Education for All Week 3 - Leading change

Morton, Ann

Education for All Week 3 - Leading change

MOOC

2018-06-01

Abstract

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.