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Summary
Collaboration and collaborative practices are widely accepted as orthodoxy for
supporting inclusive education (Goburdhun, 2020). Through a study to explore how professional
development and their impact on a teacher’s ability to understand individual education plans, the
Republic of Ireland focuses on the collaborative practices in the IEP process. King combined a
survey of three cohorts of teachers who were a part of the State-funded professional development
programs that the Republic of Ireland provides in order to understand the constructs of joint
instructional work, communication, values, and ethics (King, 2023). This study’s purpose is to
understand the importance of collaborative practices to implement inclusion of students with
needs while also discovering the implications of this practice for educators.
Analysis of Author’s Key Points
Inclusive education is a widely disputed practice in schools across the world, arguing the
benefits and implications for students with any type of learning need. King’s study evaluates the
importance of collaboration in education to support the needs of students in an inclusive
environment. Specifically in the context of the study conducted in Ireland, there is a lack of
teacher efficacy, and insufficient access to teacher education (Shelvin, 2023). While this is an
issue in most educational environments, King’s study focuses on learners with special needs.
By conducting this study King’s main points of focus are on policy context, theoretical
background, teacher professional learning, individualized educational planning for inclusion,
collaboration for inclusion, method, data analysis, and how to implement this in a collaborative
style. Overall, King concluded by implementing professional learning from experienced
teachers, supported the importance of collaboration in education.
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Personal Response
After reading through the extensive data of this study and understanding the conclusions
reached by King, I can agree that collaboration when creating an inclusive classroom is essential
to student success. I have done previous research on this topic, and I have understood that
without support from every avenue of educators involved in a student’s IEP process, inclusion
cannot be successful.
As an educator, and someone who has a classroom of students with significantly different
needs, I know the importance of training for general education teachers. Special educators are
essential in the creation of an IEP plan, but without a teacher willing and able to implement this
plan in their classroom, students cannot be successful. As King states in her article, collaborative
practices support student development and without professional learning and collaboration,
inclusion will not enforce that student support plan.
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References
Aoife Brennan & Fiona King. (2022) Teachers’ experiences of transformative
professional learning to narrow the values practice gap related to inclusive practice.
Cambridge Journal of Education 52:2, pages 175-193.
Richard Rose & Michael Shevlin. 2023. Progress Toward Agenda 2030.
Progress Toward Agenda 2030 25 37 .
Seema Goburdhun. 2023. Inclusion in Southern African Education. Inclusion in
Southern African Education 223 236 .
