To choose not to be included: Critical perspectives on practices of inclusion with adult immigrant students

Abstract

Liberal education in the United States begins with the premise of inclusion, a response to histories of exclusion of members of marginalised communities. Inclusive practice is developed to validate diverse students by acknowledging and incorporating these students' cultures, languages and histories into regular classroom practice. However, in spite of the best intentions of educators who espouse inclusion as an unequivocal "best practice", inclusive practices in education may inadvertently cause offence and even harm to adult immigrant students. A multi-phase study conducted in New York City with adult immigrant student participants in July 2018 revealed insights and possibilities for alternative thinking in adult education and lifelong learning more broadly. Several findings emerged from the study: (1) participants argued that adult immigrant learners' decisions about how to participate in inclusive activities should be respected; (2) participants experienced offence at being stereotyped in "inclusive" class discussions; and (3) participants found requests to represent their home countries in class invasive or even (re)traumatising. This article explores these findings in depth and generates a new framework for thinking about inclusion in adult education by employing politically engaged concepts of unknowing, politicised trust and collective determination. It explores how education with adult immigrants may take place, in order that these individuals themselves might collaborate in defining how they are included and belong in fulfilment of the highest potential of lifelong learning, not as passive, essentialised "diverse" people, but as agentive contributors in a democratic, liberatory education for all. Keywords Inclusion • Adult education • Immigrants • Pedagogy • Trauma RésuméChoisir de ne pas être inclus: perspectives critiques sur les pratiques d'inclusion sur les étudiants immigrés adultes -Aux États-Unis, l'éducation libérale s'appuie sur le principe de l'inclusion, une réponse aux récits d'exclusion des membres de commu-* Katherine E. Entigar

Critical social theory, inclusion, and a pedagogy of hope

“…As the areas for research around inclusion in adult education continue to expand, tensions arise as the complexity of these issues becomes more evident. Entigar (2021) states that 'the term 'inclusion' has become something of an aggregate concept, which likely accounts for how it is expressed as a universal good in education ' (p. 836). Most educators aspire to be inclusive in their teaching practices, but debates arise about what this entails when selecting pedagogical approaches, generating policies, or integrating various kinds of curricular strategies, assessment processes, and program designs.…”