Referendare auf die Arbeit in inklusiven Schulumgebungen vorzubereiten.     

Re-theorising inclusion and reframing inclusive practice in physical education

Inclusion remains a key political agenda for education internationally and is a matter that teachers across subject communities and phases of education are challenged to respond to. In physical education specifically, research continues to highlight that current practice often reaffirms rather than challenges established inequities. This paper critically explores the understandings of inclusion that contribute to this situation and addresses the challenge of advancing inclusion in physical education from conceptual and pedagogical viewpoints. DeLuca’s [(2013). “Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Educational Inclusivity.” Canadian Journal of Education 36 (1): 305–348] conceptualisation of normative, integrative, dialogical and transgressive approaches to inclusion is employed as a basis for critical analysis of current practice and for thinking afresh about inclusive practice in physical education in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Analysis informs the presentation of a set of principles that are designed to assist teachers and teacher educators to transform inclusive practice in physical education and in doing so, realise visions for physical education that are articulated in international policy guidelines and contemporary curriculum developments.     

Personal development in teacher education programmes

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of personal growth workshops for trainee teachers. The experimental group of trainee teachers manifested significant improvements in self-esteem, personal warmth, and positive thinking, and became less anxious, more internal in locus of control, and reported fewer stress symptoms than the control group. These changes held over a long teaching practice a context that usually creates stress and lowered self-confidence. Such workshops would appear to be a necessary inclusion in professional training programmes to facilitate performance on the job and well-being in those whose duties involve them in a network of close human relationships with colleagues and clients.     

Institutional racism and anti-racism in teacher education: perspectives of teacher educators

This paper focuses on the issue of institutional racism in the Irish education system. Drawing on insights from Critical Race Theory, the views of a sample of teacher educators in the Republic of Ireland were sought in relation to the existence of institutional racism in the Irish post-primary system and the extent to which anti-racism permeates teacher education programmes. Findings suggest the need for a form of deep engagement with anti-racism issues in the education of student teachers and the difficulties of doing so in the current structure of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education.     

Values in education: a challenge for teacher educators

The (growing) political, social and scientific attention to the moral aspects of teaching also concerns teacher education.This article reports an exploratory study into the preparation of student teachers for moral education. The designing of goals, program parts and teaching and learning methods for a part of the first year curriculum of a teacher education institute for primary education is described. Next the teacher educators who carried out the curriculum and the student teachers who participated in it, were asked whether they recognized the moral aspects of the curriculum as designed. Finally, we tested the effects of the curriculum on the learning of the student teachers, using a pre- and post- test. The results of the study evoke, among others, the conclusion that more attention is needed to the implicit and unplanned aspects of preparing students teachers for moral education.     

The recursive practice of research and teaching: reframing teacher education

As a field, Teacher Education has lived with continued criticism from governmental and research bodies on the quality of professional preparation and the lack of a strong research base. We respond to such criticisms by considering possibilities for further exploration of the research of practice and the practice of research in both initial and continuing teacher education. As both a theoretical and methodological challenge, this is tied recursively with research and practice in teacher education, for teacher educators, about teacher education. We draw on the theoretical resources of practice theories, to argue that teacher education practice must be informed by the study of the practice of teaching as well as research addressing the teaching of practice. In conclusion, we make a methodological case for reframing the roles of teacher and researcher within a “thirdspace” to consider the practice of researching teaching as recursive and always regenerative.     

Conceptions of school-based teacher educators concerning ongoing teacher education

In this work we describe and analyze the conceptions of 28 teacher educators on the principles, contents, methods, and evaluation of ongoing teacher education, taking the model of teacher-researcher as the theoretical referent. The data obtained with an Inventory of Beliefs on Teacher Education were submitted to classical statistical and to multifactorial analyses. The statistical analysis showed that most of the subjects agree that ongoing teacher education has to be developed around problems of professional practice and in contexts of curricular innovation, and disagree with a technical model of this education developed around academic disciplines. The multifactorial analysis identified four factors which together account for more than 50% of the variance, and which generally reaffirm these tendencies.     

