Encouraging children to think in more inclusive ways

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Description/Abstract

This article explores the possible contributions that children can make in educational settings that aim to move towards greater inclusion. In constructing her debate, Kyriaki Messiou, lecturer in education in the Centre for Educational Studies at the University of Hull, draws on understandings gained through an ethnographic study carried out in a primary school in Cyprus. She used qualitative methods to collect her data, carrying out participant observations and semi-structured interviews with all the children in the school. Her study adopted a broad view of inclusion that is concerned with addressing any form of
marginalisation that might be experienced by students. In the first phases of the study, children who were possibly experiencing marginalisation were identified and the practices used in the school were explored. Then, during the final phase, which is the main focus of this article, efforts were made to help children think in more inclusive ways. Kyriaki Messiou describes the activities she used in this intervention phase, all designed to promote pupil
participation, and argues that these offer promising strategies for teachers who wish to develop more inclusive ways of working.