In 2003 the New Zealand government published a synthesis of research on ‘Quality Teaching for Diverse Students’. Like many other such ‘evidence-based’ syntheses it was largely quantitative and focused mainly on research that showed large, measurable increases in learning. The study identified ten features of classrooms which were found to have a large, positive impact upon student learning in diverse settings. One of these features was that student learning is considerably enhanced when ‘pedagogical practices enable classes and other learning groupings to work as caring, inclusive, and cohesive learning communities’.
The report goes on to highlight the role which teachers can play in:
- modelling a sense of inclusion and care in classrooms
- structuring learning opportunities to maximise inclusion and cohesion
- teaching students the skills of interacting positively with each other.
These findings are not new and they echo earlier research findings , but they are gaining increasing relevance in Ireland both as a result of our growing awareness of diversity in schools and as a result of the changes to the Irish Leaving Certificate envisaged by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The NCCA’s framework of ‘key skills’ identifies skills that are to be learned by Leaving Certificate students across all of the subjects being revised or introduced as part of the developments of senior cycle education. Among the skill sets included is ‘working with others’.
Whether or not our teachers are ready, across all subjects, to teach young people the skills of working effectively with other people is an open question. Indeed, it is worth asking whether we, as educators, are even sure as to what those skills are.
PS: In addition to ‘working with others’ the key skill areas are ‘being personally effective’, ‘communicating’, ‘critical and creative thinking’ and ‘information processing’.
- The Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling” report is on http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/5959
- A short introduction to the NCCA’s work on developing senior cycle can be found on http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/SCbooklet.pdf
