BREAKOUT SESSION A5

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8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

North Studio 1

Developing Inclusive Teaching Practices in Beginning Teachers and Beyond 

1.    Development of Inclusive Practice in Beginning Teachers

Jacqueline Specht, Western University

Inclusive education is supported by the belief that all students belong and are valued members of their neighborhood school communities. Teachers must possess beliefs that support inclusion before they are able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement effective inclusive practice. This presentation will highlight findings from a cross-Canada research study that followed people from their initial teacher education program through to the first two years of teaching. We investigated the beliefs about learning and teaching as well as the efficacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms. Questionnaire data over the years showed that if people began their teacher education program with less inclusive beliefs, they tended to get lower while those with lower efficacy tended to increase. Interview data provided themes that point to ways in which teachers developed their inclusive beliefs and practices over the years. Collaboration with other staff while on practicum or in schools, once teaching, was cited as key in their experiences that supported the development of inclusive beliefs, efficacy, and practice.  Experience working with diverse populations as well as professional learning opportunities including course work in faculties of education also contributed to their development. This presentation will focus on these outcomes with a discussion of what can be done for beginning teachers to support inclusive beliefs and practice in both faculties of education and schools.

2.    The Role of Critical Reading in Initial Teacher Education to Foster Professional Agency and School BCs (Activities Bolstering Curriculum) that Empower and Innovate

Zheng Zhang, Western University

Critical reading is an essential part of the learning of teachers, affecting their professional discernment, agency, and ability to promote equity in schools. Critical reading practices are especially urgent in a context that places unprecedented demands on teachers, through information overload, new textual forms introduced by AI, and the proliferation of commercial programs and teacher-proof materials.  Despite its importance and complexities, however, reading in higher education and initial teacher education (ITE) in particular has received so little attention as to be called invisible. Consequences of this gap include a lack of measures to promote equity in/through reading such as through effective teacher education pedagogies. This presentation details key findings and implications from the Reading Pedagogies of Equity Project (RPEP), a teacher educator professional learning program and study designed to understand the relationship between reading and equity in ITE and develop pedagogies and policies to foster critical reading for our times. RPEP employed a collaborative protocol that included 24 teacher educator participants from ITE programs from 10 different universities across Canada and research team members that included an Indigenous Cultural Educator and an atelierista (an artist pedagogue). The presentation will detail four groups of findings concerning current impediments to equity through reading in ITE and how to remedy them: textual (concerning the types of texts that are used in ITE), pedagogical (concerning how texts are taught in ITE), contextual (concerning policies influencing what gets read and how), and readerly (concerning who teacher candidates are, how they read, and with what consequences).

3.    Seeing Themselves: How the School Library Becomes a Mirror and a Window

Wendy Burch Jones & Mona Cheema, OSLA

Your School Library Learning Commons (SLLC) is a powerful partner in building classroom communities. Work collaboratively with library staff to discover resources and tools to support your teaching and help students feel seen and heard in the school. Participants will learn about new and diverse literature to foster empathy, belonging, and respect. Discover the digital tools embedded within a Virtual Library setting that will help your classroom thrive within a Universal Design for Learning framework that honours all learners. The SLLC is not just a room for books; it is a hub of systemic support for students and staff alike. Meet the school library professionals who will enthusiastically support you and your students with your learning needs and goals. Join us to see how the modern school library acts as a foundation for your professional growth and a classroom culture. Come to this workshop to see how the library is not just stories, but so much more!