Teacher collaboration to create inclusive secondary science classrooms
Subject
Abstract
As inclusion of students with special education needs in secondary science classrooms is becoming more common, teachers are faced with the challenge of meeting their more complex learning needs. Professional collaboration is a powerful tool that has the potential to support educators to incorporate inclusive teaching strategies into their practice in an ongoing basis. In this study, participants completed an online survey about their familiarity with inclusive teaching strategies and then participated in a collaborative action research process to investigate the research question: how can secondary science teachers collaborate to more effectively incorporate inclusive education strategies into their practice? The researcher, a special education and science teacher, led three participants through action research cycles exploring inclusive teaching practices including concept mapping and metacognitive review strategies. The action research process had positive results in improving teachers’ confidence in implementing inclusive strategies. Four themes were evident throughout the data: aspects of group work, lack of time, student benefits, and future inclusion goals. Suggestions for future research are provided based on the interpretation of the data.