From Elitism To InclusionDeveloping an Inclusive Curriculum

through an Appreciative Inquiry Approach

Learning and Teaching ConferenceJune 2008

Dr Val Chapman (NTF) and Will Bowen Jones

Political, social and educational change

Post war comprehensive education Mainstreaming – increased number of

disabled children in non-specialised schools Raised aspirations Elite education – ‘traditional’ methods of

teaching Staff with little/no personal experience of

working with disabled students

As a result of engaging with this session you will be able to…

Appreciate the legal and political context of the project

Understand the philosophy underpinning the project and the adopted research approach

Describe the activities undertaken in the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science in implementing the Appreciative Inquiry approach

Make use of the web-based resource, SCIPS Discuss the issues and opportunities arising from

the project

Increased diversity in HE

1960s: less than 10% population in HE Government’s agenda: target 50% 18-35

year olds in HE by 2010 ‘Massification’ of HE Widening Participation Legislation Disability Funding (funded projects; Disabled

Student’s Allowance (DSA); Mainstream funding; capital funding for HEIs)

Inclusive Learning and Teaching (L&T)

“….An inclusive approach to learning and teaching avoids a point of view that locates difficulty or deficit within the student and focuses instead on understanding and responding to individual learners' needs.”

(Tomlinson, 1996)

Aligned with social model of disability Flexible Meets needs of all learners

I’m looking for a villain, a real nasty piece of work,someone who’ll make the public want to scream.He’s got to be so gruesome, not at all like you and me,so bad, they’ll even see him when they dream.Our hero gets to battle him, so he’s got to be quite small,in fact an evil dwarf could play the role.Or he could be in a wheelchair, or maybe use a hook,or with mental illness blackening his soul.And could you make him hunch-back, with maybe just one eye,or perhaps you’ve got a black one on your books?With our hero tall and handsome, and most definitely white,we’d want to make the most of how he looks.Forget about equality, it’s not what people want,distorting how we think is still the game.We’re very good at stereotypes, reinforcing the beliefthat you must be evil – if you’re not the same.

Medical Model of DisabilityLupton, D. (2008) ‘Evil in the Eye’, Crip Zone, p 12, Reprint

Social model

Disability is defined as a social construct Disabling factors are located in social,

educational, and working practices and in physical environments

Example: a wheelchair user may have a physical impairment, but it is the absence of a ramp that prevents them from entering a building - the disabling factor is the inaccessible environment

Social model of disability

Legislation

UN Convention (2006) promotes a universal inclusive language emphasising ‘rights for all’, and is based upon the principles of justice, respect, dignity, non-discrimination, equality and accessibility

The Disability Discrimination Act (aka SENDA, 2001, UK) brought all education provision under the Act

Higher Education Academy (UK) Project

Project title: Developing Inclusive Curricula in

Higher Education

Key features: Innovative staff development package Supplementary resources to support

academics Embedding in institutional policy and practice

Project research question

How can we engage the interest and commitment of staff to further develop their inclusive practice in learning and teaching?

Selection of an Appreciative Inquiry approach

AI has 4 phases: Discovery phase Dream phase Design phase Destiny phase

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process

AIworkshop

(students) Students’

Post-it activity

Student’sinterviews

(VI)

Focus group interview

Generation ofadjectives

Briefing on inclusion

and AI

Generation ofpropositional statements

Focus group interviewquestions

Inaugural ISESstaff/student

research summit

Studentpresentation

Staff response

Prioritisationmeeting

Further planning

& embeddin

g

Inclusion

survey

DREAMDESIGNDESTINY

DISCOVERY

START

Pre-workshop activity

Staffdevelopme

nt

Roll out model to additional

departments

Appreciative Inquiry Methodology developed by Professor David

Cooperrider and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve University (US) in the 1980s

Approach has been used throughout the world for organisational change (in companies such as BP, McDonalds and British Airways) and for community consultation and development.

Conducted in 4 phases

Discovery phase (Jan/Feb 08)

Selection of student researchers Pre-workshop activity AI workshop Data collection by student researchers

Post it exercise Disabled student interview Focus group interview (conducted by student member of

project team) Answers to reflective questions (pre-workshop activity)

Development of propositional statements

Dream phase (Mar 08)

Inaugural Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) staff/student research summit

Student researchers’ presentation Audience:

Vice Chancellor Guest speaker – Chief Executive, British

Paralympic Association ISES staff Departmental Learning and Teaching (L&T)

representatives

Post-it data from student lectures

Adjectives (n=265):

Enjoyable Interesting Challenging Fun

Student researchers’ experiences of learning

Personal accounts Inclusive practices Challenges successfully overcome Engagement of staff

Propositional statement 1

All students make a positive contribution to the learning of their peers.

Propositional statement 2

Students value the School’s strong sense of community and being made to feel part of it.

Propositional statement 3

Students love it when staff support and celebrate their achievements.

Propositional statement 4

Staff inspire students through being role models.

Propositional statement 5

Students really enjoy learning through doing.

Propositional statement 6

The Institute of Sports and Exercise Science (ISES) offers students a ‘ticket to their future’; it gives them the opportunity to ‘do things for themselves’, ‘become more independent’, to ‘reinvent themselves’ and ‘be their own person’. It offers a ‘liberating’ and transformative experience.

Design phase (Apr 08)

Prioritisation meeting to determine: Individual priorities Draft priorities for referral to

departmental Learning and Teaching Committee

Staff survey – staff confidence ratings in inclusive practice (survey monkey) Analysed to determine staff development

priorities

Destiny phase (Ongoing)

Implementation of innovative staff development package

Supplemental resources SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive

Programmes of Study) www.scips.worc.ac.uk (used 24/7, page ranked

by Google 5/10) Embedding inclusive policy and practice in

existing departmental structures and systems e.g. peer observation

Opportunities (value added)

Provides evidence of UW’s commitment to provide ‘excellent, inclusive education’

Review and revision of Open Day practice Research informed teaching Students as researchers Raised external profile, e.g. ‘360 degree’

conference presentation ‘Step by Step Guide to AI’ for University of

Worcester

Issues

Student involvement proved labour intensive for project staff

Pressurised timescale Ethics and responsibilities Associated costs Alternative formats for disabled

student researchers

Further work

Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) project: ‘Disabled Students as Researchers, Mentors and Mentees’

Development of generic ‘Step by Step Guide to AI’

Development of ISES Research Centre with focus on inclusion