Chapter 11 Opportunities for Inclusive Practice
The Stories Our Students Tell
In: Inclusive Education Is a Right, Right?Search for other papers by Bethany M. Rice in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
Pre-service teachers enter education for a variety of reasons—many connected to their own experiences as students, either positive or negative. These budding educators hold beliefs about education that are often shaped by the practices they experienced as pupils. If unchecked, these long-held, memorialized beliefs and practices risk being replicated in an evolving field. While reflection is a common element in teacher preparation, it has been criticized for a lack of depth and connection to issues of social justice (Fendler, 2003). Autoethnography is a means of critical reflection that aims to examine beliefs and practices, in this context, specifically with pre-service teachers. This chapter seeks to accomplish two goals—first to discuss how autoethnography was used in a teacher preparation program, as a way to deepen pre-service teachers’ reflective practice. A brief overview of the first study will illustrate how one teacher preparation program used autoethnography in the initial stages of the work, aimed at increasing inclusive practices in the classroom. Secondly, the chapter will show how teacher candidates’ voices highlight the impact of engaging in autoethnographic reflection. This is useful to identify potential next steps to develop a more inclusive practice among pre-service teachers.