PREPARATION
– This assignment often takes more time to prepare as you will need to think deeply about your response. Allow sufficient time to develop your argument and edit your work.
– Review the information available on the government website https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/pd-2005-0243 in particular, read the Summary of Inclusive Education for students with disability policy that can be found on the website. There will be a link in the Assessment 2 folder.
– Select one of the seven roles and responsibilities to focus on for your position paper.
13
– Identify which educational setting you will focus on.
– Review the resources in the vUWS Assessment 2 folder.
– Undertake your own research about the current issues, challenges, and possibilities in Australia in relation to the implications for inclusive education in this role/responsibility. Investigate examples of best practices.
– Write a statement, that reflects your position on the selected role/responsibility, and then justify your position by elaborating on the key issues, referencing the literature to support your argument. Write two recommendations that align with your position statement and justification.
– Check that your position, justification, and recommendations align. Is the argument logical, credible, and based on evidence?
– When undertaking your research ensure your references are current (the majority should be less than 5 years old), mostly Australian; relevant to your (early childhood, primary or secondary) context; and peer-reviewed literature and not websites. It is wise to reference your text.
– Remember this is not an opinion piece, it is a formal position paper responding to policy, which will be read by the relevant Departmental officers, and consequently it should have a succinct and formal tone. A good starting point is to reflect on some of these questions as you explore the complexities of your response:
– How does the role/responsibility influence the implementation of inclusive education?
– Why should we care about the role/responsibility?
– How realistic are the roles and responsibilities, do they go far enough, or do they go too far?
– What are some of the underlying issues and barriers to achieving this role/responsibility?
– How likely is it that the achievement of the role/responsibility will influence the way children/students with disabilities and their families experience inclusive education?
– How do the issues or barriers influence the achievement of the role/responsibility?
– What does the research say might ameliorate these barriers? What can we learn from international practices?
– What other measures and mechanisms will promote the inclusion of children/students with disability in education and learning