Is My School Inclusive?

10-14, 15-19
> 100
Social Inclusion
Analysis, Discussion, Drawing/Collage, Group Work, Input

Aims/objectives

  • to identify school elements in which inclusion/exclusion happens
  • to present research results regarding barriers to social inclusion with an emphasis on the field of education
  • to identify ways on how to reduce barriers
  • to encourage a critical view on inclusion/exclusion within the school evironment
  • to create space for experiencing exchange

Material needed

  • flipchart and markers
  • felt-tips

Preparation

At first, prepare the room and materials. Depending on the group size, you will need chairs and some tables. Furthermore, prepare a presentation about barriers to social inclusion in schools and inspirational inclusion interventions as well.

 

Step by step description

  1. Introduction (15 min)
    – Trainer welcomes participants
    – Participants are asked to say their name and the country they come from
    – Trainer introduces the workshop
     
  2. Scanning the school (50 min)
    – Participants are divided into groups of 5: students only & teachers only (5 min)
    – Participants are asked to draw a blueprint of an average school on flipchart paper. They should think about their own school and focus on where and how exclusion happens in their schools. They should mark all these elements where exclusion takes place on the blueprint (e.g. front yard – students do not socialise, organised excursion – not everyone can participate, teacher speaking – not everyone can follow, stairs, etc.) (25 min)
    – Afterwards, participants present their blueprints (20 min)
     
  3. Break (30 min)
     
  4. Identifying inclusion possibilities (85 min)
    – Theoretical input: Trainer presents the results of mapping barriers to social inlcusion with the focus on education from the publication ‚Finding a place in modern Europe‚ (10 min)
    – Participants may add barriers to their blueprints, in case they discovered new barriers that apply to their schools as well (5 min)
    – Participants are asked to think about all the good things that their schools already do in order to prevent, reduce, or combat exclusion, and highlight these elements on their blueprints (20 min)
    – Participants are asked think about what else schools could do in order to reduce remaining barriers and support inclusion (20 min)
    – Participants present their findings and after every presentation, others are asked if they heard something that is questionable or some intervention that they do not agree with. If there are still some barriers that they did not find a solution for, those barriers need to be marked on a separate flipchart. (15 min)
    – After all participants held their presentations, the trainer goes through all remaining barriers and proposed solutions are shared; if necessary, the trainer gives additional input on inclusion ideas. (15 min)
     
  5. Closing (5 min)
    For example, tell the story about the giraffe and the elephant. (5 min)

Reflection with the students / questions for debriefing

After presenting their blueprints including the proposed interventions participants are asked:

  • Is there some intervention that you would like to challenge? Explain your opinion: What is a potential problem with that intervention and what could be done in order to improve its effect?

Suggestions for adaptations and variations

It would be beneficial for students to offer them the possibility to choose, whether they would like to be in a group that will create a blueprint, or in a group that will write a song about how inclusion should look like in schools.

Reference / original source of the method

This method was used at the aces – act local Academy 2017 in Senec by the facilitator Suncana Kusturin.

Further tips and resources