Title:

 

How can we support educators to develop skills and understandings inclusionally?

Authors & affiliations:

Chris Jones and Marie Huxtable

Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority

Abstract:
(Your abstract must use Normal style and must fit in this space)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relevance of study or enquiry (to BERA members)

The need to develop processes and procedures that enable us to move between research, practice and policy in a meaningful way has been clearly identified by Furlong and Oancea.  (2005). Practitioner based research, inclusion and emotional literacy are key concerns for educators in schools and local authorities as can be seen from the recent strategies and directives emanating from the DFES. Through our work to develop and implement the Local Authority's EDP (Education Development Plan) strand on Action Research Project – learners and learning, we have moved from understanding these as discrete activities with points of connection to distinct facets of developing an inclusional, educational culture.

 

Focus of enquiry;

In leading on the EDP Action Research strand we have been working 'to build the capacity of schools regarding inclusive practice through Action Research'. We have sought to do this by working within our sphere of influence with our colleagues in the education authority and educators in schools and in collaboration with Jack Whitehead at the University of Bath.

 

 

Appropriateness of methods;

Because we are engaged in a self-study of knowledge-creation in the process of researching my~our educational influences in my~our professional practice, a living theory approach to action research appears appropriate as the form of research in which the individual practitioner generates explanations for their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social formations (Whitehead, 2005). The action research approach used in the enquiry will follow the model of Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC), developed by Wallace (Chandler & Wallace, 2004)

 

 

Robustness of analytical or theoretical framework;

The robustness of the theoretical frameworks of living educational theories can be judged from their genesis (Whitehead, 1989) to their global spread (Whitehead, 2006) in processes of enquiry that are withstanding evaluations of validity and legitimacy in a range of communities of educational researchers in Britain, China, Japan, Canada, South Africa, the USA, Australia and Singapore. 

 

 

Significance for educational policy and/or practice.

 

The significance is focused on our developing understanding of inclusionality (Rayner) in transformatory education, the nature of the standards of judgement for practice-based educational research (Furlong and Oancea, 2005) and the academic legitimacy of individual's creating their living educational theories from collaborative enquiries of the kind, 'How do I improve what I am doing?' (Whitehead, 1989).