Reflective 2
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Swinburne University of Technology *
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10005
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Communications
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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This week’s topic is: Family perspectives on inclusion. Working with children with additional needs can be strengthened through collaboration and partnership with their families and other professionals. This week the emphasis is on exploring the parental joy, challenges, concerns and issues regarding children with additional needs. By developing an understanding of the lived experiences of families, early childhood educators can understand more deeply what it means to be included (Cologon, 2014).
The learning materials and activities this week are aligned to Assignment 1: Reflective essay, specifically the impact of additional needs on the child and their family, which is a key learning area to cover in the essay. Keep your essay and this learning area and learning outcome in mind as you make your way through the learning materials and readings this week.
This week's objectives By the end of this week, you should be able to:
consider the importance of inclusion and inclusive education to families
identify issues influencing changes in views about knowledge
develop an awareness of shifting practice in education
consider why change needs to occur.
4.2 Strengths-based approach
Strengths can be defined as a child’s intellectual, physical and interpersonal skills, capacities, dispositions, interests and motivations. When working with people, the strengths-based approach is an approach that seeks out opportunities to build on the existing strengths and capacities of individuals. The idea of a strengths-based approach is to identify what works best for the child (and how it works) and then to build on this information to support and facilitate learning and growth.
The strengths-based approach is an approach that incorporates questioning as a strategy. The questioning lies in the space of teachers identifying what a child can or could achieve when provided
with educational support and motivation. Interactions are focused with this purpose in mind. As educators, we incorporate a strengths-based approach when working with children, families and other health professionals involved in the inclusion process. A distinction between normal pedagogy and a strengths-based pedagogy is the dual focus on the zone of proximal development AND the zone of potential development. The focus is on what is strong not what is wrong.
Watch the following video about Al Graham and his inclusive education journey through the lens of his last week at Turramurra High School in New South Wales.
4.3 Family-centred practice
Family-centred practice parallels a strengths-based approach in that it emphasises values and acts upon the strengths of the child’s family. Family-centred practice recognises the bioecological system of the child, and the influence and role that a family plays in a child’s health and wellbeing. Teachers drawing on family-centred practice will recognise that a child’s family is an equal partner in supporting their child’s learning and development. Family-centred practice requires a commitment from teachers to follow the family's lead in knowing what is best for their child.
By developing an understanding of the lived experiences of families, teachers can understand more deeply what it means for individual families and their child to be included. It also enables teachers to
understand that inclusion does not mean applying a blanket solution. Different families and children will have different needs.
Use the arrows to scroll through the following three videos to learn more about family-centred practice. As you watch, think about the journey families have been on before their children start school. How might you acknowledge that journey as a teacher?
Strengths-based and family-centred practice
Inclusion requires teachers to draw on a strengths-based/family-centred practice. Questioning is the key strategy embedded in the approach. Teacher reflection is vital; a strengths-based/family-centred
approach cannot be achieved without reflective practice. Reflective practice is the process of reflecting on our experience to improve our actions and professional practice. Reflective practice helps increase your awareness of your personal lens(es).
Deep dive: Abdullah's story
This week's deep dive is the story of Abdullah—a four-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy and a visual impairment—and his inclusion in both a local preschool and a mainstream long day care service. In the video you'll hear about the importance of inclusion for Abdullah's mother. As you've learned this week, family-centred practice is at the core of early childhood inclusion. Watch this video, Arabic Day 1 SEN Noah's Ark Abdullah's story of inclusionLinks to an external site. (Trainers NT, 2016), and concentrate on the experience of inclusion for Abdullah's mother. This will help you understand the impact of additional needs on the child and their family. This is a core part of Assignment 1: Reflective essay. After watching the video, what are your initial reactions and thoughts?
We have talked about how our beliefs and attitudes influence our practice; what are your beliefs and
attitudes towards families with children of additional needs?
What are some important issues when working in partnership with parents and families with children with additional needs?
Do you have any personal experience with this? Either through your own child or through the experiences of a friend or family member.
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