ETEN Conference

Vic University April 2019

GOPRINCE
DEVELOPING  GOOD PRACTICES :  INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

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Twitter @NorthumbriaNqt lo ab
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 Aims
• To give some background to
• To look at the materials of
the research through a
the case study of Aiden
literature review and
(Child with ASD)
definitions of inclusion
• To model a framework to
• To introduce the ‘Go Prince’
support trainees and NQTs
project
on their journey of inclusive
• To introduce the ‘Keys to practice
Inclusion’
• To describe the papers as
outcomes from the project

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 Minority
groups
Values

marginalisation Diversity Rights

Democracy

Social
Complex
Equality justice

Disabilities
Labelling

Rhetoric
and reality

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Amodel of inclusion

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 Defining Inclusion
Farrell (2001)
“The extent to which a school and
community values diversity and
welcomes all people as full members
of that community”

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 Inclusion

Corbett (2001)
“An active not passive process. A
commitment to justice, equity,
mutual respect and social
diversity”

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 Inclusion
Ainscow (2007)

“A broad concept aimed at eliminating social exclusion”

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 Definition of inclusion, general school
(Denmark)

“Inclusion in general school is including

children with special needs in general
education so that they participate actively in
the social community and develops a positive
self image.”
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 Inclusion

“Our job is not to make disability go away, not to pretend that it is not there.
Instead, it is to respond to it with honesty, vision and intelligence”
McKay (2002)

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 UNESCO definition
• This paper uses the UNESCO (2005) definition of inclusion,
where all learners learn in a mainstream classroom without
the use of withdrawal classes.
• Anglim, Prendeville and Kinsella (2018) see inclusion as a
‘need to foster participation among learners in mainstream
classes and to focus on the quality of pupils’ educational
experiences’ (2018, p.74).
• This resonates with Booth and Ainscow’s (2002) ‘Index for
Inclusion’, which recommends building collaborative
relationships and improvements in the learning and
teaching environment.
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The historical context in Europe

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 Denmark
“to participate in the community of
learning is being together with and
participating actively in the teaching and
community with classmates and there
having the” optimal developmental
output and a positive self-image
(Danish Institute of Evaluation 2011)

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 Portugal
“An inclusive society is where everyone shares
fully the condition of citizenship and is offered
opportunities for social participation and access
to continuous learning, as a way for fostering
individual development, social progress and a
more democratic society.”

UNESCO

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 Belgium
“Where children with special educational needs
participate in a mainstream school with
adjustments and additional support.”

This correlates with Jimenez (1993) who argued

that ‘inclusion implies an active participation of
the special educational needs (SEN) child in the
school’s educational model, inclusive of all
students, answering and adjusting to their needs.’
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 Lithuania
“The process that ensures qualitative education
for all its participants, where attention is focused
on the expectations of every pupil and pupils’
parents and each pupil’s needs.”

The Ministry of Education and Science (2014)

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 England
“Disabled and non-disabled children and young
people learning together in ordinary pre-school
provision, schools, colleges and universities with
appropriate networks of support.”

Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education 2001

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 Reflective practitioner
• No single definition of inclusion because our conception
of it must be flexible enough to adapt to diverse and
ever-changing people in ever-changing diverse contexts.
• Darling-Hammond (2006) notes that the learner
population is diverse and we must adapt to it.
• Challenge for teachers to see a consistent view of
inclusion and adapt to it –
• In terms of professional development this implies that
you will need to be reflective, flexible and adaptable in
order to be an inclusive practitioner.
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The Salamanca Statement (United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation 1994)

• Made a commitment to the principles, policy and

practice for inclusion and the need to work for schools
for all, where ‘institutions include everybody, celebrate
differences, support learning and respond to individual
needs’ (UNESCO, 1994, p.iii).
• The UK subsequently changed legislation to ensure that
children with special educational needs are educated in
mainstream local schools with typically developing
peers, rather than in separate special schools unless it is
the particular wish of the parents (DfEE, 2001).
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https://youtu.be/w4B4CGopmZw

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 Ofsted report

‘Pupils with special educational needs learn successfully

alongside their classmates and achieve well because they are
supported exceptionally well by staff and work is suitably
adapted for their needs.’

