Inclusive Citizen Scholars: Active Teacher Research on Inclusive Methods in the English Language Arts Classroom

• In Event: Teacher as Researchers: Practitioner Inquiry

Abstract

This presentation presents active teacher research that celebrates collaboration between the fields of inclusive education and general education methodology. Much has been written about the exclusive practices of inclusion teachers; however, there is less active teacher research. In noting this lack of research, I began an active teacher research project that explores differing pedagogical methods that make the English classroom more inclusive. This presentation shares the narratives of both students and teachers who engaged with four differing methods developed from Disability Studies scholarship. Ultimately, after coding student artifacts and teacher notes, it became clear that inclusive education demands that we first acknowledge and challenge the discomfort of normative assumptions around abilities. These findings evoke the inclusive possibilities of connecting communities.

Author

• Chris Bass, University of Illinois at Chicago