Impact of critical pedagogy on professional learning for post-16 education

Authors

Abstract

Purpose Professional learning has been highlighted as critical to improvement in educational practice for Autistic learners. Empirical evidence about what is effective for professional learning in education suggests it is a “bottom-up” process of intellectual, practical and emotional engagement and application of new knowledge to specific contexts. The purpose of this study was to gather information about postgraduate professional learning that sought to combine lived experience with reflection on practice in a critical pedagogy approach for practitioners working with Autistic learners in post-16 education. Design/methodology/approach Participants in the study represented all further education (FE) colleges in Wales and included experienced teachers and leaders, most of whom have a role focused on inclusion and learning support within their setting. Two phases of data collection were carried out, namely, a baseline survey (n = 36) and follow-up interviews (n = 15) at the end of the year of study. Interviews explored personal experiences of learning, knowledge and beliefs about practice and change in this respect and professionals’ priorities for the development of practice. Findings Findings present information gathered from the interviews and indicate that the course did not provide practitioners with new knowledge about autism but supported the development of more nuanced understandings of autism and more professional confidence about practice. However, familiarisation with lived experience and critical reflection on practice were described as supporting the questioning of basic assumptions and greater appreciation of the nature of difference for Autistic learners. Originality/value Study findings reframe what should be considered the focus of support practices for Autistic learners in FE.

1. Kristen Robertson , Brandt Chamberlain , CONNIE KASARI (2003). General Education Teachers' Relationships with Included Students with Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(2), 123-130. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1023/a:1022979108096 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1579543141

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
2. All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) (2017). Autism and Education in England 2017 . Autism and Education in England 2017.

   Type: Other

   Crossref
3. Aoife Brennan , Fiona King , Joe Travers (2021). Supporting the enactment of inclusive pedagogy in a primary school . International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(13), 1540-1557. Informa UK Limited.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2019.1625452 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2949287605

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
4. Tasneem L. Talib , Sharon E. Paulson (2015). Differences in Competence and Beliefs About Autism Among Teacher Education Students . The Teacher Educator, 50(4), 240-256. Informa UK Limited.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/08878730.2015.1072259 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1857003699

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
5. Simon Borg (2018). Evaluating the Impact of Professional Development . RELC Journal, 49(2), 195-216. SAGE Publications.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/0033688218784371 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2869517337

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
6. Cynthia E. Coburn (2001). Collective Sensemaking about Reading: How Teachers Mediate Reading Policy in Their Professional Communities . Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23(2), 145-170. American Educational Research Association (AERA).

   Type: Article DOI: 10.3102/01623737023002145 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2098371579

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
7. Nataša Pantić , Lani Florian (2015). Developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice . Education Inquiry, 6(3), 333. Informa UK Limited.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.3402/edui.v6.27311 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1898948438

   Crossref OpenAlex
8. Monique Botha *Autistic author. Learn more… , Bridget Dibb , David M. Frost (2022). "Autism is me": an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma . Disability & Society, 37(3), 427-453. Informa UK Limited.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2020.1822782 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3092648145

   AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
9. Rebecca Wood , Damian Milton *Autistic author. Learn more… (2018). Reflections on the value of autistic participation in a tri‐national teacher‐training project through discourses of acceptance, othering and power . British Journal of Special Education, 45(2), 157-171. Wiley.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/1467-8578.12216 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2884892093

   AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
10. Damian Milton *Autistic author. Learn more… (2012). On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’ . Disability & Society, 27(6), 883-887. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2012.710008 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1968949608

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
11. V. Darleen Opfer , David Pedder (2011). Conceptualizing Teacher Professional Learning . Review of Educational Research, 81(3), 376-407. American Educational Research Association (AERA).

