Inclusion has always been a very important topic to me, and something that I want to learn more about. I want to be able to create an inclusive classroom for all my future students, so I want to keep learning in order to do this best I can. I did a project this past year on inclusion, and one of my sources was from Shelley Moore. When I saw that we had to watch some of her videos this week, I was very happy because I find her videos so helpful and interesting, and they teach such important information in a quick, simple way. Also, during my field experience class this past year, I was in a kindergarten classroom where the learners were very diverse. I noticed that all of the students were always included, and the teacher would sometimes ask particular students a question or to complete a task if she knew that it was one of their strengths. For example, there was one student in the class who did not listen very well but was extremely smart. The student knew all of the letters, how to read, and how to write, so when the rest of the class was still learning their letters, this one student got bored because they already knew it. This caused them to not focus and to find distractions around the classroom. Whenever they could, the teachers included this student by having them read something to the class instead of the teacher reading it. I really liked this because it incorporated all of the students’ and allowed them to use their strengths to help the class.
I learned a lot from going through this week’s materials. I really liked how at the beginning of the first reading, it showed the diagrams of inclusion, integration, exclusion, and segregation (Moore, 2017). The diagram that Shelley Moore used to represent inclusion was not the best model for inclusion because the different patterns on the circles was meant to show the “different” students, even though all students are different from one another, so all of the dots should have been different. No students are the same, so I believe that including all students would be done by showing each of their unique differences. This model can be improved by representing all learners with different patterns. Students showing their differences is important and should be valued because it helps us all understand each individual students’ strengths. It is crucial for inclusion that we learn about each student and learn about their differences to find out “what can they contribute because of their diverse and unique expertise?” For educators, it is important to value and recognize the diverse characteristics of all students, which is teaching to diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
I also learned a lot of information in the interviews, and they made me think about my Personal Learning Network. Building strong relationships and finding mentors is a great way to add to a PLN, as well as being connected to where you are and to your community (Moore, 2021; Simpson, 2021). I also took away from this interview that it is important to give back and help your community, because this will help teach other people as well as yourself, which builds connections and can help grow your network as well as theirs. A part of Shelley Moore’s interview that really stuck with me is that everybody in a community can be a teacher for one another. You can learn from everybody that surrounds you, which showed me that my PLN is larger than I had previously thought. The people I surround myself with, including my friends and family, teach me every day. Online community is also very important and can be extremely helpful. Especially during the pandemic when it is more difficult to be with people in person, learning online and through social media is very common. Communicating, interacting, engaging, and sharing tips with peers online has been a very beneficial and common way to learn recently.
From the second article we read, I got a lot of information about how social media can help with advocacy communications, which also connects to what I learned about how social media platforms are used for community engagement from Markiel Simpson (Clark & Aufderheide, 2011; Simpson, 2021). First, media platforms can help people learn about different issues and events going on, through others sharing this information. Posting online is a great way for people to speak out about these issues and share their thoughts and feelings with others in the community and in their learning network. This can also start conversations about a particular issue, which builds connections between people. When people have an issue in common, they often find a way to work together and do something to try and fix it, even if they have personal differences between them. Sharing common feelings about a subject, will bring them together and allow people to put their differences aside and work together towards a solution. Social media allows people to talk to each other about things that matter to them, their community, and the world. Having many different platforms also allows people to meet, learn, share information, and discuss possible solutions to issues that arise. Social media provides all people with information, as well as platforms to debate, discuss, and negotiate information they learn about online. These different platforms can be very beneficial when it comes to communicating and engaging in advocacy because it provides people with the information and the ability to discuss with others. As well, through this communication, people may build connections and expand their learning network.
Clark, Jessica, and Aufderheide, Patricia. “A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory.” Media and Social Justice, 2011, pp.55-67. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/pdf/10.1057%2F9780230119796.pdf
Moore, Shelley. “EDCI 338 – 20 Minutes Moore.” YouTube, uploaded by MILLER, 30 May 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA
Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Portage & Main Press, 2017, pp.6-12. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/reader.action?docID=4832579&ppg=6
Simpson, Markiel. “EDCI – 338 MARKIEL SIMPSON.” YouTube, uploaded by MILLER, 1 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs
Photo from: https://inclusionbc.org/back-to-school-2018/
June 6, 2021 at 9:59 pm
Hi Sarah,
I really enjoyed reading your post this week. Similar to you I also really liked reading and watching the interview of Shelley Moore. However, I was really intrigued by the point you brought up in your post where you stated that Shelley Moore’s diagrams of inclusion, exclusion, segregation, and integration are not really ideal representations, as as you discussed that each dot should be different as all students are different, which I thought was really profound!
I also really enjoyed reading your discussion of social media aiding in community engagement. Just as you mentioned I think social media can certainly help with community engagement as we can discuss with one another and build connections.
Additionally, I also thought it was great that you brought up the fact that all of us can be teachers in our communities as Shelley Moore mentioned in her interview.
Overall, I thought your post was really insightful and I really enjoyed reading it!