Inclusion and the Big Ship
Type the word ‘inclusion’ into google scholar and you’ll get a bazillion hits...it has been a buzz word for more than two decades in some parts of the world and is creeping into international education, regardless of support or criticism. I recently completed an MEd in Inclusion and Special Educational Needs with the University of Birmingham (I don’t know if you heard….;) ) and can honestly say this was the hardest, most challenging thing I have ever done. Uplevelling my critical thinking and writing skills was no easy task. Juggling studying with a full-time job and trying to fit that into the life to which I have become accustomed...well…To those of you who are studying and working AND have a family - you are Superheroes. I digress.
Challenging as this was, these aspects were not the most challenging part of the course. What I found most difficult was learning about the revised Code of Practice (DfE, 2014), its trials and tribulations regarding how students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities were being supported in the UK, and working abroad in an environment where, largely, such needs are apparently non-existent. Or are they? I chose to study Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties for year 1 and 2 of my course - largely because of my personal interest in Attachment Theory. Having access to online communication with students on my course who were working in this area provided the opportunity to learn about different case studies, interventions, strategies and approaches to supporting these learners. The requirement to constantly reflect on my own experience and practice highlighted the differences in our professional experiences, whilst raising many questions.
SEBD, now termed SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) defies traditional boundaries in many ways. Sure, there is endless research to link SEMH to low socio-economic backgrounds, however, there is a wider issue. I’ve had personal experience in our school teaching students with SEMH and have had to work hard to find strategies and interventions to support the children in my class. Their success is every bit as important as those students without such difficulties. I’m lucky because there is a team to support children with SEN in EY; however, it is becoming increasingly obvious that we, as class teachers, need to upskill.
You may recall me bugging you to fill out an online questionnaire about teacher attitudes towards inclusion (THANK YOU!). This was sent to all staff at Markham and another school in Venezuela. Through the research, it became evident that we, as mainstream class teachers, do not feel skilled enough in our ability to support children with SEMH, or indeed any kind of SEND. Training was the biggest factor affecting our attitude towards teaching these students. Most of the teachers I surveyed felt that they hadn’t had sufficient training in SEND but were very open to the idea and wanted to learn more. There were various other factors that affected teacher attitudes but I fear this post is long enough… Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the results of the research, or fancy a natter about inclusion!
In my opinion, it seems that we need to start being prepared for the children who are in front of us and not the ones we used to teach. This article is particularly poignant:
Teachers are no longer ‘chalk and talk’; we are not the 1900s Charter meme that flies around social media so freely. We are educators responsible for nurturing, caring, developing, supporting and shaping these little humans. That job now involves dealing with the stresses and strains modern family life, modern technology, modern culture, modern economy, modern everything that’s thrown at our young people. That job includes protecting our students’ mental health, recognising when there are issues and finding them the right help at the earliest time possible. Our job has changed; our kids have changed; we need to be willing to change with them.