Teaching and Learning in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms: Key Issues for New Teachers

189 Pages·2010·1.92 MB·English

by  Gill Richards

Teaching and Learning in Diverse and
Inclusive Classrooms
How can you develop effective teaching strategies so that all the children in your classroom are
includedinmeaningfulandenrichinglearningexperiences?
Whatcanyoudotohelpyoungpeoplefromdiversebackgroundsachievetheirfullpotential?
Addressing the wide variety of issues of diversity and inclusion routinely encountered in today’s
classrooms,thiscomprehensivetextprovidesbothatheoreticalbackgroundandpracticalstrategies.
Chaptersfromleadingfiguresoninclusiveeducationpresentandanalysethelatestdebates,research
studies and current initiatives, including considerations for teaching and learning, and conclude with
keyquestionsforreflectionandadditionalresources.
Moving beyond simple theory about diversity, to what this means for real teachers’ practice, the
contributionsfocusonissuesrelatingtovaluesandprofessionalpracticeforteachers,emphasisinginclusive
approachesandtheimportanceofunderstandingtheperspectivesoflearners.Topicsdiscussedinclude:
(cid:1) understandinginclusiveeducation
(cid:1) ethnicandculturaldiversity
(cid:1) challengingbehaviour
(cid:1) bullying
(cid:1) genderidentityandsexuality
(cid:1) giftedandtalentedlearners
(cid:1) Gypsy,RomaandTravellerchildren
(cid:1) specialeducationalneeds
(cid:1) collaborativeworkinginschool
(cid:1) theperspectiveofparents.
Designed to stimulate and strengthen teachers’ professional understanding, the book also reflects on

legislative duties, personal values, and the importance of listening to the voices of individuals who
experiencedisadvantageineducationalsettings.
TeachingandLearninginDiverseandInclusiveClassroomsisakeyresourceforteachers,supportingtheir
learningthroughouttheirinitialtrainingandearlyprofessionaldevelopment.Itwillalsobeofinterest
tomoreexperiencedteachersinterestedindiversityandinclusion,particularlythosementoringNQTs
throughtheirinductionandMaster’s-levelstudies.
GillRichardsisDirectorofProfessionalDevelopmentattheSchoolofEducation,NottinghamTrent
University. She teaches on the MA in Inclusive Education at NTU and delivers the new National
Award for SEN Co-ordination and CPD courses for teachers, in partnership with Nottinghamshire
LocalAuthority.
Felicity Armstrong is Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London.
SheiscourseleaderfortheMAinInclusiveEducationandleaderoftheInclusiveEducationSpecial
InterestGroup.

Teaching and Learning in
Diverse and Inclusive
Classrooms
Key issues for new teachers
Edited by
Gill Richards and Felicity Armstrong
Thisfirsteditionpublished2011
byRoutledge
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©2011GillRichardsandFelicityArmstrongforselectionandeditorial
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Teachingandlearningindiverseandinclusiveclassrooms:keyissuesfornew
teachers/editedbyGillRichardsandFelicityArmstrong.
p.cm.
1.Inclusiveeducation–GreatBritain.2.Specialeducation–GreatBritain.3.
Multiculturaleducation–GreatBritain.4.Specialeducationteachers–Training
of–GreatBritain.I.Richards,Gill.II.Armstrong,Felicity.
LC1203.G7T432011
371.900460941–dc22
2010015922
ISBN 0-203-84091-7 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN13: 978-0-415-56462-5 (hbk)
ISBN13:978-0-415-56463-2(pbk)
ISBN13:978-0-203-84091-7(ebk)
Contents
List of contributors vii
Foreword x
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
FELICITYARMSTRONGANDGILLRICHARDS
1 Inclusive education: school cultures, teaching and learning 7
FELICITYARMSTRONG
2 Half a million unseen, half a million unheard: inclusion for
gender identity and sexual orientation 19
MARJORIESMITH
3 The role of the school in reducing bullying 31
NEILDUNCAN
4 Supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils 42
CHRISDERRINGTON
5 The influence of gender in the classroom: how boys
and girls learn 54
STEVEBARTLETTANDDIANABURTON
6 Not in my image: personalisation and ethnic diversity in
the classroom 65
RAPHAELRICHARDS
7 Invisibility and Otherness: asylum-seeking and refugee
students in the classroom 76
MANOCANDAPPA
vi Contents
8 I feel confident about teaching, but ‘SEN’ scares me:
moving from anxiety to confidence 89
GILLRICHARDS
9 Inclusive education and gifted and talented provision 102
ROGERMOLTZEN
10 Challenging students, challenging settings 113
JACKIESCRUTON
11 Teachers working with teaching assistants 124
VIKKIANDERSON
12 Including parents with disabled children 133
MICHELEMOORE
13 Working with the ‘experts’: working in partnership
with other education professionals 145
ALISONPATTERSON
14 Disability, human rights and inclusive education, and
why inclusive education is the only educational
philosophy and practice that makes sense in today’s world 156
RICHARDRIESER
Index 170
Contributors
Vikki Anderson has taught in schools and further education colleges, and in
higher education. She works as a Learning Support advisor at the Uni-
versity of Birmingham and delivers continuing professional development.
She has published research on listening and responding to the voice of the
learner and supporting students with specific learning difficulties in higher
education.
Felicity Armstrong is Emeritus Professor of Education at the Institute of
Education, University of London, and co-founder of the MA in Inclusive
Education and the Inclusive Education Special Interest group at the Insti-
tute. She is on the editorial board of Disability and Society and the Interna-
tional Journal of Inclusive Education.
Steve Bartlett has published widely on education studies issues and teacher
research methods. His research interests are in practitioner research, work-
ing with networks of teachers developing their classroom evaluations. He
has also been involved with the development of Education Studies as a
subject in HE and in reviewing the Education Studies Subject Benchmarks
for QAA, and has been chair of the British Education Studies Association.
Diana Burton is Professor of Education and Pro-Vice Chancellor at Liverpool

