Setting the scene

University College Syddanmark, fredag 29. april 2016
RETAIN PERSPECTIVES FROM BRUSSELS
Setting the European Scene
Inclusion on the European agenda – how to
deal with it as school managers and teachers?
European Educational Research Association,
EERA & UC South Denmark
Christian Quvang
NATIONALT VIDENCENTER FOR INKLUSION OG EKSKLUSION / www.nvie.dk / NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Points
Point # 1
Inclusion as compulsory according to conventions, laws etc.
Point # 2
Inclusion as an objective for all in the welfare professions
Point # 3
Inclusion as local and situated concerning specific people at a specific place
at a specific time
Point # 4
Inclusion as role modelling for teachers and other employees in school
Point # 5
Inclusion as a tool for school management
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

European challenges related to inclusion
- The meta perspective
Everybody knows I assume - but to summarize – inclusion is about:
•Learning; Skilled Children, SEN etc.
•Education; Socio cultural issues and equity
•Ghettofication; Concentration and isolation with others like ourselves
•Refugees; Before and after Syria etc.
•Economics; The A and B society
•ETC.
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

So, for a start; what IS inclusion?
Definitions and understandings is needed:
•Globally
•Nationally
•Locally
A possible definition*:
“Inclusion is when a person or a group actively participates on an equal
basis in mutually evolving communities despite differences in prerequisites
and level of functioning, including contextual factors. Comment: The word
equal means the mutual acceptance of diversity. The word communities
means the general societal institutions where people interact and influence
each other; at work, in education, in associations and in local community
life”.
* A definition from the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs 1013.
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

European challenges related to inclusion
- The ‘school matters’ perspective
Common meeting place for most children; School
Hence the importance of school management to take lead on this issue!
… And of teachers and others in school to be role models!
… and last but not least “Inclusion is not a method, it is a way of thinking”
So, three things are badly needed:
- Research
- Structured reflections and related actions
- Flexible tools
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Support for inclusion acts – part one; Research in an
European perspective
Further research and knowledge is needed:
In a research perspective EERA is one of several places setting the agenda
Networks working with inclusion from various perspectives:
NW 4, Inclusive Education
NW Teacher Education Research
NW 20 Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
NW 26 Educational Leadership
Many examples of research projects! http://www.eera-ecer.de/networks/
But here and now, are there any examples of “How to deal with Inclusion
as school managers and teachers?”
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Example; Research in Denmark*
A research project in Denmark shows how leaders with the use of action
learning theory are able to further development of inclusive practices. At
the same time this research project shows that the many agents
participating in the project on some level need to establish a collaborative
outset of agreed values and that the most important resource working with
inclusion is knowledge.
*”Great leadership paves the way for inclusion” - a research project for the Danish Ministry of
Education
http://
www.uc-dk.dk/da/presse-og-debat/nyheder-fou/88-nye-ukategoriseret/606-god-ledelse-baner-vej-for-ink
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

The special feature of management of inclusion
Managers action learning process points to four important insights:
•That inclusive processes are managed through a certain way og organizing which
invites to the participation of many different actors whose contributions to the
process must be coordinated.
•That management of inclusion also is management of diversity, which provide the
actors the opportunity to participate albeit their different resources, skills and
knowledge, which applies to all actors in inclusive processes.
•That dynamic leadership means exercising leadership in the right place at the right
time and in the right way. When management is close to employees' practice,
management achieves greater and greater insight into the inclusion practices to be
managed, such as the professional and ethical dilemmas employees needs support to
handle
•The leadership of inclusion is a game changer in line with other types of processes of
change in an organization. It is a dynamic process with no end goal, where it's
management's job to set up the framework, give direction and develop criteria for
evaluation of the process and its outcomes.
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Obstacles and challenges
•A focus is that school managers do not demand better opportunities for professional
and collegial sparring, but rather an expanded space for management as a mean to
define priorities that meet local and specific needs for practice development.
•Focus on current projects and ensuring that new projects will not derail the inclusion
project. This is speaking of 'a municipal project throng' where projects may contradict
each other.
A barrier is a lacking common understanding of inclusion, and regarding this perhaps
a special mind-set needs to be developed, lack of expertise in the general
pedagogical didactical area, an individual-oriented understanding of children's
difficulties as well as well as a differentiated understanding of different conditions for
competence in day care and school
•Obstacles are typically described as a series of organizational barriers that are
embedded in institutions' cultures and routines, such as individualized understandings
of cooperation where inclusion offers a new meaning and enhances the importance of
core management functions
•Forms of resistance among parents and employees are important information for
school management
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Support for inclusion acts – part two;
- Structured reflections
- Flexible tools
Possibilities for support solving this important task:
•The Inclusion Compass
•The RETAIN toolbox
•The Index for Inclusion
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

The Inclusion Compass
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

The RETAIN toolbox
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Tools related to practice; The Index for Inclusion
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE
ProducinginclusivePOLICIES
EvolvinginclusivePRACTICES

Creating inclusive CULTURES


European perspective a; Education
With these outcomes it becomes clear that possible pathways to
retainment, which has to be tested, includes the implementation of
inclusive core values and perspectives in school routines such as the
following two issues (quotes from ‘European Agency for Special Needs and
Inclusive Education’ … Profile of Inclusive teachers:2012:10):
•“Working with others - collaboration and teamwork are essential
approaches for all teachers”
•“Continuing personal professional development - teaching is a learning
activity and teachers take responsibility for their own lifelong learning”
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

European perspective b; School
This perspective is supported by the experiences from working with “Index
for Inclusion” (quote from “Index for Inclusion – developing learning and
participation in schools ; Booth & Ainscow:2011:13):
•“Inclusive development happens when adults and children connect their
action to inclusive values and draw compatible initiatives together. They
can do this informally but their actions may be undermined unless there is
also a commitment to making a more formal school development to making
a more formal school development plan reflect inclusive values”.
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

European perspective c; Transformation/transition
Reflections and questions related to themes for RETAIN land last year
ECER/EERA conference “Transformation and embedment of environ-
ments in an inclusive transitional perspective” include issues as like:
•Why …. Isn’t transition from study to work supported more systematically
and allocated with a wider variety of resources?
•What …. Couldn’t it be productive with further analysis's of how structural and
psychological issues in transformative processes for newly educated
professionals work?
•When … Shouldn’t there be some kind of tool that reveal when retainment is
at danger?
•How …. Would it not be obvious to start and support local inclusive initiatives?
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Points, a brief return
Point # 1
Inclusion as compulsory according to conventions, laws etc.
Point # 2
Inclusion as an objective for all in the welfare professions
Point # 3
Inclusion as local and situated concerning specific people at a specific place
at a specific time
Point # 4
Inclusion as role modelling for teachers and other employees in school
Point # 5
Inclusion as a tool for school management
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Thank You for listening
INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Setting the scene

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