Inclusive Education- Hope, Dignity, and Purpose in Learning

As an educator, I believe all students should be given the chance to have a sense of belonging and be respected and valued for who they are through opportunities to learn within a supportive community. Recently , I had the opportunity to see Julie Causton-Theoharis at a session, speaking about inclusive schools and classrooms.  She was incredibly eloquent and powerful in her message on inclusion.  She spoke about inclusion being all about creativity.  I reflected on this as well as her comment on the  number of minutes students are in the classroom directly affecting how well students do in general education.  When she was talking, I was thinking of students who find things in the classroom challenging - some with autism, some with severe physical needs, and some with behavioural difficulties.  I thought about the comments I have heard around students "just being disrespectful" and how perhaps with some creativity we could change the path for their education and instill purpose, dignity, and hope in learning with these students as we work towards this vision in our division.  Are they engaged?  What would hook these students and be purposeful learning for them?  What adaptations do they need in the classroom to help them succeed?  What is the trigger for the behaviour? She spoke of fair being everyone getting what they need.  Is there a difference between a student having glasses to read or a student needing a fidget to help focus attention on their learning?
Can we re-frame our way of thinking to look at student differences as attributes?

Below is a video trailer for Autism is a World.  It is a wonderful movie about a women with autism who did not speak until she was 13.  A truly amazing individual.

Apples and Oranges

I always wondered about the saying "apples and oranges" and wondered where it came from and why someone would use it. The urban dictionary terms it as "Something which is both the same and different simultaneously depending on your point of view." (Urban Dictionary,2012) I found this very interesting and thought about it from many points of view.
We often hear the phrase, "putting a square peg into a round hole", something I have recently heard at our divisional Educational Symposium in a comparison of the traditional education system and our students of today. When I think about the students in my class, I think about the ways they have made me grow as an educator. I have always viewed each student as having their own strengths and uniqueness that makes them who they are. This year we have been focusing on some project based learning tasks which have allowed students to explore and represent their learning in ways that allow them to shine. Whether it is a song, poster, interview, sculpture, role play or a hands on creation, students focus on the big ideas in their own ways and the learning has been incredible.
When I think of my own teaching and my colleagues, the following quote really fits when thinking of apples and oranges, "The richness of leadership is found in community, not isolation. Cultivate a team that shares your values but looks at things different from you." (Leadership Freak, 2012) We do not all think or teach the same but have a common goal - "What is best for the students that we teach?" The world would be a very boring place if we were all alike but there are teaching practices that join us all together to be the best we can be.

Are we creating sausages in the same way?

I was fortunate to see Dr. Yong Zhao speak in the last couple of weeks. His current research focuses on designing 21st century schools in the context of globalization and the digital revolution. During his talks, he used a very poignant analogy about creating sausages the same or creating different sausages. Sounds strange but I think he made a very valid point. Do we want all students to look, sound, and learn the same to create a culture of students that have exactly the same skills and can solve problems in the same ways or would we like our students to be critical and creative thinkers, innovators to be able use their strengths and become entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs?
Now you might ask what this has to do with sausages? Dr. Zhao uses the analogy to describe the turn out of students- are students put into your machine and are they turned out with the same skills (traditional schools - left brain thinking schools)? They would be given routine and procedural jobs. Dr. Zhao argues that these jobs can be outsourced.
I like to think the students in our school are given the opportunity to be "different sausages". As teachers we support students to develop the skills they will need for their future through emotional development, critical and creative thinking, innovative, and able to synthesize information. We are not trying to create students that all come out the same, yet develop well rounded students who are right and left brained thinkers, developing the creative skills they already have, hence the different sausages. As we work hard to support students individual for their needs we create classrooms for all and a possibility for the next Lady GaGa or Steve Jobs.

A 21st Century Promise

Bernie Trilling - 21st Century Skills (Leading and Learning 2011)

As we embark on a new year, people are setting goals, renewing spirits, and reconnecting with who they are. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting and learning about what I can do to provide better service for the students in my class and in the school where I work. As an instructional coach, I feel the same way about the staff I work with in their classrooms. This 21st century promise really summed up what I was reflecting on and how I feel about each day when I enter the building. I am passionate and personally connected to all facets of my job and want the best for each person I connect with every day including students, parents, colleagues, and community members. When people feel that you truly care and value them for who they are we get the best result of learning and create the best learning environment possible for students to flourish. This my promise, what is yours?