Joint reflection on action – a prerequisite for inclusive education? A qualitative study in one local primary/lower secondary school in Norway

Abstract

The main theme of this article is teachers’ experiences of how joint reflection and common follow-up practices impact on the development of inclusive education. The study was conducted using an adapted letter method, where the teachers at one school in Norway answered some open questions by discussing and formulating a joint text. The results suggest that the teachers, who have previously participated in a national programme of school development, seem to have developed a broad understanding of inclusive education that entails meeting the diversity of needs of all pupils. They do not only consider inclusion to be a matter of placement but also something that involves a social and an academic communality. One important finding is that joint reflection in a sharing culture engenders common frames of reference for the practical actions of inclusion. Teachers’ own experiences suggest that joint discussion and reflection also play a central role in the efforts aimed at the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs.

Joint reflection on action – a prerequisite for inclusive education? A qualitative study in one local primary/lower secondary school in Norway