Inclusion – the heart of the matter: trainee teachers' perceptions of a parent's journey

Abstract

The importance of parental choice, and parents' participation in educational processes, continue to be highlighted in strategies, acts and policies around the world. Partnership with parents is given an even higher profile in relation to educational opportunities for children with special needs. Yet many trainee teachers have only limited understandings of the impact on family life of a child with special needs; are uncertain how best to work with parents; and are not confident about the choices that parents may wish to make for their children. In this article, Chris Forlin, Visiting Professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and Treena Hopewell, MEd student at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, report the responses of a group of fourth year trainee teachers after listening to the story of a mother of a child with high support needs. Their discussion focuses on three themes emerging from the reflective comments written by the trainee teachers after the session: empathy, understanding and personal growth. Chris Forlin and Treena Hopewell review the value of this approach as a means of establishing in trainee teachers a greater desire to work more collaboratively with parents and family members. They also provide excerpts from the mother's story to enable readers to experience the passionate spirit of the storyteller; to further appreciate the needs of parents; and to understand their desire for greater participation in decisions regarding their children.

Building Parent/Professional Partnerships: An Innovative Approach for Teacher Education

“…Murray et al The value of parent/professional partnerships in education is well-established and is reflected in the laws, policies, and professional guidelines for educators. The components of familycentered practices are embedded in The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as well as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and various other government policies in the United States and around the world (Chavkin, 2005;Epstein & Sanders, 2006;Forlin & Hopewell, 2006;Pinkus, 2005). Familycentered practices are also included in recommended practices of the Council of Exceptional Children, the Division of Early Childhood, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (Hyson, 2003).…”

Building Bridges in Teacher Education: Creating Partnerships With Parents

“…Therefore, teacher education programs should ensure that candidates have access to these opportunities that allow them to build on the confidence in this new knowledge and ultimately enhance the parent-professional partnership (Murray & Mandell, 2006). Previous research (Epstein, 2005;Forlin & Hopewell, 2006;Hoover-Dempsey et al, 2002;Pinkus, 2005) indicates that establishing relationships with families can be difficult for teachers. Moreover, the same literature suggests that shifting those perceptions toward constructive views on collaboration with families can be challenging.…”

What Are Schools Looking for in New, Inclusive Teachers?

“…Moreover, teachers who complete their teacher education programs feeling ill-equipped to teach children with special learning needs may demonstrate a reluctance to teach in inclusive settings (Jordan, Schwartz, & McGhie-Richmond, 2009) and may hamper progress in schools as it relates to inclusive education (Atkinson, 2004;Forlin, Loreman, Sharma & Earle, 2009). Given that the attitudes of in-service teachers are dependent on local culture and considering that changing the attitudes of these teachers is a complex political endeavor (Symeonidou & Phtiaka, 2009), Forlin and Hopewell (2006) and Andrews (2002) suggested that teacher preparation programs have a role to play in fostering attitudes that support inclusion. Furthermore, White (2007) showed that very little change in teacher attitudes toward inclusion occurs within their first five years of teaching, suggesting teacher education programs might be best places to develop these desired attitudes.…”