Teaching and Learning in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms: Key Issues for New Teachers

How can you develop effective teaching strategies so that all the children in your classroom are included in meaningful and enriching learning experiences? What can you do to help young people from diverse backgrounds achieve their full potential? Addressing the wide variety of issues of diversity and inclusion routinely encountered in today’s classrooms, this comprehensive text provides both a theoretical background and practical strategies. Chapters from leading figures on inclusive education present and analyse the latest debates, research studies and current initiatives, including considerations for teaching and learning and concluding with key questions for reflection and additional resources. Moving beyond simple theory about diversity, to what this means for real teachers’ practice, the contributions focus on issues relating to values and professional practice for teachers, emphasising inclusive approaches and the importance of understanding the perspectives of learners. Topics discussed include: understanding inclusive education ethnic and cultural diversity challenging behaviour bullying gender identity and sexuality gifted and talented learners traveller children special educational needs collaborative working in schools the perspective of parents. Designed to stimulate and strengthen teachers’ professional understanding, the book also reflects on legislative duties, personal values and the importance of listening to the voice of individuals who experience disadvantage in educational settings. Teaching and Learning in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms is a key resource for teachers, supporting their learning throughout their initial training and early professional development. It will also be of interest to more experienced teachers interested in diversity and inclusion, particularly those mentoring NQTs through their induction and Masters level studies.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Felicity Armstrong and Gill Richards 1. Inclusive Education: school cultures, teaching and learning Felicity Armstrong 2. Half a Million Unseen, Half a Million Unheard: Inclusion for gender identity and sexual identity Marjorie Smith 3. What we know about bullying Neil Duncan 4. Supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils Chris Derrington 5. The influence of gender in the classroom: How boys and girls learn Steve Bartlett and Diana Burton 6. Not in my image – Personalisation and Ethnic Diversity in the classroom Raphael Richards 7. Invisibility and Otherness: asylum-seeking and refugee students in the classroom Mano Candappa 8. I feel confident about teaching but `SEN’ scares me. Moving from anxiety to confidence Gill Richards 9. Inclusive education and gifted and talented provision Roger Moltzen 10. Challenging students, challenging settings Jackie Scruton 11. Teachers Working with Teaching Assistants Vikki Anderson 12. Including parents with disabled children Michele Moore 13. Working with the `experts’: working in partnership with other education professionals Alison Patterson 14. Disability, human rights and inclusive education, and why inclusive education is the only educational philosophy and practice that makes sense in today’s world Richard Rieser