EDC2400 Critical Reflection Journal Template

Student name: Owen Foster

Student number: 0061078546
Education specialisation: Early Childhood Primary Secondary
Secondary Specialisation area (e.g. HPE, Maths & Physics): HPE & Maths
Your year of study (please highlight): 1 2 3 4
Part A

Reflection Activity 1 – written response to core critical reflection activity

Response to video
I was not aware that the celebrities listed within the video had a disability, and this
knowledge does not change the way I view their success, or the way I view themselves as
people within society. If anything, I respect their success's more, as they all likely had to
face adversity in their youth, and tougher challenges than their peers as a direct result of
their disability. An important concept derives from this video; the idea that inclusion and
integration play a part in a person's success, and that equity of access is a major influencing
factor to a disabled person's success in their career. The majority of these celebrities are
financially stable, with ample money to spend on creating an atmosphere that is conducive
to their ongoing success. Unfortunately, most Australian disabled students do not fall
within the financially stable category, and as such rely on the on-going and continual
improvement of Australian schools to provide an education opportunity that is equitable in
nature. This is my goal as an upcoming teacher and the current course will aid in my
success in this area.

Unfortunately, I do believe that other people's perceptions play a role in the success of
people who experience disability. The modern world is controlled by a select few, for
example if a person would like to work in a Queensland Government position, that person
is required to go through a selection process, which is often culminated with a panel
interview. The fate of one person's career is directly influenced by the panel, in this
situation, or by a manager who makes the employment decision. If that person has a
negative view on disabled people in the workplace, a disabled applicant is immediately
disadvantaged with their application. On the other hand, if the manager has a positive view
on disabled people in the workplace, perhaps this is an advantage. Either way, another
person's perception on disabled people has played a role in the success of people with a
disability. It is my duty as a future educator to best prepare all students, disabled included,
for life past school, including their careers, social and emotional wellbeing and physical
health.

Reflection Activity 2 – updated response to core critical reflection activity

(demonstrating elements of critical reflection as presented in the tutorial)
N.B. Changes to original are highlighted for convenience

The activity that I choose to focus on is the video titled 'Celebrities with Disabilities'. The
video will be analysed relating to a number of thought provoking questions, including:
'Were you aware that these celebrities experience disability? Does that change how you
feel about their successes? Why, or why not? Do you think other people’s perceptions play
a role in the success of people who experience disability?'. I was not aware that the
celebrities listed within the video had a disability, and this knowledge does not change the
way I view their success, or the way I view themselves as people within society. If
anything, I respect their success's more, as they all likely had to face adversity in their
youth, and tougher challenges than their peers as a direct result of their disability. An
important concept derives from this video; the idea that inclusion and integration play a
part in a person's success, and that equity of access is a major influencing factor to a
disabled person's success in their career. The majority of these celebrities are financially
stable, with ample money to spend on creating an atmosphere that is conducive to their
ongoing success. Unfortunately, most Australian disabled students do not fall within the
financially stable category, and as such rely on the on-going and continual improvement of
Australian schools to provide an education opportunity that is equitable in nature. This is
my goal as an upcoming teacher and the current course will aid in my success in this area.

Unfortunately, I do believe that other people's perceptions play a role in the success of
people who experience disability. The modern world is controlled by a select few, for
example if a person would like to work in a Queensland Government position, that person
is required to go through a selection process, which is often culminated with a panel
interview. The fate of one person's career is directly influenced by the panel, in this
situation, or by a manager who makes the employment decision. If that person has a
negative view on disabled people in the workplace, a disabled applicant is immediately
disadvantaged with their application. On the other hand, if the manager has a positive view
on disabled people in the workplace, perhaps this is an advantage. Either way, another
person's perception on disabled people has played a role in the success of people with a
disability. It is my duty as a future educator to best prepare all students, disabled included,
for life past school, including their careers, social and emotional wellbeing and physical
health.
I feel I approached the ideas raised in the above-mentioned video positively and will seek
to provide a safe learning environment for all my future students. Additionally, I hope to
see the continual improvement of education adaptation from teachers and schools to
facilitate the ongoing needs of all special needs students, including those facing disabilities
in the classroom.

N.B. The 5Rs Model of Reflection has been fully utilised in the response above. The areas
of report and respond, relate and reason are addressed in the first paragraph. The final two
areas of reconstruct and reflex are addressed in the second and third paragraphs.

