Preparing student teachers for inclusion and equality

1. Preparing student teachers for inclusion and equality Dr Lisa McAuliffe Lecturer in Education, School of Education, University of the West of Scotland lisa.mcauliffe@uws.ac.uk

2. A case study of how understanding of the concept of equality of opportunity and its implications for diverse groups is being promoted in the School of Education in the University of the West of Scotland through the teaching, learning and assessment of a module that gives student teachers the opportunity to explore the implications of the Equality Act 2010 for themselves as developing professionals and for the pupils in their future classes.

3. The Standard for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland identifies the following as core interests of the teaching profession: promotingequality of opportunity among all people in an inclusive society, and actively taking steps to counter discrimination; promoting the learning of those pupils who encounter barriers to learning, including those who are in need of additional support in particular areas of the curriculum; and those with emotional and behavioural difficulties. (GTCS 2006)

4. According to SITE, by the end of their programme of initial teacher education, student teachers should be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of principles of equality of opportunity and social justice and of the need for anti-discriminatory practices. Demonstrate the ability to identify and respond appropriately to pupils withdifficulties in, or barriers to, learning. Demonstrate the ability to respond appropriately to gender, social, cultural, religious and linguistic differences among pupils. (GTCS 2006)

5. According to SITE, by the end of their programme of initial teacher education, student teachers should be able to: Demonstrate the ability to identify the ways in which additional support in the classroom can assist pupils’ learning. Demonstrate respect for the rights of all children and young people without discrimination. Demonstrate that they value and promote fairness and justice and adopt anti-discriminatory practices in respect of gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, age, religion, culture and socio-economic background. (GTCS 2006)

6. SITE is aligned with the 1994 UNESCO Salamanca statement which: • advocated inclusive education,defining it as the process of responding to the diverse needs of all learners by increasing participation in and reducing exclusion from education. • argued that creating inclusive school communities is the most effective way of combating discriminatory attitudes, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all. (UNESCO 1994)

7. Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes The themes of inclusion and equality are embedded in Curriculum for Excellence, as can be seen in the following examples of experiences and outcomes - the full documents are available through the following link: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/thecurriculum/howisthecurriculumorganised/experiencesandoutcomes/index.asp

8. Health and Wellbeing I can expect my learning environment to support me to: • develop my self-awareness, self-worth and respect for others • acknowledge diversity and understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to challenge discrimination • I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building positive relationships. • I understand that people can feel alone and can be misunderstood and left out by others. I am learning how to give appropriate support.

9. Religious and moral education • I can show my understanding of values such as caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love. • I can share my developing views about values such as fairness, equality, love, caring, sharing and human rights.

10. Social studies • By studying groups in past societies who experienced inequality, I can explain the reasons for the inequality and evaluate how groups or individuals addressed it. • I can gather and use information about forms of discrimination against people in societies and consider the impact this has on people’s lives. • I can explain why a group I have identified might experience inequality and can suggest ways in which this inequality might be addressed.

11. Inclusion and Equality BEd3 option module introduced in UWS in 2010 The main aim of the module is to help student teachers develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to: • raise awareness in relation to equality and diversity issues including equal opportunities, disadvantage, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination; and • provide additional support for pupils who experience difficulties in, or barriers to, their learning as a result of social and cultural factors.

12. The module serves as a space for students to: • explore a range of social and cultural factors that can lead to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, and can result in pupils experiencing difficulties in or barriers to learning; • consider the features of effective educational provision for • raising awareness in all pupils in relation to issues of equality and diversity • supporting pupils experiencing difficulties in, or barriers to, their learning as a result of social and cultural factors.

13. The following topics are explored in depth: Disability, gender, race, religion & belief, sexual orientation, the needs & entitlements of learners from Gypsy and Traveller backgrounds, and the needs & entitlements of learners who are looked after. Given that the amended Additional Support for Learning Act (2009) requires education authorities and schools to give special consideration to the inclusion and equality needs & entitlements of learners from the last group, it was deemed important to include this topic in the option despite the fact that the group does not have ‘protected characteristic’ status.

14. When planning the teaching, learning and assessment of the module, careful consideration was given to Perry’s scheme of moral and intellectual development According to Perry (1975), moral and intellectual development unfolds in stages: • Dualism:at this stage, the individual believes that all problems have a solution and all questions have a right answer; the authorities/experts know what the solution or answer is. • Multiplicity: at this stage, the individual believes that everyone has a right to his/her opinion and all opinions are equally valid. • Relativism: at this stage, the individual believes that problems/questions must be considered and evaluated in relation to the context. • Commitment: at this stage, the individual becomes committed to a position based on careful consideration of available evidence.

15. It is expected that the students taking the module will be at different stages in Perry’s scheme based on the number and type of prior opportunities they have had to engage with the various topics. Because of this, special emphasis is placed on getting the students prepared for class so that those who have little prior knowledge and understanding of a topic are able to make informed contributions to the discussion. Preparation involves giving the students a week in advance of the class essential reading accompanied by questions aiming to link points raised in the reading with experiences the students may have had within and beyond the classroom.