    Type: Article DOI: 10.3102/0034654311413609 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2147963848

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
12. Fiona King (2014). Evaluating the impact of teacher professional development: an evidence-based framework . Professional Development in Education, 40(1), 89-111. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2013.823099 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2002986612

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
13. (2018). Effective Teacher Development: Theory and Practice in Professional Learning . Effective Teacher Development: Theory and Practice in Professional Learning.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
14. Matthew J. Segall , Jonathan M. Campbell (2012). Factors relating to education professionals’ classroom practices for the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6(3), 1156-1167. Elsevier BV.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2012.02.007 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2015095801

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
15. Jackie Ravet (2018). ‘But how do I teach them?’: Autism & Initial Teacher Education (ITE) . International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(7), 714-733. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2017.1412505 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2772202431

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
16. Lani Florian (2014). What counts as evidence of inclusive education? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 29(3), 286-294. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2014.933551 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2020978751

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
17. (2019). Autism, Pedagogy and Education: Critical Issues for Value-based Teaching . Autism, Pedagogy and Education: Critical Issues for Value-based Teaching.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
18. Karen Guldberg , Alexia Achtypi , Luigi D’Alonzo , Katerina Laskaridou , Damian Milton *Autistic author. Learn more… , Paola Molteni et al. (2021). Using the value creation framework to capture knowledge co-creation and pathways to impact in a transnational community of practice in autism education . International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 44(1), 96-111. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/1743727x.2019.1706466 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2998543035

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
19. Cate Watson (2014). Effective professional learning communities? The possibilities for teachers as agents of change in schools . British Educational Research Journal, 40(1), 18-29. Wiley.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/berj.3025 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2024379273

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
20. Karen Guldberg , Sarah Parsons , Kaśka Porayska‐Pomsta , Wendy Keay‐Bright (2017). Challenging the knowledge‐transfer orthodoxy: Knowledge co‐construction in technology‐enhanced learning for children with autism . British Educational Research Journal, 43(2), 394-413. Wiley.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/berj.3275 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2600218631

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
21. K. Runswick-Cole , Nick Hodge (2009). Needs or rights? A challenge to the discourse of special education . British Journal of Special Education, 36(4), 198-203. Wiley.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8578.2009.00438.x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2028687856

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
22. (2005). Education for Critical Consciousness . Education for Critical Consciousness.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
23. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch , Patricia J. Brooks , Fumio Someki , Rita Obeid , Christina Shane‐Simpson , Steven K. Kapp *Autistic author. Learn more… et al. (2015). Changing College Students’ Conceptions of Autism: An Online Training to Increase Knowledge and Decrease Stigma . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(8), 2553-2566. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2422-9 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2039386588

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
24. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch , Steven K. Kapp *Autistic author. Learn more… , Patricia J. Brooks , Jonathan Pickens , Ben Schwartzman (2017). Whose expertise is it? Evidence for Autistic adults as critical autism experts . Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 438. Frontiers Media SA.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00438 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2601691194

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenAlex
25. Thomas R. Guskey (2002). Professional Development and Teacher Change . Teachers and Teaching, 8(3), 381-391. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/135406002100000512 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2128068105

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
26. Jonathan Vincent , Kevin Ralston (2020). Trainee teachers’ knowledge of autism: implications for understanding and inclusive practice . Oxford Review of Education, 46(2), 202-221. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/03054985.2019.1645651 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2967383145

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
27. Damian Milton *Autistic author. Learn more… (2014). Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies . Autism, 18(7), 794-802. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361314525281 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2122352988

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project AutiHub · Documentation center Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
28. (2011). On Critical Pedagogy . On Critical Pedagogy.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
29. Rachel Lofthouse , Ulrike Thomas (2017). Concerning collaboration: teachers’ perspectives on working in partnerships to develop teaching practices . Professional Development in Education, 43(1), 36-56. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2015.1053570 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2146301234

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
30. Jacqueline Roberts , Kate Simpson (2016). A review of research into stakeholder perspectives on inclusion of students with autism in mainstream schools . International Journal of Inclusive Education, 20(10), 1084-1096. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2016.1145267 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2343357028

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
31. Glenys Jones (2019). Professional Development for Those Working in Education with Students on the Autism Spectrum . In The Sage Handbook of Autism and Education (pp. 70-88). SAGE Publications Ltd.