Part B

Reflection Activity 3 - Animal School (Module 1, prompt 2)

Reflection:

The three stimulus images directly relate to the ideas of inclusion, equality, equity and in
the second image; common sense. "Inclusion in its most general sense refers to the right to
access and active participation and achieving equity through engagement in all aspects of
daily life" (Hyde, et al, 2014). In many instances, inclusion should be the overarching goal
for all educators and especially those who are teaching students with learning difficulties
and special needs. The first image shows an assessment piece, climbing the tree, which is
equal for all participants in that everybody has to climb the tree. However, this is clearly
not fair for all participants as they don't have the same ability, it would be extremely
difficult, if not impossible, for an elephant to climb the tree compared to the monkey, who
would find it easy. This correlates directly to the current education system, and specifically
the assessment process, which should, but doesn't always, cater for the needs of all
students, not just those that have the ability to thrive under the assessment process.
"Inclusive assessment is about more than evaluating students. It is the on-going activities
that allow students and instructors to understand student progress on meeting the course
learning objectives. Students should be asked to demonstrate their learning through
formative and summative assessments" (Center for the Enhancement of Learning and
Teaching, n.d.). The use of varied assessment pieces to provide all students with an equal
opportunity to showcase their gained knowledge through teaching episodes is a crucial
aspect to the idea of inclusion. "The inclusive education movement is based on the premise
that all students have a right to be educated alongside their peers in regular/ mainstream
classrooms. This premise is not just concerned with placement of students with special
educational needs, it involves effectively meeting their learning needs" (University of
Southern Queensland, 2018). The key idea is effectively meeting the learning needs of all
students, which the above-mentioned stimulus images do not adequately do. Whilst the
current state of Australian education has progressed well in the area of inclusion,
complacency within the framework and Australian curriculum should not be observed in
order to see full growth. This is supported by the falling excerpt, which states: "so even
when inclusion is strongly supported by international, national or state policy - or even
legislation, as it appears to be in Australia - there is concern that the observable practices or
outcomes in schools can remain substantially unchanged or experience significant delays
or difficulties in their implementation" (Hyde, et al, 2014). Therefore, as a future educator,
the need and importance for inclusion should not be understated and the continual growth
and adaptation of the Australian curriculum, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment
Authority, and other relevant legislative parties, is integral to the success of all students.

References

Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Conway, R. (2014). Diversity, inclusion and engagement. (2nd
Ed.). Victoria, Australia: University Press.

University of Southern Queensland (2018). EDC2400 Educating learners with special

needs across contexts: Module 1: Legislation, policies, practices and resources to support
learners with additional needs in inclusive educational environments
. USQStudyDesk, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=16960

What are inclusive assessment practices? (n.d.). Center for the Enhancement of Learning
and Teaching. Retrieved 11 January 2021, from https://provost.tufts.edu/celt/inclusive-
assessment/

Reflection Activity 4 - Listening (Module 1, prompt 4

Reflection:

The above-mentioned quote shows the clear bias that teachers often have towards talking
and producing information, rather than listening, absorbing and using information to
inform their future practice. The YouTube video titled 'The Most Valuable Skill that
Nobody Teaches: How to Listen' highlights an important concept; "to listen to understand,
rather than to listen to merely respond". Whilst the idea is simple in nature, it has a
 profound underlying effect towards educators. "Collaborative partnerships between home
and school will provide teachers and parents with a joint understanding of goals that are
needed to support the child in both environments" (University of Southern Queensland,
2018). The dual understanding, which only comes from both parties actively listening and
engaging in the process of education, provides the student with an education environment
and process that is engaging, productive and supportive of students of all needs. A
successful collaborative working relationship between teachers and parents provides
benefits for everyone involved, the teacher, the parent and most importantly, the student
(Heward, 2014).

In order to improve in the area of listening, the YouTube video mentioned above suggests
an exercise called last word response, which involves pairing up, having a conversation
and adopting the rule that the last word of your partners response also be the first word of
your response. Then, having a discussion with your partner or a third party as to why this
exercise works/is difficult to achieve. The active mindset of listening and comprehending
what you have heard is a simple idea yet can be a challenging habit to break. It is important
to note that this process is a two-way street, and that teachers need to voice their
collaborative expectations early in the relationship in order to prompt parents to
communicate effectively in the relationship. "Parents who have mainly experienced a
professional driven relationship may have a difficult time adapting to a family-centred or
family-driven relationship style when they are working with teachers to resolve a school-
based difficulty" (University of Southern Queensland, 2018).