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 Initial Teacher Education
• Alexiadou and Essex (2016) state that throughout Europe and
beyond, teacher education courses are required to actively
promote inclusive practice and to develop relevant ‘skills’ of
future teachers, so that graduates are able to respond to
diverse student populations in their mainstream classes.
• However, according to NASUWT (2013) 60% of teachers in
England do not feel they have had adequate training to teach
children with autism.
• Young et al (2017) strongly agree that ITE is wholly inadequate
in preparing newly qualified teachers to work in diverse,
inclusive classrooms.

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 ‘Practical Wisdom’
• Robinson (2017) explores in her research what she refers to as an essential
question: ‘what models and pedagogic frameworks are effective in
developing skilled, confident and effective teachers who can successfully
include learners with SEN within mainstream classrooms?’ (Robinson,
2017, p.164).

• Citing Burns and Mutton (2014), Carter (2015, p.21) recommends models
of ‘clinical practice’ whereby pre-service teachers draw on ‘the practical
wisdom of experts’ whilst engaging in rigorous trialling and evaluation so
that they might ‘develop and extend their own decision making capacities
or professional judgements’ (Carter, 2015, p.22).

• However, there may not be a surfeit of ‘practical wisdom’ about inclusive

practice on which to draw (Robinson, 2017) or the same experience for all
trainees, as schools vary in their inclusive pedagogy and practice
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 Beliefs and Attitudes
• Woodcock (2013) believes that pre-service training is a critical
period, during which beliefs and attitudes are more likely to be
influenced by external sources. Research has shown
correlations between negative attitudes and poor or
ineffective instructional strategies (Avramadis and Norwich,
2002).
• Moreover, research demonstrates that negative attitude
towards pupils with SEND are a function of an absence of
training and development and, teachers with more training
about students with special educational needs have more
positive attitudes and emotional reaction towards them
(Avramadis et al, 2000; Carroll, Forlin and Jobling, 2003).
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• Rouse (2007) suggested that new ways of thinking
about what teachers need to know, do and believe are
required to enhance inclusive practice.
• Rouse asked 2 questions that are pertinent to this
research:

• What are effective inclusive schools?

• How might teachers reconceptualise the inclusion task?

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The development of
the Keys to inclusion

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A collaborative approach

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Collaboration
Reflection
Holistic view
Ethos
Adaptation
Communication
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Reflection
Ethos
Adaptations
Collaboration
Communication
Holistic view
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 Abstract
• In recent years there has been a significant drive to teach pupils with
autism in mainstream schools. However, for successful inclusion of these
pupils there is a degree of challenge for trainee teachers and it may require
additional supports (Crossland and Dunlap, 2012). There is a need,
therefore, to develop teacher education programmes that critically engage
with issues of exclusion, diversity and inclusion (Florian and Rouse, 2009).

• This paper addresses these issues by reflecting on the findings from a case
study of a highly effective and inclusive mainstream primary school. The
case study reveals several key practices that were important contributors in
meeting the needs of a child with autism and fully including him in the
school.

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“A life in the day: a case study of one mainstream school’s inclusive practice of a child with autism”

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 ASD
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental
disturbance across the life span, implying social and
communicative difficulties and restricted behaviours and
interests.

• Although SEN students challenge schools, ASD students

represent a bigger challenge by showing difficulties in crucial
domains for school activities (e.g. social interaction,
communication, learning, behaviour, sensory difficulties and
difficulties dealing with unpredictability).
(De Matos and Morgado, 2016)
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Research on inclusion of children with ASD
• It is in inclusive settings that ASD students have the chance
to ease those difficulties, particularly the social ones, by
confronting themselves with proper behavioural models of
their peers.
• With the inclusive perspective spreading across the
educational community and the raise of ASD prevalence,
there are constantly more students included in mainstream
classes, but few studies addressing this reality, suggesting
that there are few children truly included, because of
school’s lack of preparation.
(De Matos and Morgado, 2016)
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• The case study is currently used by trainee teachers as part of
a bank of resources from an Erasmus+ project entitled
‘Developing Good Practices: Inclusive Education in Early
Childhood’ (GoPrince, 2017) that the researcher was involved
in. The project explores how certain ‘Keys to Inclusion’;
Reflection, Adaptation, Ethos, Communication, Collaboration
and Holistic view (REACCH) are arguably fundamental
features of inclusive practice.

• In order to find out whether Aiden was fully included the

researcher interviewed the parents of a child with autism, the
headteacher and a local authority adviser for pupils with
autism.

