ADDRESS

Address social, moral and ethical issues of inclusive education

Identifying where I sit on the spectrum of growth within this capacity is perhaps the most difficult one. “Addressing” something can mean a lot of things, and so I guess it is becoming less clear in which instances I am actually addressing issues of inclusion. After giving it some though I suppose that advocating for students with special needs has a place within the scope of this capacity. For example, there are instances where a teacher doesn’t feel a student with a learning disability designation has a place within their classroom. For whatever reason, the teacher feels that the student won’t be successful and that there is nothing they can do to make the content any more accessible for the student. In these instances, it is up to me to speak up on behalf of the student for their right to be in the class. To me, this feels like both a moral and ethical issue. In regards to social inclusion, I suppose this one is a little more difficult to pin point. Social inclusion happens, or doesn’t happen, all the time. It extends from giving students the opportunity to share a physical space to what happens within that space that makes students feel included or not included. In an instance where I could change something about a learning space to make students feel more socially included, I would do so. Whether I am cognizant enough about all the ways in which I can contribute to social inclusion is another thing. I think that my work in growing within this capacity has to begin with better understanding what the current social, moral, and ethic issues are and what kind of influence I have within each of them.