Understanding Children's Experiences of Belonging and Diversity: An Essential Contribution to the Development of Teachers' Inclusive Pedagogy

• In Event: International Perspectives on Belonging in Schools

Abstract

The study reported in this paper addressed the following research questions:
1. What matters to children in their experiences of inclusive classroom learning?
2. How can an understanding of children’s perspectives contribute to teachers’ inclusive pedagogical thinking?
It did so by exploring children’s educational experiences of belonging and diversity. Inclusive pedagogy is defined as an approach to teaching and learning which aims to extend what is generally available to everybody in the community of the classroom, as opposed to providing for all by differentiating for some. It therefore sets out to avoid the problems and stigma associated with more traditional approaches to inclusion which mark some learners as different (Florian & Black-Hawkins 2011). It is underpinned by a theoretical understanding of the social foundations of classroom learning, the importance of classroom relationships and associated values of equity and respect for others (Black-Hawkins 2014; Kershner 2009). As such it recognises that educational inclusion concerns all children, and not only those identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (Allan 2010).

In the study, fifty-six children (aged 4-11) from seven English schools, discussed their educational experiences of ‘belonging’ and ‘being similar and being different’ (diversity), and also how these experiences might matter to their learning (Black-Hawkins, Cooper and Kershner, forthcoming). The focus on belonging rests on the premise that when children feel they belong as full members of their classroom communities they are more likely to participate with and care about others, in ways that support their own and everyone’s learning (Bath 2009). Furthermore, in terms of diversity, children are never simply assimilated into an existing, unchanging classroom environment: therefore responses to the diverse and changing membership of any class, are integral to the development of inclusive pedagogy. Furthermore, both belonging and diversity have cognitive, emotional, social and cultural dimensions, regarding what children understand, feel, offer and expect as individuals and members of their classes. Therefore, these ideas provided meaningful prompts to encourage dialogue with and between the children, and in ways that acknowledged the important insights children can offer about the complexity of classroom life (Cook-Sather 2006; Mockler and Groundwater-Smith, 2015). Each discussion was transcribed and then coded to identify emerging themes. The established Framework for Participation was employed to structure the analysis of data and presentation of findings (Black-Hawkins 2014).

Four key interconnected areas emerged as important to the children’s experiences of belonging and diversity: (i) securing a comfortable and safe classroom community, (ii) embedding learning as a collective endeavour, (iii) promoting shared behaviours and values, and (iv) nurturing mutually supportive relationships. These findings, alongside illustrative extracts from the children’s discussions, are being developed as materials to support teachers’ thinking about inclusive pedagogy. The intention is to provide opportunities for systematic dialogue between teachers and the children in their classes so as to develop a shared understanding of what matters to them both in terms of their experiences of belonging and diversity.

NB: This study was part of the broader BUILD research project: Belonging, Understanding, Inclusion, Learning, Diversity.

Author

• Kristine Black-Hawkins, University of Cambridge