16. Examples of preparation questions For the gender topic: • Have you observed any sexist routines and practices that are not included in Thomson’s list? • Have you observed any differences in the way in which the adults who work in schools, including teachers, talk about or behave towards girls and boys? Come to the class prepared to share some of your observations and to make recommendations for improvements based on your reading and experiences. For the race topic: • Based on your reading and any relevant experiences that you may have had, what do you consider to be some of the principles and characteristics of effective practice in tackling racism and promoting race equality in and through school?Come to the class prepared to share some of your ideas.

17. Selection of materials As it is considered very important to get the voices of the ‘insiders’ heard, when selecting materials for use in this module, priority is given to materials which present a topic either exclusively or partly from the perspective of individuals with personal experience of the relevant issues.

18. Selection of materials Novels, films and plays exploring relevant issues (typically from an ‘insider’ perspective) are also discussed and recommended for follow up work. A wide range of these are available for the students to borrow from the library and from the tutor’s personal collection.

19. Selection of materials Children’s books exploring relevant issues (typically from an ‘insider’ perspective) are also considered, particularly with respect to their potential uses in the classroom. A wide range of these are available for the students to borrow from the library and from the tutor’s personal collection.

20. Time for reflection It is deemed important to provide students with structured time after each class to reflect on their newly developed knowledge and understanding and to consider its relevance for their practice. Students are asked to record reflections related to each topic in a learning journal which they are required to fill after the corresponding topic has been covered. To highlight the importance of reflection, it was decided to make the learning journal part of the assessment of the module – the other component is an essay focusing on one of the topics explored in the module (the students choose the topic).

21. Impact End-of-term module evaluations and informal feedback from the students suggest that the module is very effective in helping students develop knowledge and understanding of a wide range of equality issues and of their educational implications. In June 2012, the two cohorts that took the module over the past two years were invited to provide more focused feedback through a survey monkey questionnaire. The first cohort had 16 students while the second cohort had 20 students, so a total of 36 students were eligible to respond to this questionnaire. Responses were provided by a total of 16 students; 5 of the respondents took the module in 2010/11 while 11 took the module in 2011/12. The following slides show their responses to the main questions.

22. How much did you know before you started the option about inclusion and equality issues associated with each of the option topics?

23. How much of your current knowledge about inclusion and equality issues associated with each of the option topics do you attribute to your participation in the option?

24. To what extent, if at all, has the option enabled you to think more inclusively in relation to the topics covered?

25. Examples of inclusive thinking • “When I walk in a classroom I look around to see what’s on display, what’s at the book corner etc. I’m pleased to see diverse groups in the resources. I’m itching to make suggestions where there isn’t much”. • “I read the paper or a magazine and things that wouldn’t register before jump out at me. The other day, as I was passing the newspapers stand in the supermarket I caught glimpse of a title that said something like ‘Can parenting be taught? The mother of all questions!’ I thought, why mother? That’s sexist language! I don’t think I would have given this a second thought before the option. I’ve learnt something not just for school but for my life”.

26. To what extent, if at all, has the option enabled you to act more inclusively in relation to each of the topics covered?

27. Examples of inclusive practice • “Mother’s day. I wanted it to be inclusive. I talked to the class teacher and we agreed to broaden it up to include all important women in the children’s lives. I was anxious in case I got it wrong but it went well and I felt good”. • “I suggested at a staff meeting that we should look for ways to do more with the local Catholic school. A couple of teachers seemed keen and we got a good response from the Catholic school. We set up a group and got a few things going. The logistics can be tricky but it’s well worth it”.

28. Examples of inclusive practice • “In my planning I kept thinking: universal design! I made my lessons as multisensory as I could. At first it was hard to come up with ideas but then it became second nature. I’m positive it helped the learning”. • “We did a topic on the olympics and I gave the paralympics as much attention. I don’t think I would have done it this way before the option. Then I found out that in the ancient olympics women weren’t allowed to take part so we spoke about it in class. We got a good discussion going”.

29. To what extent, if at all, has the option encouraged you to keep learning about inclusion and equality in relation to the topics covered?

30. Conclusion In line with a growing body of literature on this topic (e.g. Hodkinson 2005; Ji-Ryun 2011; Lancaster & Bain 2010; Sosu et al 2010), the experience of delivering this module highlights the importance of providing student teachers with opportunities to become more aware of a range of issues, debates and dilemmas related to inclusion and equality as increased personal awareness can help them become more confident in dealing with these issues, debates and dilemmas at school and beyond.

31. References • GTCS (2006) Standard for Initial Teacher Education. Available: http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/the-standards/the-standard-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf • Hodkinson, A. J. (2005) Conceptions and misconceptions of inclusive education: a critical examination of final year teacher trainees' knowledge and understanding of inclusion. International Journal of Research in Education. 73, pp. 15-29. • Ji-Ryun, K. (2011): Influence of teacher preparation programmes on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(3), pp. 355-377. • Lancaster, J. and Bain, A. (2010): The design of pre-service inclusive education courses and their effects on self-efficacy: a comparative study. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 38(2), pp. 117-128. • Perry, W. G. (1975) Forms of Ethical and Intellectual Development in the College Years. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. • Sosu, E. M., Mtika, P. and Colucci-Gray, L. (2010) Does initial teacher education make a difference? The impact of teacher preparation on student teachers’ attitudes towards educational inclusion. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(4), pp. 389–405. • UNESCO (1994) The Salamanca Statement. Available: http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF