International Experience in a Non-Western Country, Teacher Habitus, and Level of Inclusion in the Classroom

Abstract

One of the challenges with increasing diverse student populations in today's classrooms is figuring out ways to address the needs of all students. This paper explores the role of the teacher and his/her dispositions in creating an inclusive learning environment. This paper, through Pierre Bourdieu's interconnected theoretical concepts of habitus, capital, and field explores how an international experience in a non-Western country can help foster greater inclusion in a classroom setting. Autobiographical experiences of Bourdieu's time in Algeria as well as the author's international experiences in Iran and Barbados are presented as case studies. Overall, this paper seeks to advance the discussion on student disengagement beyond discourses of blame and towards exploring new avenues with potential for blossoming and unveiling of new understandings.

Exploring Parental Involvement in Education in Selected Inclusive Secondary Schools in Maseru District, Lesotho

“…According to Msila (2012), students whose parents monitor and regulate their activities, provide emotional support, encourage independent decision-making and are generally more involved in their schooling -are less likely to drop out of school. Similar sentiments reflect in Eizadirad's (2016) narrative about his experiences while schooling in a foreign country. Eizadirad's makes it explicit that parental support is crucial for a child's success in learning: "[c]ultural differences and language barriers made school very difficult for me to the extent that I felt I did not belong" (Eizadirad, 2016:8).…”

Exploring School Principals’ Experiences During the First Four Months of the Pandemic as a Way to Reimagine Inclusive Education

“…Baked into the concept of critical incidents is the idea of emotion. Emotion is important because, as Damasio (2010) and Eizadirad (2016) have both noted, it is largely responsible for determining what experiences stand to actually transform individuals' behaviour. While there were multiple emotive phrases within the interviews themselves (e.g., "shocked" [Ellen]; "guilt" [Shae]), transcripts alone fail to capture some of the other evidence which might be used to reveal emotional resonance, such as the tone of the speaker's voice.…”

“…The ability of an experience to catalyze a paradigm shift (Kuhn, 1962) appears to be contingent upon many factors, including its potential to force one outside of typical frames of reference. For instance, using Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus as his guiding theoretical framework, Eizadirad (2016) explored the role of immersive travel experiences on culturally responsive teaching. Similar to Heine et al's (2006) notion of a meaning model, habitus encapsulates how an individual relates to their own emotions, thoughts, history, and experiences.…”