My doctoral students are often tired of hearing me say two things: 1) The more you read on your topic, the less you will seem to understand the issues, and 2) It takes a long time to finalise research questions. They will be pleased that I have been experiencing the same frustrations going through the same process, giving myself enough time to understand what the real and immediate issues are with RtE, and the programmes that impact long-term changes in teacher. So here is my research study in it latest avatar.
Research Questions
2. What knowledge base supports primary school teachers’ pedagogic decisions regarding inclusive education?
3. What pedagogic practices characterise primary school teachers’ design and implementation of inclusive education?
4. What connections do primary school teachers make between theory and practice of inclusion?
5. How do teacher educators define inclusive education?
6. What knowledge base supports teacher educators’ pedagogic decisions regarding inclusive education?
7. What pedagogic practices characterise teacher educators’ design and implementation of inclusive education?
§ The final marks of these graduates will be obtained from the B.El.Ed. programmes to identify the top 10% of each graduating class.
§ Teacher educators in each college who are knowledgeable about their graduates, and principals of schools in which the teachers work will rate the above sample on their perception of a) overall teacher performance, b) popularity of teacher among students, and c) teacher’s effectiveness in connecting with students.
§ Triangulating all data above, one teacher from each programme will be invited to participate in the study, for a total of eight, including both MCD/NDMC and private schools in Delhi.
§ Teacher educators: Interviews; Documents (e.g. course syllabi, assignment and task descriptions and instructions); Artifacts (e.g. student work samples, student test papers)
Pedagogy for Inclusion - Philosophies and Practices of Teachers and Teacher Educators
Success in education is defined as not only affordable access to opportunities but as the learning that happens in classrooms. This is dependent primarily on effective teachers who in turn are impacted by their experience in the teaching education programme. However, the connections between knowledge acquired in the teacher education programmes and teacher performance in the classroom have been largely unexplored. Though government policy in the last decade through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Right to Education Act (2010) has made inclusion an important part of its agenda, the focus has been on systems of education rather than the act of teaching and learning. Thus, the effort of creating a pedagogy of inclusion that is relevant to India is marked by a lack of literature on the topics essential for an understanding of the issues.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the knowledge base that supports teachers’ pedagogic decisions regarding inclusive education, describe how teachers practice the principles of inclusion, and detail ways in which their teacher education programme has prepared them to address issues of diversity. This study will also describe teacher educators’ perceptions and knowledge of, and pedagogic practices related to, inclusive education.Research Questions
2. What knowledge base supports primary school teachers’ pedagogic decisions regarding inclusive education?
3. What pedagogic practices characterise primary school teachers’ design and implementation of inclusive education?
4. What connections do primary school teachers make between theory and practice of inclusion?
5. How do teacher educators define inclusive education?
6. What knowledge base supports teacher educators’ pedagogic decisions regarding inclusive education?
7. What pedagogic practices characterise teacher educators’ design and implementation of inclusive education?
Sample
Teachers
§ The list of graduates of B.El.Ed. programme who are presently teaching Grades 1-3 in MCD/NDMC and private schools in Delhi will be formulated.§ The final marks of these graduates will be obtained from the B.El.Ed. programmes to identify the top 10% of each graduating class.
§ Teacher educators in each college who are knowledgeable about their graduates, and principals of schools in which the teachers work will rate the above sample on their perception of a) overall teacher performance, b) popularity of teacher among students, and c) teacher’s effectiveness in connecting with students.
§ Triangulating all data above, one teacher from each programme will be invited to participate in the study, for a total of eight, including both MCD/NDMC and private schools in Delhi.
Teacher educators
§ Each of the 8 teachers will identify a teacher educator who was most influential, for a total of eight.Data Collection
§ Teachers: Observation (3-5 days each); Interviews (pre-observation and post-observation)§ Teacher educators: Interviews; Documents (e.g. course syllabi, assignment and task descriptions and instructions); Artifacts (e.g. student work samples, student test papers)
