Key beliefs around inclusion 2. Implementation into the school and the classroom

1. Inclusion
A presentation to the University of Auckland
Mark Barratt

2. A little bit about myself
• ‘I’m into inclusion because after 30 years in
teaching I’m saddened by what I experience
• From Joseph being told he’s a typically lazy Maori
to Colin not being allowed to come to school
because he walks funny. I can give you hundreds of
real anecdotes showing how kids and their whanau
are disempowered and pigeon holed by the system
and by people. At some point you decide to take a
stand because you realise that education is a
political and ethical activity.
• I’m not about trying to change the world – I’m just
wanting to be able to change my space

3. What I hope to achieve today
• 1. Key beliefs around inclusion
• 2. Implementation into the school and the classroom

4. CL Structure
• Take a minute to list a couple of phrases that
describe an inclusive school
• Share them with a partner
• Decide which one is the critical one for you and
your partner
• Find another pair and share. Get agreement on the
top 3.
• Someone from the group to write on the board

5. The Reality for Some
• The 5 year old locked out of his classroom on day
one of his first day of school.
• Donna Awatere talk’s about the invisible sign above
some schools saying parents aren’t welcome here.
• In some schools the sign reads “we only want you if
your brain and body works the same as mine’

6. Key Principles relating to
Inclusion
• 1. Inclusion isn’t a technical activity
• 2. A never ending search for better ways to include
all students
• 3. Criteria for Inclusion
• 4. Barrier Free Education
• 5. Presence & Participation for All

7. 1. Inclusion isn’t a technical
activity
• Essentially inclusion is about how you view people
• I will suggest that inclusion is not a technical issue to be fixed
by a new ensemble of policy, professionals and resources.
Clarification and commitment to the principle must be the
precursor to the development of policy and its logistics. If we
don’t change cultural attitudes we are primarily about
tinkering with the system. Teaching is first and foremost an
ethical activity.
• If its not that what we’re talking about is a technical response
to access and deliver resources

8. 2. Never ending search about
how to respond to diversity
• The first thing you’ve got to remember is that inclusion is not
a one hit wonder that you achieve and move on.
• Ballard talks about it being elusive and an ongoing struggle
against practices that disempower some.
• Inclusion has to be seen as an never-ending search to find
better ways of responding to diversity. It is about learning how
to live with difference, and, learning how to learn from
difference.
• In this way differences come to be seen more positively as a
stimulus for fostering learning, amongst children and adults.

9. 3. Criteria for Inclusion
• The only criteria for inclusion is
“are they breathing”
• So the critical question is
• “why aren’t they?”

10. 4. Barrier Free Education
• Inclusion is about the ongoing identification and
removal of barriers. Consequently, it involves
collecting, collating and evaluating information
from a wide variety of sources in order to plan for
improvements in policy and practice.
• It is about using evidence of various kinds to
stimulate creativity and problem solving
Student created film clips
Transition plans
Parent and teacher feedback
Target student feedback

11. 5. Presence and
Participation of All
• Presence is concerned with where students are educated, and
how reliabily and punctually they attend.
• Participation relates to the quality of their experiences whilst
they are there
• Achievement is about the outcomes of learning across the
curriculum, not merely test or examination results

12. Key factors relating to Inclusion
within the classroom
1. Teacher attitude
2. Relationships with whanau/family
3. What are you trying to achieve? What’s really
important?
4. Creative problem solving
5. Support
6. Pedagogical Models

13. 1. Teacher Attitude
• Within 5 minutes parents (and the child) will know
whether you really want the child in your classroom
• Upon first meeting the family do you talk to the
student or the parent
• Kearney’s study on exclusion of ‘disabled students’
refers to the significant use of sarcasm that teachers
engage in
• How often does the teacher work with the student
at risk. Or are we giving our most at risk students our
least trained staff to work with?

14. 1. Teacher Attitude contd
Teacher Fear
• The words that come out are:
• "But, we don't have enough money or resources!
• But, I haven't been trained to take care of those!
• But, I didn't choose special ed!
• But, I don't have special curriculum guidelines
• But, I don't have time to create a special programme for
"them
• The other children will suffer
I Am Afraid! is is the key phrase underneath most of this. But
for some, there are deeper fears. People are afraid of
being "faced" with their own mortality, with imperfection.
People are afraid 'they might catch IT'. These deep seated
fears are a product of our culture

15. 2. Relationship with the
Whanau
• Are parents part of the solution or part of the
problem?
• Are they a source of knowledge about the learner
or is their cultural capital disregarded?
• How are you going to communicate? What are you
going to communicate?

16. 3.What’s really important?
• Peske “ its really great that my son can tie his
shoelaces but it’d be great if he had a friend”
• What is it that makes life worth living for you as an
adult? Write down one key thing that gives your
increased meaning? Share it with the person next to
you.
• How do you find out what’s really important?

17. 4. Creative problem solving
What do you do with any learner who is struggling with
learning? You problem solve. You put in place cycles of action
research.
Scenario 1
What might a teacher do to help a student who has no/few
friends?
Tool - Solution Circle: Getting Unstuck
• Designed by Jack Pearpoint, Marsha Forest & John O’Bnen
• This is a short and powerful tool that takes no more than a half hour. Its
effective in getting “unstuck” from a problem in life or work. Solution
Circles are tools to build “community capacity”. It assumes and
demonstrates that nearby people - in any community or work place
have the capacity to help if asked. It requires a person to ASK - not an
easy thing in our culture of privacy and ‘do it alone’. This tool puts all the
values we espouse into practice and demonstrates that TOGETHER
WE’RE BETTER.

18. Solution Circle

19. 5. Support
• Identify who can support you around this student.
• Are you getting the support that you should be
getting
• PATH

20. PATH

21. 6. Pedagogical Models
• How are you going to teach?
• Is it always going to be ability grouping – like the
traditional reading groups or are their other ways of
organising learning.
• Cooperative Learning
• Reciprocal Reading

22. • Make sure you like the student