Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand’s book is a great guide for promoting inclusion. There’s lots here on the why, unpacking the vision and value orientated aspects of inclusion, as well as conceptual frameworks for implementing initiatives. While the focus of the book was on disability, I was looking for ways to bring my previous work on rainbow inclusion into a wider framework to make more connections to a more widely understood pedagogical discussion. Here’s a few takeaways I found of value:
The first thing I thought was worth recording was the idea of defining an inclusive space by how it makes the people within it feel. This focus on an intangible might get criticism from some, but it makes total sense in the way that I’ve felt unwelcome or not included in different spaces and it is the way I feel that supports this. It isn’t a particular thing that was said or a action I can point to, it is a feeling. And that is as valid as any piece of evidence. So I’ve taken on board the idea of charting this in future sessions on this topic. It is worth making this intangible as tangible as possible.
Inclusion is a value and a belief system, not just a set of strategies
This links back to the line I’ve used countless times, that creating a inclusive environment isn’t as simple as putting a poster on the wall – it’s about what is woven into the fabric of everything you do. The book suggests there is two layers to this journey. The first asks questions like “why inclusion?” and “does this child belong here?” to the second where the questions are “what can our school do differently to successfully include all students?” and “how might I differentiate my instruction so that all students are learning?”
As Nel Noddings has said, “We should move away from the question, ‘Has Johnny learned X?’ to the far more pertinent question, “What has Johnny learned?'”
This reframing takes us away from assuming the same narrative of two students achieving the same result. Achieving the same mark can represent two vastly different learning experiences. Therefore the question Noddings proposes takes a performance based approach to assessment, rather than a fixed standards based mindset. There is a place for both, but I think the shift in my thinking from this book is around making the assessment of performance or attainment a deliberate and aware practice.
Finally, this table summed up an excellent section of the book thinking about a retrofitting approach to differentiation (which I suspect is most teachers default) is some distance away from a Universal Design for Learning approach. Universal Design for Learning is more than a framework, it is a way of being. I think that is overall the value of engaging with a book like this – it is an opportunity to reflect deeply about our practice and nudge us towards a holistically more inclusive way.
Villa, Richard A & Thousand, Jacqueline S. (2017) Leading an Inclusive School: Access and Success for All Students. ASCD.
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