CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

Curriculum Development for Inclusive Practice

Curriculum Development for Inclusive Practice

When considering participation and inclusion in higher education it is often tempting to consider the areas that are covered by legislation, such as: 'race'; disability; sexual orientation; religion or belief; age and gender identity. However, students have multiple identities and all students have aspects of their personal lives that will impact upon the classroom context (such as having to act as a carer for a relative or partner, or having to work extra hours to earn additional money). An inclusive curriculum not only addresses groups of students who are covered by legislation, but also allows flexibility to accommodate issues that can potentially be faced by a much larger group of students. It has been said that 'good practice for disabled students is good practice for all', and by focusing on addressing the entitlements of disabled students with a range of impairments it may also benefit the wider student community.

Allen (1998) suggests that promoting equality and participation is 'not just a matter of equal access to existing educational power structures, but of ultimately finding ways of transforming them'. This section presents some key issues for consideration when thinking about transforming the curriculum so that it becomes genuinely inclusive, rather than merely paying lip service to equality and participation. These issues are presented under several headings (4.1 to 4.3 below), from the point of view of three different minority student groups - which are particularly high profile in the higher education sector at the moment - but each section illustrates issues that are also of relevance to other minority groups and, in fact, to all learners, in the development of an inclusive curriculum.

For example, Bird (1996) suggests, in his discussion of the issues facing black students in higher education, that 'from the student's perspective, any innovation in the curriculum should empower them through building their experiences into programmes and modules'. However, he notes that curriculum innovations will be less successful 'where the environment outside the course is still characterised by discrimination and exclusion'. This is an issue for staff development, the aims of which should be:

the development of a non-discriminatory ethos, with associated practice;

the development of curricula responsive to ethnic participation;

the provision of a quality experience for black students.

In addition, Modood and Acland (1998) suggest that prospectuses and other pre-entry information should contain appropriate images and information on ethnic minority students, communities and special facilities and equality and participation policies and procedures, which also has relevance for a range of student groups.

Warren (2004) presents a discussion of different approaches to teaching and learning noting that 'the prevalent approach to the challenge of student participation is student-centred pedagogy', which commonly includes the following strategies for promoting the 'academic and social integration of diverse students':

early diagnosis of skills and needs;

use of a variety of approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, to accommodate different learning styles;

using students' own knowledge and experience to enable them to make connections with new curriculum content;

creating ...