Learning and unlearning: the education of teacher educators

Despite the many expectations that US and other teacher educators around the world are striving to meet, there has been little attention to development of a curriculum for educating teacher educators, or to local and larger policies that might support the development of what teacher educators need to know and do in order to meet the complex demands of preparing teachers for the 21st century. In this article, Cochran-Smith analyzes four teacher educator communities in different contexts and entry points across the career lifespan. She makes the case that the education of teacher educators is substantially enriched when inquiry is a stance on the overall enterprise of teaching, schooling, and teacher education.     

Beginning teachers as enquirers: m-level work in initial teacher education

In order to deliver life-long learning for teachers, practitioner-based enquiry learning is being promoted by teacher education institutions on the basis that this form of learning gives teachers the ability to understand factors affecting learning within their own classrooms by systematic investigations of issues and the construction of an evidence-base on which decisions which improve learning can be taken. In turn this enhances teacher professionalism. This article presents a study of how practitioner-based enquiry was embedded in an initial teacher education programme; the reasons for this; and the purposes of the strategy, which raised the one-year postgraduate qualification to masters-level. It looks at the reasons for the change; the nature of the change, which included educating teachers intending to teach in primary schools together with those intending to teach in secondary; the introduction of practitioner-based enquiry; some early student reaction; and the structural, cultural and learning issues which have emerged.     

Constructivism as a framework for literacy teacher education courses: the cases of six literacy teacher educators

This paper presents findings from the large-scale study Literacy Teacher Educators: Their Backgrounds, Visions, and Practices that includes 28 literacy/English teacher educators (LTEs) from four countries. The participants were interviewed three times and shared their course outlines. Six pre-service LTEs who use a constructivist approach are presented. The six LTEs speak English as their mother tongue. Three aspects of constructivism are discussed: knowledge is constructed by learners; knowledge is experience based; and a strong class community is essential. They have adopted a constructivist approach because they conceptualised the teaching/learning process as a partnership. Constructivism is a flexible and fluid framework so individual LTEs can shape their work for their context and draw on their strengths; however, it is demanding because courses have to be somewhat organic in order to create space for discussion of issues as they arise.     

Factors relating to regular education teacher burnout in inclusive education

The aims of the research were to identify the environmental factors that relate to the work of regular school teachers who have students with special needs in their classroom, and to find out the correlation between these factors and teacher burnout. A total 330 primary school teachers filled in a questionnaire that had three parts: (1) personal background data; (2) the Friedman’s burnout questionnaire; and (3) environmental features typical of the work of school teachers that include students with special needs in their classroom, in four areas: psychological features, organizational, structural and social. Results show that the background data that related significantly to burnout was teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The more positive the attitude was, the more the teacher experienced burnout in the category of self‐fulfilment. This finding was contrary to the hypothesis of the research. Two other background variables were found to relate to the de‐personalization aspect of burnout, teaching higher‐grade students and having an additional administrative role in school. Two other findings that were found to correlate with higher burnout rates were the number of students with special needs in class (more than 20%) and very little assistance provided to the teacher. Three environmental factors were found to have negative correlation with burnout: the organizational factor, the psychological and the social, with the latter being the most significantly negatively correlated with burnout—i.e. the less social support the teacher experienced, the higher was her level of burnout.     

Horse Riding 101: The role of experience in reframing teacher education practices

For this self-study of my teacher education practice, I positioned myself as a novice in the unfamiliar context of learning to ride a horse. This gave me an opportunity to re-experience being an authentic learner and thereby to deepen my understanding of how an individual learns to teach. I recorded my experiences in an electronic journal and analysed what happened over many months of weekly horse-riding lessons. Central to my learning process was feeding key ideas, insights and tentative analyses into discussions with my students and critical friends. As I analysed their responses further, two themes emerged through pattern analysis. First, being a neophyte in horse riding allowed me to empathise strongly with my students' novice status. Second, permitting them to see the development of my expertise through horse riding was helpful to my students. Re-positioning myself as a learner challenged my view of myself as a teacher educator and transformed my teacher education practice.