Leadership for inclusion and special education: Novice teachers walking the walk.

Abstract

Expectations of teacher leadership for school improvement have gained increasing currency in recent years. While extensive research on teacher leadership and practicing teachers exists, comparatively little research exists at pre-service level and there is little empirical data regarding leadership experiences and practices of novice teachers particularly in the context of leadership for inclusion. This paper draws on empirical data from six primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland who had undertaken a leadership for inclusion and special education module in their pre-service education and evidenced their willingness and readiness to practise leadership in schools. During their first year of teaching the teachers were engaged in a community of practice to help bridge the knowledge practice gap related to leadership for inclusion. A visual ethnographic research approach was used to track the teachers as they transitioned from ‘talking the talk to walking the walk’. Analysis of results indicates teachers’ ability to exercise leadership in their own classrooms, in collaboration with others within and beyond their schools. This paper extends the knowledge base on how leadership development in pre-service education evolves in the experiences and practices of a group of novice teachers and subsequent implications for teacher educators.