References
Heward, W. L. (2014). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th
ed.). Essex: Pearson.

Big Think. (2015, April 8). The Most Valuable Skill that Nobody Teaches: How to Listen, with

Tom Yorton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trbVUu6gv4A

University of Southern Queensland (2018). EDC2400 Educating learners with special

needs across contexts: Module 1: Legislation, policies, practices and resources to support
learners with additional needs in inclusive educational environments
. USQStudyDesk, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=16960
Reflection Activity 5 - Explosion (Module 2, prompt 3)

Reflection:

The use of teacher aides, funding and specialist schools with dedicated, well trained staff
that are familiar with the needs of students with an array of learning difficulties, including
autism, with student safe environments for a productive and positive learning experience is
an integral strategy for the success of students suffering with autism in Australia's
education system and their families. The article titled 'The autism explosion in Australian
schools' revealed a few first-person perspectives from the families or children with autism,
and the current lack of support that Australia's education system provides these families.
The article referenced Mina, a mother of a child with autism, and her struggle with the
education support system currently in place: "Mina’s passionate cry for smaller classes,
better professional expertise in managing autism, more support staff and calming recovery
areas for these children captures in a nutshell what a team of Canberra experts took
hundreds of pages to recommend" (Legge, 2016). Additionally, the article refers to the
struggles that Australian schools currently face when providing support for ASD (Autism
Spectrum Disorder) students: "profound challenges in schools where staff do not have the
training, resources or time to manage the kind of personalised learning and supervision
these behaviours demand" (Legge, 2016). It is important to understand that "every person
with ASD is a unique individual with varying strengths, interests and needs" (Hyde, et al,
2014). The use of highly trained teachers and teacher aides is vital to ensure that these
needs are met for all students, clearly highlighted in the above-mentioned article, the
current system of education is failing in this area. The issue is a large one, and the solution
as mentioned in this blog post would be an extremely expensive measure, however denying
those funds means denying all students an equal opportunity for success in their education,
and as a first world nation, I believe the expense is well worth it. Additionally, "good
teaching requires creativity, problem solving, a willingness to take risks, readiness to fail,
perseverance and the ability to be a reflective practitioner" (Hyde, et al, 2014). The
takeaway message for myself is an educator is that of continual learning, adapting to the
needs of all my students, creating an environment that is safe, welcoming and conducive to
learning and listening to student, parent, fellow teacher and community feedback in
relation to educating students with autism.
 References

Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Conway, R. (2014). Diversity, inclusion and engagement. (2nd
Ed.). Victoria, Australia: University Press.

Legge, K. (2016). The autism explosion in Australian school. Accessed:

https://lor.usq.edu.au/usq/file/5489741b-7453-4285-abe0-
8ed44beb9f2f/1/EDC2400%20Autism%20explosion%20in%20Australian%20schools.pdf

Reflection Activity 6 - Specialist knowledge (Module 2, prompt 4)

Reflection:
I completely disagree with the statement that "teaching students with low incidence
disabilities requires knowledge that the general education teacher does not have". Whilst I
do believe that teaching students with low incidence disabilities requires a level of
understanding of the various disabilities and the teaching strategies to facilitate these
needs, I disagree with the statement that 'the general education teacher does not have [these
skills]. The current university education for pre-service teachers is arguably as good as it
has ever been, this course is a prime example of the in-depth level of teaching that is
provided for pre-service teachers in the area of teaching students with disabilities. I believe
however, this statement (prompt statement, original) was true at some stage of teacher
development in years gone by. This course is a prime example of how universities are
preparing teachers for dealing with the challenges that teaching students with low
incidence disabilities involves. The importance of this education should not be understated,
with "an awareness and recognition of the impact that conductive hearing loss has on the
cognitive, social and emotional learning of students’ means that working with students
with hearing loss must be a consideration for every teacher, in every classroom, every day"
(University of Southern Queensland, 2018).
Some teaching strategies to aid students with low incidence disabilities are discussed in the
textbook for this course, and are as follows: providing visual enhancement aids such as
hand-held or stand magnifiers, the use of closed circuit television, monoculars and braille
where appropriate, as well as providing a physical environment that is conducive to aid
student learning, including proving a desk that is nearer the front of the classroom to aid
visual and hearing impaired students and the effective use of lighting in the classroom
(Hyde, et al, 2014). Finally, the most important part of teaching students with low
incidence disabilities is seeking and adapting to feedback. The feedback provided by the
student, and the family of the student are the most important part of aiding these students in
a classroom. The family and the student themself often knows their own triggers, and aids,
in much more detail than a teacher would and should always be the first point of contact
when developing an effective learning strategy. The current learning environment for pre-
service teachers is as good as it has ever been, and continues to grow with the on-going
development of university courses and the professional development that all teachers are
required to complete during their years of service.

