This article summarises three case studies examining the implementation of inclusive practices, which evidence the exclusionary pressures acting in school settings that put the needs, rights and entitlements of vulnerable children and young people at risk. It examines how three very culturally different secondary schools in England interpreted inclusive policies and illuminates the various constraints to the implementation of inclusive practices as experienced by senior leaders, teachers, parents and pupils in these schools. Conceptual unpreparedness towards inclusion versus integration, knowledge and false conceptualisations of special educational needs and difficulties associated with differentiation and time limitations were the main barriers presented. The implications for initial and professional teacher education are posited; it is suggested that inclusion can work by removing the diagnostic paradigm associated with special educational needs and by creating a framework for teachers' lifelong learning focusing on a social justice oriented pedagogy that will empower teachers conceptually and practically.
Although they have the potential to excel, twice-exceptional (2e) students of mathematics do not usually have this opportunity as their special educational abilities, and special needs are often 'misdiagnosed' or 'missed' diagnosed in schools due to the teachers' lack of knowledge. The study explored this issue using an electronic survey for primary school teachers in four local authorities in England. It was planned as a pilot study to gather insights from a small number of schools aiming to identify areas for further study and larger-scale research. When comparing responses from teachers with gifted-related training and those who had not, the study found some knowledge of specific types of 2e students among both groups of teachers, but no significant difference between them. This raised concerns about the effectiveness of the training, as well as identifying areas that need further and more systematic research.
Background:
Nursing students express fears and anxieties about caring for people with intellectual learning disabilities (ILDs). Educational storytelling interventions may help overcome these concerns and improve nursing care.
Method:
StoryAid was used and developed in the Heritage-2Health (H2H) Virtual Art and Drama Project. Eight online sessions followed a story about differences and connections. Two trained facilitators and three academic educators supported nursing students (
n
= 15), adolescents with ILDs (
n
= 7), their parents (
n
= 7), and a specialist teacher to deconstruct, reconnect, and rediscover understandings using rights-based ethnographic evaluation and thematic analysis.
Results:
Themes included relating to the story and characters, participating in the storytelling process, relating to other participants in the storytelling, and relating learning to clinical contexts and professionalism.
Conclusion:
The partnership of StoryAid and H2H created safe spaces for nursing students to engage, challenge assumptions, and develop relational skills.
[
J Nurs Educ
. 2023;62(1):51–57.]
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