scholarly journals Collegial teaming for inclusive education using photovoice as tool

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deidre C. Geduld
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
School Based ◽  
Mainstream Classrooms ◽  
Teacher Education Students

As a Foundation Phase (FP) and inclusive education (IE) lecturer I am responsible for preparing teacher education students for the diversity in classrooms in low socio-economic environments, where teachers have very little professional help in the form of health professionals and remedial and support teachers. This qualitative study explored how collegial teaming amongst pre- and inservice FP teachers can promote the practice of IE. Photovoice technology was used to explore teachers’ challenges in mainstream classrooms and to investigate how teaming can promote IE practices. Participants included five practising inservice mentor teachers and five fourth-year preservice teachers from the local university. The findings have implications for an IE conception of quality, academic rigour and depth in initial teacher education focusing on school-based learning and teaching experiences. This study, with its ‘research as intervention’ approach, enabled collegial teams to make their voices heard and to reflect critically on what it is that they can do to contribute to promoting the practice of IE.

scholarly journals Creating Greater Awareness of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in Initial Teacher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 70-85
Author(s):  
Melissa Cain ◽  
◽  
Chris Campbell ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Education Literature ◽  
Education Training ◽  
Teacher Education Students

Throughout their initial teacher education training in Australia, students are informed about the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and the necessity of gathering evidence to achieve these for teacher registration. Whilst the use of digital technologies as tools for reflection has become increasingly popular, there remains a paucity of research around the types of digital technologies that students use to document their ability to achieve accreditation requirements. This study presents details of how PebblePad, a specialised ePortfolio platform, can assist teacher education students to gain increased awareness about the 37 APST descriptors through the use of tagging. Results demonstrate that students found tagging an invaluable practice and that they recognised the importance of using this ePortfolio platform after graduation to build on their growth as educators in alignment with the APST. In this way, the study addresses a significant gap in teacher education literature in this era of accountability.

Inclusive Educational Principles, Policies, and Practices in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Aiello ◽  
Erika Marie Pace
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
School Based

The Italian education system has gained prominence worldwide thanks to its pioneering history in initiating the process of mainstreaming students with disabilities, in providing educational plans tailored to students’ needs, and in the gradual broadening of the vision of inclusion as a means to guarantee quality education for all. At the same time, teacher education programs have reinvigorated their key role in preparing and supporting teachers who are inclusive of all students. Several factors over the past 50 years have been fundamental in shaping the way inclusion is perceived in the 21st century. First, the theoretical frameworks underpinning pedagogy and teaching practices have undergone a complete paradigm shift from an individualized-medical model to a biopsychosocial model, bringing about a new challenge for all stakeholders involved. Second, in line with this evolution, latest reforms and ministerial provisions in initial teacher education and continuous professional development are evidence of the change in perspective regarding the teachers’ pivotal role in promoting and facilitating inclusive practices. However, this shift has not only called for a rethinking of the teachers’ pedagogical and didactic stances. It has also entailed a reconsideration of the necessary professional competencies, understood as a complex interplay of pedagogical knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills to be able to implement effective teaching methods and strategies that favor inclusion. Thus, it has placed a heavy responsibility on teacher education institutions to ensure that current and future teachers are ready, willing, and able to face the complexity characterizing 21st-century classrooms. Italian schools have also been doing their utmost to ensure better school experiences for all their students. An array of projects, both ministerially funded and school-based schemes, have been designed and implemented to create universally functional curricula to meet all the students’ learning styles and promote inclusion. One of the most important lessons to be learned from these intricate developments and initiatives is that collaboration among all stakeholders on micro, meso, and macro levels lies at the heart of effective and sustainable inclusive education.

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