What is Inclusive Didactics? Teachers’ Understanding of Inclusive Didactics for Students with EBD in Swedish Mainstream Schools

Abstract

Including students with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) in general education is one of teachers' greatest challenges and make the dilemma of inclusion displays its most difficult side. This article contributes to the understanding of how teachers in Swedish mainstream schools understand the concept of inclusive didactics for students with EBD. This article employs a directed qualitative content analysis supplemented with descriptive statistics related to the categories of inclusive didactics. Didactic theory was the basis of the predefined categories by which the analysis was completed. Empirical data were collected through 6 focus-group interviews and 37 individual follow-up interviews. The findings indicate that three didactic aspects were dominant in teachers' understanding of inclusive didactics: Student(s), Methods, and Teacher. Less accentuated were Subject, Rhetoric and Interaction. Thus these teachers' understanding and previous research is not consistent. The overall conclusion is that the concept of inclusive didactics is complex, complicated, and difficult for teachers to relate to. The descriptions are both vague and simplistic and therefore difficult for teachers to implement. This article clearly highlights that teachers often feel frustrated and inadequate, and blame themselves for the students' deficiency and failure, thus concluding that strategies for distinct descriptions and teacher practices are needed.

A didactic perspective on negotiations and collaborations between different actors within the Swedish support system: children with autism spectrum disorders included in community-based preschool settings

“…In this case-study, we examined negotiations and collaborations between organizations in relation to learning when children with ASD receive IBI in mainstream Swedish preschools. By using the didactic triangle (Gidlund & Boström, 2017), we detected several not previously described aspects concerning the implementation of IBI in preschools. When focusing on the child, these aspects were mainly about learning in relation to specific challenges and in the contextual learning environment.…”

“…The core of didactic theory builds on three cornerstones: student, teacher, and subject. They have been depicted as interacting to build the didactic triangle, which can be used as a conceptual model for planning and reflecting on teaching (Gidlund & Boström, 2017;Zierer, 2015). The student cornerstone includes the child's learning, the teacher cornerstone includes the teacher's qualities, and the subject cornerstone includes the knowledge content (Gidlund & Boström, 2017).…”

“…They have been depicted as interacting to build the didactic triangle, which can be used as a conceptual model for planning and reflecting on teaching (Gidlund & Boström, 2017;Zierer, 2015). The student cornerstone includes the child's learning, the teacher cornerstone includes the teacher's qualities, and the subject cornerstone includes the knowledge content (Gidlund & Boström, 2017). Interactions among the cornerstones are perceived as ongoing over time, however, the focus in research has shifted between the cornerstones (Klette, 2007;Zierer, 2015).…”

“…The purpose of this study is to use the three cornerstones of the didactic triangle (Gidlund & Boström, 2017) to examine negotiations and collaborations between organizations in relation to learning when children with ASD receive IBI in mainstream Swedish preschools. We want to contribute to a deeper understanding of the implementation of IBI.…”

Pros and Cons: Handwriting Versus Digital Writing

“…Middle school classes seem to be the forgotten grades for research in this field. This target group is particularly interesting because the learning outcomes of the curriculum are higher and more precise compared with the earlier grades, and the students are no longer young children but, rather, have developed in many ways over the years socially, biologically, and mentally (Gidlund & Boström, 2017).…”