Abstract
In the constant attempt to improve schooling for all children the ETAI project -Enhancing Teachers' Ability in Inclusion - was initiated by a team of academics and practitioners from Austria, Iceland, Portugal and Spain. The project covers three years and is funded by the Leonardo da Vinci Fund.
The aim of the project is to write material for staff of schools to support them in developing their practices. In order to make a sound basis for the material, knowledge has been gained from classroom practices which have been considered successful or even outstanding by local or international agents. Four case studies have been made in equal number of countries, using the same methods of enquiry. The findings have been a guiding principle for the support material. These findings will be introduced as well as the main structure of the support material for inclusion.
ETAI stands for Enhancing teachers' ability in inclusion. The aim of the project is to learn from school practices considered to be successful if not outstanding with the hope it might ease the way for other schools heading in the direction of inclusion.
The project is a collaborative work of people from four nations. In each country a co-ordinator is in charge of promoting the project locally. These are: Professor Marianne Wilhelm at the Pädagogishe Akademie in Vienna Austria, Professor Carles Sigales at the Universitat Opberta de Catalunia Barcelona Spain, José Pacheco a head teacher at the Ponte school in Vila das Aves Portugal and Rósa Eggertsdóttir, a consultant at the University of Akureyri Research Unit, Iceland.
The ETAI project is mainly supported by the Leonardo da Vinci fund. Various local agents such as universities, schools, ministries, authorities, associations, etc have also contributed generously.
This paper will give brief account of the study and how the findings are being transferred to staff development material. The present situation is such that the research has already been done and conclusions have been drawn. Until November following activities are being addressed:
The Context
Case studies were made in primary schools with children mainly from 6 to 11 years old. In Catalonia, classes from three schools were involved. The schools there had all been participating in the UNESCO project: "Effective schools for all" conducted by Mel Ainscow. In Vila das Aves, Escola No1 da Ponte, was under study. The Ministry of Education had regarded it as unique with relation to the conditions of schooling. One class in the other two countries was under study. The Lundarskóli's class in Iceland was awarded the HELIOS II gold award for excellent practice in inclusion and the Austrian class was a four years project shared by the Pädagogishe Academie in Vienna, the Übungschule and Bundesinstitute für Gehörlosenbilding. In all the classes pupils had various needs. In these classes one could find pupils who were not being able to move or speak, hearing-impaired children, some with Down syndrome and others having special needs with regards to social interaction.
Findings and conclusions
From this brief introduction I would like to turn to the major findings of the study and at the end I hope to have few minutes to represent the ideas for the handbook. Because of the nature of the study the focus was on practices, which seemed to enhance inclusions, although at times, less successful ways were accounted for.
The study brought forward the fact that each of the schools had found their own ways of dealing with the inclusive approach. However, to great extent similarities were recognised as well as unique approaches. The following nine themes emerged from the data:
As it will not be possible to go into each theme here, some main conclusions will be introduced in the hope that they will give you some indications of the nature of the study and the value of it.
The positive attitude of staff as well as parents was found to be fundamental with relation to inclusion. Following view from an Austrian teacher casts a light on this when he said that from day one it was decided that the hearing impaired pupils should not be treated differently within the school. The teachers felt that every single member of the class should be supported individually as everyone had special needs of some sort. The policy of the Catalonian schools was such that it was preferred to look after all the needs of the pupils within the ordinary classroom
The data referred to the variety of pupils' needs not as problems but as tasks and challenges. It was recognised that in order to meet the pupils' needs the staff would need to view the challenge as curriculum matters and find solutions there. Curriculum planning seemed to be viewed at three levels, directed at the whole school, the classrooms and individual pupils. The whole school policy involved general policy and attitude, provisions such as various supports etc. It differed how the class curriculum was addressed. In some cases there were more or less the same curriculum for everyone but ways of adaptations were applied with relation to study goals, ways of learning and testing. In other cases, especially in the Ponte school, the curriculum solutions were of different sort. There was a strong development of transferring curricular aspects, which would be necessary for some, into a whole class way of working. Much of the pupils' work was turned into tasks of inquiry; groupings into classes were discharged and pupils of various age groups worked together. Special individual plans were discarded, as they did not show high expectations or address simultaneously the emotional, social and cognitive domain. To solve this at a curriculum level the school changed the policy in order for every pupil to get their own individual plan. In the Austrian class, a teaching approach, the Jenaplan, was initiated from the beginning as it was felt to involve elements, which supported the inclusive approach. The Jenaplan emphasised among other things pupils' autonomy and active learning. The third level related to curriculum plans taken into account personal needs of individual pupils. Awareness was expressed that individual plans could either lead to segregation or enhance inclusion, depending on the approach and ways of planning and handling the implementation.
It was evident that social development was a well-recognised factor within the inclusive practice and regarded as fundamental. Without one, it was hard to see how inclusive work was going to be promoted. All the schools were aware of this and sought after to integrate social values within the learning context as well as during informal settings. Planned interaction in the classroom was a part of a holistic structure. An example would be the weekly assemblies in the Ponte school. There, the pupils held meetings mainly to discuss social matters within their school. Those matters could relate to behaviour of specific pupils, how individuals could be supported or they would address other matters, which needed solving. On these occasions the pupils as a community made various agreements about behaviour and relationships and studied them later in relation to the UN Charter of Children's Rights.