John Moores University. Her research interests centre on applications of
education psychology to the professional contexts of pupil learning and
teacher education. She is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, and a
memberoftheBritishEducationResearchAssociation,theHigherEducation
Academy, and the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers’
management forum.
Mano Candappa is a Senior Research Officer at the Institute of Education,
University of London, UK. Her research focuses on childhoods, migration
and education, and she has conducted extensive research on social policy
and the experiences of refugees and asylum-seeking families. Recent pub-
lications include Education, Asylum and the ‘Non-Citizen’ Child: the politics of
compassion and belonging (2010, co-authored).
viii Contributors
Chris Derrington is an independent consultant who previously held positions
as a Traveller education service manager, a head teacher and a Senior
Lecturer in Inclusive Education. Over the past 15 years, she has undertaken
research studies for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the
Training and Development Agency, and the National Foundation for
Educational Research, and has published widely in the field of Traveller
education.
Neil Duncan’s research field is bullying and gender identity in high schools,
and is unique in that it falls outside the traditional theoretical camps of
sexual harassment and educational psychology. His work has attracted
international interest from Finland, Australia and the USA. Neil has been a
contributor to TV programmes in Australia and the UK, appearing and
advising on homophobic bullying.
Roger Moltzen is Professor of Education at the University of Waikato, New
Zealand. He is a former teacher and principal with a particular interest in
inclusive, and gifted and talented education. His most recent research
investigated the life stories of eminent adults. In 2005 he was awarded the
New Zealand Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching
Excellence.
Michele Moore works on the global agenda for inclusive education in
association with the Institute of Education, University of London and the
University of Nizwa in Oman. She is Editor of the leading international
journal Disability & Society and a member of the Editorial Team of the
journal Community Work & Family.
Alison Patterson has taught in primary schools, where she was also a
SENCO, and for two years within a special school. She currently works for
Nottinghamshire County Council as a Specialist Teacher for the Early
Years Inclusion Support Service, and is also employed as a visiting lecturer
at Nottingham Trent University.

Gill Richards works at Nottingham Trent University in the School of
Education as Director of Professional Development, having previously
worked in schools and further education colleges. She is involved with a
range of projects for student teachers, NQTs and SENCOs on inclusive
practice, and her research interests focus on ‘learner voice’ and inclusive
education.
Raphael Richards is Head of Sheffield’s Ethnic Minority and Traveller
Achievement Service. His work involves supporting schools, young people
and local communities to work together to raise minority ethnic pupils’
attainment and promote community cohesion.He has extensive experience
in developing and managing mentoring programmes in education, social
justice and business settings.
Contributors ix
RichardRieserhasbeenateacherandadvisoryteacherfor30yearsininner-city
Hackney. He was founder and director of Disability Equality in Education
for 17 years, and represented the UK Disabled Peoples’ Movement in the
negotiations towards the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. Richard is an internationally renowned advocate of inclusive
education.
JackieScrutonhasalwaysworkedwithlearnersforwhomtheterminclusion
is relevant. This has been in a number of educational settings, including
nurseries, special schools and further education colleges. She is currently a
senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University in the School of Education,
working across a range of programmes helping students to explore the
concepts of inclusion and diversity. She is also a specialist member of the
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) and a regional
tutor for Makaton. Her interests lie in the fields of inclusion, diversity,
equality and, particularly, communication.
Marjorie Smith has taught throughout the age range and also in special and
higher education settings. She is an educational psychologist and has
worked in teacher education as well as contributing to research on gender
and learning, and gender and special education needs. Her long term
research interests embrace human rights in education and inclusive practice.
More recently, she has taken up a specific interest in young people with
issues around their gender identity or sexual orientation, and campaigns for
an education system that acknowledges their needs and their rights.