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 Aiden ‘A life in the day’ video
• The researcher examined how successful the school was
in including Aiden with social participation, as well as
attending to his needs. Observations were made of Aiden
in school and a ‘Day in the school life of a child with
autism’ video made, as part of the training materials for
the project. These findings were then analysed against
the ‘Keys to Inclusion’.
• www.goprince.eu

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Task for students: Find the Keys to Inclusion

• Watch the video about Aiden’s support in school through the voice of
the Local Authority Advisory teacher for ASD
• Read the case study
• The teaching assistant who works with Aiden and the other staff to
adapt and support for his needs.
• The ethos of the school from the headteacher’s vision
• The communication and collaboration from all involved with Aiden

• Find the ‘Keys to Inclusion’ in your own school on placement

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• Robinson (2016) found a correlation between
the collaboration of a professional learning
community and practitioners’ confidence and
skills in enacting inclusive practice. The results
of this research reveal that, collaboration and
communication between teachers, teaching
assistants, parents and professionals who advise
schools on strategies for inclusive practice were
seen as the most important ‘keys to inclusion’.

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 Collaboration
• The collaborative work between external experts in
ASD and the educational context is imperative.
Since a diagnosis of ASD will not explain what
happens to a child in school, it is necessary to see
each child with ASD as an individual and review and
adapt the provision for them. An advisory teacher
from the local authority visited the school regularly
and spoke with Aiden’s parents to ensure that the
right advice was given to staff in school supporting
Aiden.
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 Working with parents
• Some believe that parents are considered the definitive
experts on their children’s needs and that effective
intervention is dependent upon their support (Gavalda
and Qinyi, 2012). Close collaboration between families and
schools is necessary to enable a successful home-school
partnership. Parental involvement and communication
between the home and the school are crucial if the
inclusion of children with SEND is successful.
• Aiden’s parents, teachers and teaching assistants used a
logbook to send back and forth daily or weekly messages,
concerns and celebrations of success.

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 The REACCH Framework
• The REACCH framework is offered as an effective tool for
trainee teachers to measure the inclusive practice in their
placement setting, and as a process with which to evaluate
their confidence and experience in facilitating inclusive
strategies for children with SEND in mainstream classrooms.
• This case study and materials enables reflective practice
with trainee teachers and is important in filling a gap in the
research, where collaborative approaches for inclusion, can
be shared as good practice and trainee teachers can use the
approach in their own practice during placement and
beyond throughout their teaching career.

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 2 paper
nd

• Paper on trainee teachers’ confidence

including children with ASD in the mainstream
classroom

• Questionnaire
• Semi-structured interviews

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80 questionnaires
68 return 85%
This questionnaire is about your views based on your experience in school and your own teaching practice.
Tick one box which most closely reflects your views.
  Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
Agree disagree
a. Teachers should be responsible for all 52 15 1 0 0
children in the classes they teach. 76% 22% 2%

a. Schools can help to build an inclusive 52 15 1 0 0

society. 76% 22% 2%
a. All children in the class should feel 66 2 0 0 0
included. 97% 3%
 
a. Children with additional needs should be 2 11 28 25 2
taught by specialists. 3% 16% 41% 37% 3%

a. Children with additional needs can be 5 28 33 0 2

taught in mainstream schools. 7% 41% 49% 3%

a. Teachers should only focus on the 0 1 1 36 30

academic performance of the child. 2% 2% 53% 44%

a. Teachers should consider the whole child’s 59 9 0 0 0

needs including social and emotional 87% 13%
needs.
a. Communication with parents of children 40 22 6 0 0
with SEND improves inclusive practice. 59% 32% 9%

a. A teacher working closely with the TA 39 21 5 3 0

improves inclusive practice in the 57% 31% 7% 5%
classroom.
a. I have the strategies to enable me to 3 33 22 10 0
include all children including those with 5% 48% 32% 15%
additional needs.
a. I can adapt my teaching and learning to 15 47 5 1 0
improve outcomes for all children in my 22% 69% 7% 2%
class.
a. I have the confidence to support a child 6 37 16 7 2
with additional needs in the mainstream 9% 54% 24% 10% 3%
classroom.
a. I have the knowledge and understanding of 5 38 19 6 0
how to support the ‘whole child’ in the 7% 56% 28% 9%
mainstream classroom.  
a. As a teacher I can make a difference to 47 21 0 0 0
children’s lives. 69% 31%

a. I would feel confident to support a child 8 35 15 8 2

with autism in my mainstream classroom. 12% 51% 22% 12% 3%

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