Browsing by Author "Morton, Ann"

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    Education for All Week 3 - Leading change
    (2018-06-01) Morton, Ann
    In this video, Ann Morton, Principal of Pinelands North Primary School, discusses the process of leading change. She explains the importance of getting the support of key staff members who are key in the process of supporting inclusion in an institution. She also discusses the importance of understanding the change process and the likely fear, and potentially harm, that change can bring to people unfamiliar with the proposed change in practice. She reflects on the continuum of inclusion - that is, that inclusion is a practice that becomes normalised over time as a result of focused hard work and that people who are committed to inclusive practice support each other, and that all members of the educational community from teaching staff to cleaners to family members are important agents ensuring an inclusive approach. She speaks about the importance of experimentation and sharing of success stories and the importance of leadership and active practice by upper management in dealing with the hands-on realities of inclusive practice (in her case, through direct teaching). Lastly, she reflects on the difficulty of educating members of school governing bodies who grew up in non-inclusive environment about the importance and value of inclusion in the classroom.
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    Education for All Week 3 - The long road
    (2018-06-01) Morton, Ann
    In this video, Ann Morton, principal of Pinelands North Primary school, reflects on the 20-year journey that the school has taken to mainstream inclusive practices into their teaching. She reflects that top-level leadership, while still experiencing difficulties and challenges, is more able to promote inclusive practices in their school than a single teacher would be on her own. She emphasises that inclusion can take place with very little money. She stresses that inclusive practices are not just for children with disabilities, but also benefit all children and the quality of overall teaching at the school. Inclusivity is therefore a comprehensive strategy that promotes student learning, teacher practice, and the inclusion of parents and community members who themselves may need additional accommodations to be involved in their children's learning. She also makes the point that inclusion is an ongoing process to accommodate different kinds of lived experiences and learning needs from a range of different communities and individual needs. She finishes by discussing the roles of community organisations and parents in providing additional care and support for all students in the school, such as through reading and writing support or supporting teachers in the classroom with educational games.