Creating an Inclusive Learning Community to Better Serve Minority Students

As campuses become increasingly diverse, it is important that faculties maintain inclusive classrooms. Students of underrepresented ethnic/racial groups are more likely to experience disengagement in an academic setting (Nagasawa & Wong, 1999), which can lead to underperformance (Major et al., 1998). Students with LGBTQA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or asexual) identities are at higher risk of poor mental health and lower academic performance compared to cisgender and heterosexual students (Aragon et al., 2014). These detrimental experiences can lead to even more harm in a remote learning environment, where students have fewer opportunities to feel a sense of belonging and connect with their peers and/or instructors. This paper will consider strategies of inclusiveness in the online classroom and in-person learning environment within a social psychology framework to better support underprivileged students to improve academic performance and the overall educational experience. The suggestions and discussions provided apply to both in-person learning as well as remote delivery.

Equity Pedagogies for Inclusive Online Classrooms in Higher Education

Online learning continues to grow and is increasing including more diverse students. Diverse students with various backgrounds and experiences challenge educators to implement pedagogies to achieve equitable learning experiences and outcomes. This chapter aims to discuss four equity pedagogies commonly referred to in the literature that can contribute to democratic and inclusive learning experiences for all students. The chapter's four strategies include pedagogic voice, universal design for learning, equitable assessment, and collaborative learning. Although these strategies were discussed separately, the universal design for learning framework can incorporate both the pedagogic voice, equitable assessments, and collaborative learning while considering their unique perspectives. If well-designed and implemented, these strategies can help all students to receive fair education and prepare them to succeed in a changing world and become agents for social change. The chapter includes recommendations for practice and future research.

Collaborative Learning Environments for Autistic Children in the Inclusive School

One of the major challenges facing inclusive education for children with ASD is the identification and the removal of barriers of learning, ranging from attitudinal barriers to those related to how we organize workspaces and the conception of educational resources. The collaborative approach is one of the most effective ways of learning, and it has the benefit to develop the culture of inclusion in schools. In fact, the major challenge of the system is to personalize the educational therapeutic approach, respectively to create learning environments that generate meaningful learning experiences for each beneficiary. When the authors refer to the personalization of inclusive learning environments during pandemic period, they think both of indoor environments, but also of outdoor environments, as well as virtual environments, models of innovative practices regarding the preparation and organization of personalized collaborative spaces both in classrooms and also in learning spaces from the community, having a multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approach in order to develop life skills.

Acquiring Problem-Solving Skills Through Coding Games in Primary School

Play is a spontaneous and free activity of the child and its role in learning processes has been recognized by pedagogical studies from Piaget onwards. Game-based learning places the pupil at the center of the teaching-learning process, creating a motivating and challenging environment in which the pupil can learn freely, proceeding by trial and error, learning to evaluate their choices and those of other players and monitor a number of variables. Game-based learning therefore stands as an individualized and inclusive learning environment, which allows all students to achieve maximum educational success. In more recent years, the spread of online games, the use of coding as a teaching tool, and distance learning experiences have contributed to spreading game-based didactics. In this chapter, the author proposes a path of coding games for the development of problem solving in primary school with interdisciplinary links and to the mathematics curriculum.

The influence of a course in inclusive education on changing pre-service teachers’ readiness to work with students with SEN

Understanding teachers’ perspective towards inclusive education is seen as a decisive factor in making schools more inclusive. Given the increasing need to prepare pre-service teachers to face inclusion in the classroom as soon as they enter the teaching career, we consider appropriate to assess to which extend can a training course have an impact on the level of pre-service teachers to teach in inclusive classrooms. In this respect, final year students from Education Science degree that finalized a study course on the topic of inclusive education were invited to participate into this research by filling in a questionnaire based on the teacher efficacy for inclusive practices (TEIP) scale. Results show that even after taking a relatively short training course, it can bring about some statistically significant changes in pre-service teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and confidence level towards inclusion. Pre-service teachers that have participated to this study are generally in favor of going through training courses to acquire a special set of skills to thereby be able to work in an inclusive learning environment.

