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Post 8: A Sense of Place and Inclusive Education



In my last blog entry, I explored how the First Peoples Principles of Learning influence my choices on a daily basis. The FPPL are guidelines in teaching and learning that were gathered and presented by the First Nations Education Steering Committee. I want to now use these principles to consider their potential positive influence on Inclusive Education. 

One principle in particular refers to a sense of place:

Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).

Shelley Moore is a scholar and advocate for improving Inclusive Education in B.C., and is a strong proponent of Competency Based Inclusive Education Plans (CBIEPs). In her podcast, in the episode in which she interviews Jo Chrona, an educator, scholar, and advisor to Ministry of Education in curriculum development, the sense of place in the FPPL is used to explore education plans for students with learning disabilities or other needs. Their conversation helped me to understand how important developing a sense of place is for all students and educators.

The sense of place can be applied to creating an inclusive classroom. When a student is on an IEP, this has typically involved determining the individual needs of the student and creating individual goals. In their discussion, Moore and Chrona connect a sense of place with a sense of belonging. Moore proposes that support people take the abstract idea of having a sense of place and apply it to everyday inclusive planning and suggests that school teams and families have different goals and ask different questions:  "Where are the places that people do feel that they belong...What is it about those places that make learning and belonging meaningful? How do we increase the places where kids feel like they belong...where they connect and not just exist?"(33:53). Chrona and Moore share their belief that all students need to feel connected to their spaces, and, to foster this, students need to have input and choice in creating their spaces. A classroom is a unique space; there are a multitude of needs and strengths within four walls. Creating a place for all learners is no easy task; some teachers can have five individual education plans, not to mention students that are requiring significant individualized support without a formal IEP. It can be very overwhelming for classroom teachers to envision how to move forward with daily management and teaching and learning practices. I would like to explore in more depth the planning tools and theories presented by Shelley Moore, using Competency Based Inclusive Education Plans for whole class planning.


References

First Nations Education Steering Committee. (2007). First Peoples Principles of Learning. https://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/ 

Moore, Shelley. (March 20, 2021). The Infrastructure of Inclusion: The Role of Place with Jo Chrona and Friends. The Five Moore Minutes' Podcast. Season 3, Episode 2.


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