    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.4135/9781526470409.n7 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2965375045

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
32. Pilar Sanz-Cervera , María-Inmaculada Fernández-Andrés , Gemma Pastor-Cerezuela , Raúl Tárraga-Mínguez (2017). Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge, Misconceptions and Gaps About Autism Spectrum Disorder . Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 40(3), 212-224. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/0888406417700963 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2599052895

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
33. (2019). The effect of familiarization with Autistic individuals on trainee teachers’ attitudes . Teacher Education Advancement Network Journal, 11(1), 37.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
34. Clare Lawrence *Autistic author. Learn more… , John Rimmer (2020). Pilot study: can the draft film broken support trainee teachers’ understanding of autism communication issues in mainstream classrooms? Teacher Education Advancement Network Journal, 12(1), 65.

    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3130896302

    Crossref OpenAlex
35. RM Lofthouse , K Cowie (2018). Joining the dots: using lesson study to develop metacognitive teaching . Journal of the Chartered College of Teaching, 3.

    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2890752567

    Crossref OpenAlex
36. Amy Dympna Nolan , Elizabeth Fraser Selkirk Hannah (2019). Impact of training in Autism on inclusive practices . Advances in Autism, 5(2), 94-106. Emerald.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1108/aia-03-2018-0008 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2921609449

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
37. Elliott Spaeth , Amy Pearson *Autistic author. Learn more… (2021). A Reflective Analysis on Neurodiversity and Student Wellbeing: Conceptualising Practical Strategies for Inclusive Practice . Pre-Print: PsyArXiv. Center for Open Science.

    Type: Preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/dc3gw

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project Crossref OpenCitations
38. (2019). Difference versus disability: implications of characteristics of autism for education and support . The Sage Handbook of Autism and Education, 70.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
39. (2011). Placing equity front and center’ revisited . In Studying Diversity in Teacher Education (pp. 363). The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc..

    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.5040/9798881815714.ch18 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4410646666

    Crossref OpenAlex
40. Martyn Rouse (2008). Developing inclusive practice: a role for teachers and teacher education? Education in the North, 16(1), 6. Education in the North.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.26203/j15x-ym95 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2961258415

    Crossref OpenAlex
41. (1990). The Politics of Disablement . The Politics of Disablement.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
42. Elliott Spaeth , Amy Pearson *Autistic author. Learn more… (2021). A Reflective Analysis on Neurodiversity and Student Wellbeing: Conceptualising Practical Strategies for Inclusive Practice . J Perspect Appl Acad Pract, 11(2). Center for Open Science.

    Type: Preprint DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/cbk23 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4235502358

    AutiHub · Autistic Autism Scholarship Project OpenAlex
43. Thomas, M. (2019), “Collaborative practices to improve mental health for Autistic children and their families”, UCL Institute of Mental Health, December 16, available at: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/mental-health/2019/12/16/collaborative-practices-to-improve-mental-health-for-Autistic-children-and-their-families/ (accessed 18 May 2022).

    Type: Other

    Crossref
44. (2011). Realizing the Power of Professional Learning . Realizing the Power of Professional Learning.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
45. Welsh Government (2021), “The additional learning needs code for Wales 2021”, available at: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2021-03/210326-the-additional-learning-needs-code-for-wales-2021.pdf (accessed 21 July 2021).

    Type: Other

    Crossref
46. (2015). Learning in Landscapes of Practice: Boundaries, Identity, and Knowledgeability in Practice-Based Learning . Learning in Landscapes of Practice: Boundaries, Identity, and Knowledgeability in Practice-Based Learning.

    Type: Other

    Crossref