Umufonotalatalaga ma faiā‘oga Samoa – Navigating Samoan teachers’ experiences in classroom behaviour management

<p>This qualitative research study explored Samoan teachers’ experiences of classroom behaviour management in the context of Samoan secondary schools. As Pacific teachers of the 21st century, we are encouraged to be resilient and culturally sustaining, which are aspects of the transformative rethinking process, to ensure an inclusive learning environment that is culturally relevant for all students despite their differences (Koya Vaka’uta, 2016; Nabobo-Baba, 2006; Reynold, 2019; Sanga, 2002; Thaman 2009). Data were collected using a culturally specific Samoan methodological approach termed ‘umufonotalatalaga’ - a deep dialogue in the Samoan way which acknowledges respectful relations. Eight case studies of Samoan teachers, all of whom had been teaching for 5 to 30 years in colleges and secondary schools around the country, offered insight into teachers’ worldviews of their classroom teaching experiences. Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) socio ecological systems theory as a theoretical framework, the study investigated how the multifaceted currents of Samoan cultural practices guided the teachers’ experiences of classroom behaviour management. The findings revealed that participants strongly valued the Samoan culture, spirituality, tupu’aga (heritage) and fa’asinomaga (identity) as positive and empowering factors in which to situate CBM. The findings allowed the researcher to create a new model termed ‘matāmatagi’ – the centre of the wind – which provides a foundation for culturally sustaining pedagogies. The model could be used as a restorative cultural approach to mediate individual Samoan teacher/student experiences of classroom behaviour and management. There are significant implications for the teachers, such as teacher education for CBM, professional development, professional standards and teacher well-being for schools in Samoa.</p>

#Ibelong: Towards a sense of belonging in an inclusive learning environment

#Ibelong is an Erasmus+ project delivering a suite of evidence-informed interventions to improve the belonging and success of students who are first-generation entrants, from ethnic minorities or have a ‘migrant background’. The activities operate at course or programme level and involve working with both staff and students. This article provides a rationale for the #Ibelong programme of activities by drawing on relevant research and describing the three interconnected interventions: Dialogue Days, Team Teacher Reflection and Community Mentoring. The interventions were evaluated using Programme Theory evaluation tools: theory of change and logic chains. The descriptions highlight activities that have worked well, how delivery has been adapted from in-person to online delivery, and evidence of short-term benefits and medium-term outcomes. The article concludes by reflecting on how this suite of interventions could be used by other courses, universities and sectors, to improve the belonging and success of diverse students and staff.

Umufonotalatalaga ma faiā‘oga Samoa – Navigating Samoan teachers’ experiences in classroom behaviour management

<p>This qualitative research study explored Samoan teachers’ experiences of classroom behaviour management in the context of Samoan secondary schools. As Pacific teachers of the 21st century, we are encouraged to be resilient and culturally sustaining, which are aspects of the transformative rethinking process, to ensure an inclusive learning environment that is culturally relevant for all students despite their differences (Koya Vaka’uta, 2016; Nabobo-Baba, 2006; Reynold, 2019; Sanga, 2002; Thaman 2009). Data were collected using a culturally specific Samoan methodological approach termed ‘umufonotalatalaga’ - a deep dialogue in the Samoan way which acknowledges respectful relations. Eight case studies of Samoan teachers, all of whom had been teaching for 5 to 30 years in colleges and secondary schools around the country, offered insight into teachers’ worldviews of their classroom teaching experiences. Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) socio ecological systems theory as a theoretical framework, the study investigated how the multifaceted currents of Samoan cultural practices guided the teachers’ experiences of classroom behaviour management. The findings revealed that participants strongly valued the Samoan culture, spirituality, tupu’aga (heritage) and fa’asinomaga (identity) as positive and empowering factors in which to situate CBM. The findings allowed the researcher to create a new model termed ‘matāmatagi’ – the centre of the wind – which provides a foundation for culturally sustaining pedagogies. The model could be used as a restorative cultural approach to mediate individual Samoan teacher/student experiences of classroom behaviour and management. There are significant implications for the teachers, such as teacher education for CBM, professional development, professional standards and teacher well-being for schools in Samoa.</p>

Black Medical Students’ Sense of Belonging, Residency Self-Efficacy, and Residency Goal Stability at Historically Black vs Predominantly White Medical Schools: A Prospective Study

