V. Morcom

Getting personal about values: scaffolding student participation towards an inclusive classroom community

The development of an inclusive community is underpinned by values that support an appreciation of diversity. This paper is based on a larger research project, ‘student leadership in a primary classroom’, which developed different ways for students to interact with each other. The focus not only promoted full student participation in classroom activities but also benefited students such as Mary and Lesley, who had intellectual disabilities, because they were included too. Mary and Lesley attended an Educational Support Unit (ESU) in the morning and returned to their mainstream classroom in the afternoons. The teacher/researcher scaffolded collaborative values explicitly through the social practices of the daily social circle and the weekly class meeting, which provided authentic learning opportunities for students to discuss values. Students developed leadership skills based on inclusive values that were modelled by the teacher. Transcripts from video recordings of classroom activities, teacher observations, as well as student and parent interviews conducted throughout the year provided evidence that students also reflected on their personal values. As a result, Mary and Lesleys movement between their ESU class and the mainstream class each day was seamless because they were welcomed in both contexts and their participation was encouraged, appreciated and validated.