Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion

(ITE4I) 2015-18NCSE Research Conference 2019

Peter Hick, Yvette Solomon, Aikaterini Matziari (MMU), Joseph Mintz (UCL IoE),

Finn Ó Murchú (MIC), Kathy Hall, Kevin Cahill, Catriona Curtin (UCC)

ITE4I in Context

• A major longitudinal, mixed methods study of system wide reform in ITE to promote inclusive teaching

• In the context of significant change processes shaping the landscape for teacher education and inclusive teaching in Ireland

• The first study of this scope and scale in Europe

Phase 1 & 2 (2015-16)

• Phase 1: Analysing ITE Programme Content

• Scoping review of literature • Documentary analysis (30 programmes from

13 ITE providers)• Teacher educator survey (N=21)

• Phase 2: Understanding the ITE Student Experience

• Student teacher survey (N=430) and interviews (N=47)

• Teacher educator interviews (N=11)

Phases 3 & 4 (2016-18)

• Phase 3: Understanding the NQT Experience (1st year)

• NQT1 survey (N=122) and follow-up interviews (N=20)

• School principal interviews (N=13)

• Phase 4: Understanding the NQT Experience (2nd year)

• NQT2 survey (N=38) and follow-up interviews (N=23)

• School principal (N =8) interviews

NCSE’s Research Themes

• Components of inclusive/special ed.

• Preparedness for inclusive teaching

• The NQT Experience

• Gaps in ITE for inclusive teaching

• Lessons for ITE, Induction & CPD

European Agency for Special Needs & Inclusive Education

Profile of Inclusive Teachers

• 4 year project ‘Teacher Education for Inclusion’

• 25 countries

• Key outputs included a ‘Profile of Inclusive Teachers’

• Based on core values

• Related to broad areas of competence

• Identifies key attitudes & beliefs, knowledge & understanding, skills & abilities in each area

Profile of Inclusive TeachersCore Values for Inclusive Teaching

• Valuing learner diversity

• Supporting all learners

• Working with others

• Continuing personal professional development

Components of ITE programmes

• Dominant model for content is discrete modules with SEN focus

• There is coverage of broader approaches to inclusive education, in generic modules

• Emphasis on values and attitudes rather than on developing skills

• ‘Reflection’ as critical thinking, rather than problem solving for inclusive teaching

Gap between values & skills?

The student experience

• positive about courses for understanding inclusive teaching

• valued subject specific guidance on inclusive pedagogy

• experiences with specialist provision seen as valuable

• specialist pathways seen as more practical & so better for teaching all learners

Sense of disconnection?

• students often sense a disconnection between school and college-based elements of ITE programmes

• can be quite negative about what they see as missing practical skills input

• what helped most? majority ranked school placement first

Student interviews

• reports of negative experiences were not focused on any specific provider

• it was notable how students’ accounts of their experiences varied within each ITE provider

• some students talked about generational differences in approaches to inclusive teaching

Aligning school placements & ITE

• Variation in quality of placements for learning opportunities on inclusive teaching

• Variation in experiences with Placement Tutors and Cooperating Teachers

• Difficulty in locating placements and ensuring diversity of experience

• Little preparation for working with parents and with other professionals

Teacher educator views

• School experience placements seen as key

• Variable quality and availability of placements seen as a constraint

• Some reduction in focus on inclusive teaching reported

• Expectations for ITE within continuum of teacher education need to be realistic

Staff interviews

• we’re moving beyond this whole notion that it’s just about special educational needs and that’s a big challenge for us

• how… staff themselves collaborate and upskill themselves to be able to do it. ..it’s a long term cultural change

Staff survey: findings

• Some staff aimed to embed inclusive teaching across ITE programmes

• Some programmes made more space for student teachers to reflect

• But some programmes had less time on inclusive teaching

• Teacher educators may need more CPD

‘Effective teaching approaches

in heterogeneous classes’

