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The Australian curriculum caters for most students however, not every student is the
inclusive lesson so that every student can enjoy an equitable education (Choi, 1995).
For teachers to deliver an inclusive lesson they need to alter their pedagogy.
evidence that will support the proposed changes (Moss, 2013; Wolk, 2008). The
education through evidence-based practice (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2015). This critical
analysis will highlight and discuss the educational issue of inclusive education using
science lesson plan with the aim of creating a more inclusive lesson.
In the realm of education, inclusion refers to a “child’s right to participate and the
school’s duty to accept the child” (Moss, 2013; p. 148). In Australian schools, there
are a wide variety of intersections (race, ethnicity and class) and learning groups
which need to be catered for. It is important for teachers to recognise that not every
Burnett & Morse 2015). Equity and inclusion go hand in hand because in order for
History shows that schooling has been built around the privileged and groups outside
this demographic struggled to gain an education (Moss, 2015). This history highlights
the inequity that was in schools however, today policies are in place that aim to
Training Reform Amendment (School Age) Bill 2009, all students are required to
complete schooling up to year 10. This means any student that wants to leave
government’s attempts to force inclusion on all students even those who cannot
Inside the classroom, the issue begins to show because even though all students are
required to attend school, there are many different learning abilities which will create
to have some form of intellectual disability (Forlin, Chambers, Loreman, Deppeler &
Sharma, 2013). Inclusion in and out of education has been a topic for decades with
inclusive education system can only be created if ordinary schools become more
places the onus back on teachers to alter their pedagogy. In order to alter pedagogy
informed decision must be made through the use of evidence-based practice (Gall,
The topic of inclusive education is examined in the article “The Inclusive Secondary
The article is a qualitative study, aims use the expertise of teachers and scholars to
identify “the skills, knowledge and attributes deemed necessary for inclusion” (p.
101). The authors provide extensive background knowledge explaining the need for
inclusive education and relevant models that this study can build upon.
The background in the introduction draws upon a variety of aspects that define a
historical insight into the expectations a teacher and student had. This highlights the
gaps in pedagogy that are to be addressed later in the article. Reference to the
‘Shulman’s model of teacher knowledge’ allows the author to discuss the conceptual
framework as the basis of the study (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2013). Overall this
The methodology uses a qualitative approach from leaders that were “expected to be
familiar with the practices, theories, processes, thoughts, values and emotions of
secondary teachers, students with and without disabilities and their parents” (Pearce,
Gray and Campbell-Evans, 2015, p. 105). Despite having a large range of opinions,
the rest of the methodology is very vague. Methodology needs to be thorough so that
anyone reading the study can reproduce the method (Fox and Jennings, 2014). This
study however, does not outline the questions being asked, the environment the
from a method does not allow the study to be reproduced. The studies participants
are detailed in appendix 1 (p. 106) however, looking at the information provided
there is not a very diverse selection despite claiming to have participants from “all
Australian states and sectors” (p. 105). The majority participants are from Western
Australia (36), the second most were NSW and Victoria(4). This can create a bias in
opinion as each state has its own pedagogy. If each state/territory had an even
number of participants the bias in the results section would decrease (Gall, Gall &
Borg, 2015). Another area of concern with the participants is the qualifications and
current role. Majority of participants come from a primary background and only one
education. Ultimately this was cause a bias that does not completely recognise the
The answers from each participant were grouped and interpreted to form the
discussion of this essay. The article recognises that “the findings are restricted to the
representative” (p. 107). These limitations restrict the reliability of the study as they
will contain a large bias which may not be applicable to a wider audience.
The remainder of this section discusses the interpreted responses from each
framework, it provides substance that will or will not support the results. Shulman’s
Thames & Phelps, 2008 and Shulman, 1987). Given this study aims to create an
The article identifies and discusses the skill and attributes the participants believe to
be essential for inclusive education. The overall theme is knowledge with many of
skill/attribute, “really competent and comfortable in their subject” (p. 107) and
and explaining the relevancy of the task to students’ lives” (p. 109). This links to the
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the NSW quality teaching
model. These two areas recognise deep understanding being crucial to providing
all these skills and attributes it does not specify ways to achieve and improve on
these skills. The participants identify and explain why it is important to have these
Gall, Gall & Borg (2015) believes teachers should conduct their own research and
not just rely on “knowledge available in mainstream research literature” (p. 396).