References
Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Conway, R. (2014). Diversity, inclusion and engagement. (2nd
Ed.). Victoria, Australia: University Press.

University of Southern Queensland (2018). EDC2400 Educating learners with special

needs across contexts: Module 2: Learners with additional needs: Implications for learning
and teaching

. USQStudyDesk, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=16960

Part C
Critical Reflection

The knowledge I have gained throughout Module 1 and 2 of this course will play an
important part in how I structure my teaching episodes when in the classroom. Particularly
the new found knowledge of inclusive education and the advancements in this area, which
involves the Australian Disability Standards for Education which governs the enrolment,
participation, curriculum development and support services for students with disabilities in
Australia. Additionally, the importance for teachers in adopting strategies in order to make
them an inclusive teacher, including having a commitment to professionalism, providing
effective instruction to students and reflecting and adapting on the quality of their practice
will be a set of skills I will work on and try to implement as much as possible in my
teaching practice. Particularly the self-reflection, which is an area I have neglected in other
aspects of my life, for example mental health and dealing with family losses and other
hardships. Developing a strong process for self-reflection is an on-going ordeal and
requires an honest analysis of the current situation and a researched view on how to
improve and adapt to various challenges. Also, I have learnt the importance of a
collaborative process for inclusive education, which needs to include parents, peer
teachers, students and wider communities to address the needs of all students, including
those with special needs. I have learnt about students with autism, high and low incidence
disabilities and strategies to help students who have these conditions. Particularly, seeking
feedback from the student as to what they need in order to feel safe and protected in my
classroom, which may involve changing the lighting, physical layout of the room, how I
organise group activities and the amount of differing stimulus in a lesson. I now understand
how to create an environment which is conducive to learning and facilitates the needs of all
students. This involves the physical layout of a classroom but also the mental aspects of
students which is integral to learning; motivation, engagement, understanding and
challenging. Finally, I will endeavour to be a culturally sensitive teacher who understands
the value that each student places on their own culture, and how this impacts their ability to
learn in a classroom which appreciates all cultures.

The overall community and educational system in Australia has changed over the
years, in relation towards students with special educational needs, however the fight is
not over and more progress needs to be made. This is clear in the article titled 'The
autism explosion in Australian schools' which highlighted some first-person
experiences of parents of students with autism and how they were treated by some
Australian schools. Unfortunately, in terms of special needs education, a large
emphasis on funding is required to make the changes needed to help all students.
Funding in terms of hiring additional well-trained staff to reduce the student to teacher
ratio and help in providing assistance that is relevant and specific to the needs of
students, and providing safe learning environments which are conducive to learning
and supporting all students is important. However, the awareness of the needs of
special education students and those suffering disabilities has never been higher among
Australian education staff and the ongoing research and implementation of relevant
strategies to facilitate the needs of these students is something which is important to
myself as a future educator and is going in the right direction.
 References

Heward, W. L. (2014). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th

ed.). Essex: Pearson.

Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Conway, R. (2014). Diversity, inclusion and engagement. (2nd
Ed.). Victoria, Australia: University Press.

Legge, K. (2016). The autism explosion in Australian school. Accessed:

https://lor.usq.edu.au/usq/file/5489741b-7453-4285-abe0-
8ed44beb9f2f/1/EDC2400%20Autism%20explosion%20in%20Australian%20schools.pdf

University of Southern Queensland (2018). EDC2400 Educating learners with special

needs across contexts: Module 1: Legislation, policies, practices and resources to support
learners with additional needs in inclusive educational environments
. USQStudyDesk, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=16960

University of Southern Queensland (2018). EDC2400 Educating learners with special

needs across contexts: Module 2: Learners with additional needs: Implications for learning
and teaching

. USQStudyDesk, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=16960

What are inclusive assessment practices? (n.d.). Center for the Enhancement of Learning
and Teaching. Retrieved 11 January 2021, from https://provost.tufts.edu/celt/inclusive-
assessment/