Fostering an Equitable and Inclusive Knowledge-Building Community Through Rotating Leadership

• In Event: Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusive Learning Environments

Abstract

Every teacher is faced with the challenge of designing an equitable and inclusive classroom that promotes deep learning. For the Knowledge Building teacher, the challenge is to foster a sense of collective responsibility for knowledge advancement. In this study, a teacher-researcher team designed and re-designed Knowledge Building environments to foster and sustain collective responsibility for knowledge advancement, which in turn was measured as rotating leadership using socio-semantic network analysis. 22 out of 22 students emerged as leaders. Qualitative analyses on three pivotal moments of knowledge advancement revealed that students with learning disabilities were leading the discussion. Study implications are discussed within the context of inclusive education and cultivating a classroom in which every student’s contribution is valued and appreciated.

Authors

• Leanne Ma, OISE/University of Toronto

• Thelma Akyea, University of Toronto