In all the schools collaboration was a strong instrument. Once again it was recognised at various levels. It was felt important that pupils worked collaboratively. Collaboration of staff was not only encouraged but considered essential. In all the seven classes under study team teaching was to be found, where teachers shared equally preparations, the teaching, responsibilities and got to know all the pupils. Larger groups of staff worked together as well. The third level of collaboration was between the staff of schools with external agents such as parents and various experts.
The collaboration began prior to schooling. In two cases out of four the preparation began a whole year before the children started school. It was apparent that the greater the needs were, the more time was needed prior to school start. This time was used to hire staff, get to know the children and their needs, provide staff with necessary education, get equipment, alter buildings etc. Where teachers' teams were newly formed, the teachers used the time to get acquainted and form their policy for the class and their own collaboration.
Collaboration between school and parents differed much. In two of the countries it was substantial. In Lundarskóli the teachers and the parents exchanged book daily for messages. Weekly, the mother met with the teachers and monthly she met with the class teachers, the head teacher, the co-ordinator of the special education and sometimes the psychologist for evaluation, problem solving and further planning. Finally, three times a year big meeting were scheduled with the above mentioned staff as well as various external specialists, such as speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and a co-ordinator from the educational authorities. These meetings were used for evaluation, problem solving, long time planning and to ensure co-ordination for the next term.
The data emphasised the importance of able and well-educated staff. In one case, a specialist in teaching hearing impaired children was hired as a class teacher. In other cases class teachers with various educational backgrounds took on the teaching. Findings indicate that the great emphasis on education and staff development is and needs to be context driven. The staff development was directed at the school as a whole, towards classroom methods and the needs of individual pupils.
Various ways were found to enhance teachers' skills and knowledge, some by bringing external knowledge into the schools but the main emphasis was on different ways of collaborative self-study of the staff. Through self-training the teachers shared purposefully their special knowledge and skills with their colleagues. It was characterised by every day experience, reflection, sharing and problem solving. The teachers also formed study groups in order to deepen their knowledge in certain aspects. The various forms of self-training seemed to maintain responsibility for the process and further improvement. The data gave strong evidence that the teachers did not find themselves "alone" but as members of a school society where the staff shared the same goals supported by collaboration of colleagues.
The access to external input was considered essential and shaped by the needs of contextual situation. On occasions teachers attended one-shot courses outside the schools i.e. in the Bliss language. However, experts were usually brought into the school. The distinction between support and staff development was often hard to recognise as it overlapped more often than not. The role of external specialists had to a great extent the characteristics of whole school approach instead of a clinical approach as they did earlier. Rather than centring their expertise on individual pupils, they mainly worked with the staff in order to seek holistic solutions through joint problem solving. This approach was meant to empower teachers and seemed, indeed, to encourage synergy, emphasising that together the team accomplished more than the individuals would do separately. The specialists accepted the need to bring together their expertise, the school context and the needs of pupils and teachers. Consequently, they started to work, almost as they were a part of the school. This approach was well developed in the Catalonian schools.
Staff development material
Time will not allow for much more but in the end I would like to describe briefly the staff development material. It will be in three parts. The two first will be written and the third a videotape. Hopefully, the English version will be available early next year but translations will be the concern of each native co-ordinator and his or her team. The first part of the material will introduce the ETAI project, goals, participants, methods etc. The issue of inclusion in general terms and with relation to the study will be addressed followed by main conclusions under nine headings previously introduced in this paper. The second part will be a handbook, consisting of nine chapters identical to the headings of the conclusions. The aim is to transfer the findings to the handbook in such a way that it will help staff to get started. The text will address the main characteristics of the findings, hopefully not prescriptive but rather to help the reader to find his or her own solutions. Each chapter will involve a number of activities encouraging staff to reflect, enquire, make policy, evaluate, collaborate, etc. Readers will not be expected to read the material all the way through at one time. Instead, members of staff could choose relevant chapters at a time. For example, when a head teacher is informed of new pupils he or she could pick out the chapters of preparation for schooling, staff development and collaboration and co-ordination, read the conclusions and then skim the handbook in order to help him or her to decide on the first steps. The head teachers might then, decide that either the staff as a whole or some teachers would need to work with the handbook before and after they receive the pupils.
The ETAI work has been aimed at inclusive classrooms, focusing on solutions for children with so called special needs. In this field we have been struggling with concepts and vocabulary. Inclusion and special needs in the ETAI project refer to as much participation and involvement in the school society as possible. What has been coming more and more evident as the work has been progressing is that this research is about good schooling per se. Although it was not initially intended, it is obvious that the conclusions and therefore the content of the handbook could help to identify needs of pupils in general and point out some guidelines for staff which they might find helpful while establishing their own way of working.
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