SEND, BESD, EAL and the Inclusion Agenda

Today we had a session on SEND, BESD and EAL. Three enormous factors which impact daily on a teachers' role and which I feel require pedagogical training. I am not sure that one morning is sufficient to enable would-be teachers to have precise knowledge of how best to remediate these issues as they occur.

My final essay for my degree was a "Critical Engagement with the Literature on the Policy, Theory and Pedagogy for the Inclusion of EAL Learners", so I am a little sensitive on the issue of how teachers ensure the inclusion of EAL learners. My reading for the essay really imparted the importance of language teaching and language rich environments to ensure EAL learners are able to work within their Zone of Proximal Development in whatever the subject. 

I was tickled to observe myself getting really rankled at the lack of theory that was discussed. Is it important that this was the case? Is it necessary to be familiar with the literature to successfully differentiate for these learners? I think so, I suppose I will take the lessons I learned during my research, employ it in my teaching, evaluate it and share it as appropriate in my setting. 

The talk on SEND was informative, but I wonder if this sole session will be enough to equip would-be teachers with the necessary skills for the wide-ranging spectrum of needs they may face in their NQT year, when they are expected to work independently? This is an area I feel would have benefited from some pedagogical theory, I wonder if everyone has read the recommended reading? Even a copy of the Index for Inclusion may have provided think pieces for learning.

On a more positive note, our session which was given by a primary SENCo and a nursery teacher was very insightful. They included information, strategies and discussion about children with BESD. They introduced me to the notion of "attention-seeking or attention-needing"; a very effective description of the varied emotional needs children may show. 

Overall a mixed day, what did I learn? I am very fortunate that my degree allowed me to read widely on these issues, therefore today I did not feel I expanded on that learning. However, it did give me a chance to reflect on what I had read and what I learned from the literature. Lesson No.6 in Learning to Teach is find a way to keep up with contemporary writing on these issues to ensure I stay up to date with pedagogical theory.