Moreover, this discussion identifies the skills and attributes that are supported by
literature and relevant theoretical models however, it does not act as a how-to
introducing any new ideas. The author present their final comments and
recommendations with open questions that are left open to the readers’
interpretation. This qualitative study cannot be generalised hence the overall validity
can be questioned (Gall, Gall & Borg, 2015). The article recognises this issue by
stating that the skills and attributes can be “outside the control of the teacher” (p.
116). Furthermore, this article provides a summary of the study identifying what is
required to be more inclusive, however its conclusion is not certain due to the validity
To find out if the article produces valid and reliable information, it should be applied
to a lesson plan. Doing this in a practical situation allows teachers to use a trial and
error approach to identify methods that work. A year 9/stage 5 science lesson plan
will be used to see if the skills and attributes presented in Pearce, Gray and
Campbell-Evans (2015) can be adapted everyday learning. This lesson plan has
Breaking down this lesson plan, it is a heavy content based lesson that promotes
that acts as prior knowledge. This is an individualised task which does not cater to
the needs of intellectually disabled students. In the second stage of the lesson plan,
student are required to read a passage and mark key information. Once again this is
a task that is catered for individualised learning. Inclusive education relates to every
student having an equal and equitable opportunity to learn (Moss, 2013). The third
stage of this lesson requires students to make notes about the previous passage
disability the level of content being discussed may be to much to comprehend. The
final stage of the lesson is a joint construction of notes. If students did not
comprehend the previous content it will be hard for the student to understand to
Using the recommendations of the Pearce, Gray and Campbell-Evans (2015), there
are elements of the example lesson that can be altered to create a more inclusive
problem solving skills. These skills/attributes are more personal traits the teacher
should adopt but can still be incorporated into the lesson plan.
As a teacher knowing the students is crucial, altering activities that will allow a
together teachers students skills that can be used outside of the classroom and
reduces stress (Jackson, Hickman, Power, Disler and Potgieter, 2014). For the
second stage, the entire class could read together and student can suggest areas of
key information. This allows the entire class to hear the exact same content and
explanation thus reducing the risk of students being left behind. The third and fourth
stages, a think, pair, share strategy could be applied for note making. Alternately for
the third stage students can be placed in pair or groups and create a set of notes on
one of the topics studied earlier in the lesson. Collaborative learning will allow
student to openly discuss the topic and it reduces the workload each student is
required to do. Godhino (2013) identifies group work as essential for developing
which students will work best together and which elements of the content will best
suit the students. This creates an environment in the class where students become
more comfortable.
Since this is a content heavy lesson it is important to realise that it may be too much
for some students to handle. The NSW quality teaching model recommends that
inclusive education, this requires the teacher to alter tasks in each lesson. Too much
reading and writing will reduce student engagement and potentially reduce
Accommodating every student is a challenge that will present itself in all classroom,
it is the teachers duty to be mindful and acknowledge the needs of their students. To
factors but most importantly; their students. In order to improve inclusion, informed
decisions must be made through the use of research and evidence-based practice.
Furthermore, it is up to the teacher to make these decisions to provide all student the
(Order No. 9705225). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I.
Moss 2013,
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resources/command/download_file/id/246/filename/Inclusive_education_for_s
tudents_with_disability_-
_A_review_of_the_best_evidence_in_relation_to_theory_and_practice.pdf
http://www.inclusive-education-in-
action.org/iea/dokumente/upload/72074_177849e.pdf.
- Fox, B. H., & Jennings, W. G. (2014). How to write a methodology and results
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1538590848?accountid=36155
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content/uploads/2013/11/Content-knowledge-for-teachers.pdf
http://www.hepgjournals.org/doi/abs/10.17763/haer.57.1.j463w79r56455411?
code=hepg-site
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forteachers/standards/list
Difference. (pp. 2-33). Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd.
- Godinho, S. (2013). Planning for practice: connecting pedagogy, assessment
- Gore, J. (2014). Towards quality and equity: The case for Quality Teaching
(ACER) research conference. Quality and equity: What does research tell us
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/gifted-and-talented-
students-personalised-learning
- Jackson, D., Hickman, L. D., Power, T., Disler, R., Potgieter, I., Deek, H., &
proquest-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1629654856?accountid=36155
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https://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/7-10-literacy-numeracy/pdf-
doc/science-sample-lesson-plan.pdf