Student survey: experience

• 48% had prior experience of working with children with SEN

• 47% had personal experience of a friend or relative with SEN or a disability

• Around 60% taught students with SEN

• Over 70% taught students from diverse cultural & ethnic backgrounds

Student survey: attitudes

• Most students expressed positive attitudes towards inclusive teaching

• 97% agree that inclusive education is about equality for all, not just SEN

• 94% agree that most children with SEN can be included in mainstream

• Experience of diversity on school experience was linked with positive attitudes

Student survey: improvement suggestions

• Experiences with wider range of students

• Better support for school placement

• More input on practical strategies

• More input on subject specific strategies for inclusive teaching

-1.6

-1.4

-1.2

-1

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

ITE Year NQT Year

Change in Factor 1Self Efficacy and Knowledge about Inclusion

-4

-3.5

-3

-2.5

-2

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

ITE Year NQT Year

Change in Factor 2Attitude and Knowledge about Inclusion

Student teachers

• Generally positive attitudes to inclusive teaching

• Significant prior experience may be underused

• Wanted stronger focus on skills for inclusive teaching

• Wanted closer alignment between ITE provider and school placement experience

• Noted variations in roles of Cooperating Teachers

Newly Qualified Teachers

• NQT approach to enacting inclusive teaching predominantly shaped by the school context

• Relied on collaboration with experienced colleagues

• Often placed in classes with pupils with SEND, sometime with insufficient support

• In second year of teaching focus shifted from themselves as teachers to pupils as learners

• CPD seen as variable in quality

NQT Experience

• Destinations

• Resource teaching

• Reflections on ITE

• Strengthening commitment

• Centrality of school culture

• Collaboration with teachers

• Collaboration with SNAs

NQT Experience

• NQT Induction Programme

• Learning from interacting with pupils

• Changing focus from teaching to learning

• Navigating constraints

• Agents of change?... in collaborative contexts

• Preparedness for inclusive teaching

Teacher educators

• Recognised importance of inclusive teaching

• Many felt ill-equipped to develop this area

• Need for greater opportunities for collaboration between subject experts and inclusive education specialists

Lessons for ITE

• Embedding inclusive pedagogy across ITE programmes

• Creating spaces for collaboration between subject & inclusive education experts

• Developing consistent approaches across ITE programmes

Lessons for ITE (1)

• Professional learning for teacher educators

• Involving Placement Tutors and Cooperating Teachers

• Planning inclusive teaching

• Individual differentiation and whole class approaches to inclusive teaching

Lessons for ITE (2)

• Developing skills for inclusive teaching

• ‘Disconnect’ between programmes and student perceptions of skills teaching

• Aligning school placement experiences within ITE programmes

Lessons for ITE (3)

• Assessing inclusive teaching

• Planned experiences for engaging in inclusive practices

• Opportunities for collaborative, critical reflection

• Participating in reflective enquiry processes for inclusive teaching

Implications for ITE Providers• CPD for Teacher Educators

• Creating spaces for collaboration with colleagues with expertise in inclusive education

• Embedding inclusive pedagogy across ITE

• Involving Placement Tutors & Cooperating Teachers

• Aligning school placement experiences with college-based input on inclusive teaching

• Developing skills through planned experiences of engaging in inclusive teaching, linked to focused reflective enquiry processes and to opportunities for collaborative critical reflection

Implications for Stakeholders

• Strengthen school placement guidance, for the range of activities that student teachers should engage with, on inclusive teaching

• Ensure that skills for inclusive teaching are assessed within school placements

• Develop further guidance on ‘school placement reflection workshops’ to focus on inclusive teaching

• Identify inclusive teaching more explicitly within Droichead

Implications for Stakeholders

• Aligning guidance to support inclusive teaching

• Promoting online resources

• Resourcing Cosan

• Reviewing NQT induction

• Professional commitment for School Principals to inclusive teaching and teacher education

Summary

• Embedding inclusive pedagogy across ITE programmes

• Collaboration between teacher educators who are subject experts and inclusive education specialists

• Planned opportunities to engage in inclusive teaching, linked to reflective workshops

• Closer alignment of ITE programmes, school experience, Cooperating Teachers