Background: The U.S. physician workforce is not representative of the general population, in terms of ethnoracial diversity. Efforts to increase diversity in medical school have long been underway, but have continued to fall short. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been instrumental to the formation of Black physicians at the pre-medical and medical school levels. We sought to identify differences in Black medical students’ experiences at HBCUs vs predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of second-year Black medical students at HBCUs and PWIs. Our sample included 379 Black students attending either HBCU or PWI medical schools. The majority were women (64.9%), ranging from 20 to 43 years of age (M=25.62, SD=3.19). Students were surveyed at three time-points over one academic year. Students completed measures of belonging, perceived competitiveness for residency, and residency specialty goals during each wave.Outcomes were reported sense of belonging, confidence in matching in a top-10 residency program and specialty of interest. We utilized generalized linear methods to determine associations between school type and outcomes, adjusting for age and sex. Results: HBCU students reported a higher sense of belonging and perceived residency competitiveness than PWI students. The institutional difference in sense of belonging increases overtime: sense of belonging increased at HBCUs but decreased at PWIs overtime. HBCU students reported a significantly lower change in residency goals than their PWI counterparts. Lastly, HBCU students were more likely to report an interest in primary care specialties compared to their PWI counterparts.Conclusion: Black medical students who attend HBCUs report a greater sense of belonging than their Black colleagues at PWIs with a gap that widens overtime, and remain more confident in their scholastic capabilities. These findings have implications for PWIs’ efforts towards creating inclusive learning environments for Black medical students.

To the Issue of Psychological and Pedagogical Support of University Students with Health Impairments

В статье рассмотрены оранизационно-методические подходы к осуществлению психолого-педагогического сопровождения обучающихся с ограниченными возможностями здоровья и инвалидностью в системе высшего образования. Представлена модель психолого-педагогического сопровождения студентов-инва­лидов в Мининском университете (г. Нижний Новгород), подробно описаны его цель, основные задачи, направления, содержание, условия, формы реализации, критерии оценивания успешности. Целью такого сопровождения является организация толерантного «безбарьерного» пространства, обеспечивающего условия для обучения, социализации и самореализации данной категории студентов. Основными направлениями психологической и педагогической поддержки обучающихся с ограниченными возможностями здоровья и инвалидностью в вузе являются диагностика, консультирование, профилактика, коррекция и развитие, научно-исследова­тельская (методологическая) деятельность, которые реализуются в ходе организации комплексной, системной работы со студентами, их родителями и преподавателями высшей школы. Диагностика обучающихся проводится по актуальным направлениям психолого-педагогического сопровождения и связана с реализацией возрастно-психологических задач. Психологические консультации, которые осуществляются со всеми субъектами образовательного процесса, прежде всего включают обсуждение вопросов выбора направления и профиля обучения, успешной адаптации к процессу обучения в вузе, проблем межличностных отношений в студенческой группе и конфликтов с преподавателями. Коррекционная работа предполагает, в первую очередь, коррекцию уровня тревожности и стресса с целью более эффективной адаптации к вузу. Психологическая профилактика направлена на предотвращение возможных социальных и психологических проблем у студентов с ограниченными возможностями здоровья (ОВЗ) и инвалидностью. Модель психолого-педагогического сопровождения в вузе обучающихся с ограни­ченными возможностями здоровья и инвалидностью рекомендована Ресурсным учебно-методическим центром по обучению инвалидов и лиц с ограниченными возможностями здоровья для использования в системе инклюзивного высшего образования. The article treats methodological approaches to psychological and pedagogical support of university students with health impairments. The article presents a model of psychological and pedagogical support of students with health impairments which is used in Minin University (Nizhny Novgorod). It describes the aim and the objectives of the program, its content, conditions, forms of implementation and efficiency assessment criteria. The aim of psychological and pedagogical support is the organization of barrier-free environment which will guarantee accessible education, socialization and self-actualization opportunities to all categories of students. The major trends of psychological and pedagogical support of students with health impairments are diagnosis, consultation, prophylaxis, correction and improvement, research (methodological) activities realized through systemic work with students, parents, and educators. The diagnosis pertains to relevant trends of psychological and pedagogical support and is associated with developmental tasks. The procedure of psychological consultation, which can be performed by any participants of the educational process, focuses on issues related to the choice of a career path, successful adaptation to tertiary learning environment, successful communication with teachers and other students. Correction and improvement presupposes the reduction of anxiety levels and the improvement of stress resilience to ensure better adjustment to university environment. Psychological prophylaxis is aimed at preventing potential behaviour problems in students with health impairments. The model of psychological and pedagogical support of university students with health impairments is recommended by the Resource and Methodology Centre for Teaching Students with Health Impairments and can be used in inclusive learning environments in higher education institutions.