Exploring new territories: my trajectory toward becoming an inclusive science teacher educator

Abstract

The inclusion of individuals with disabilities in post‐secondary contexts is a growing trend. Many teacher educators have experience teaching in early childhood, elementary or secondary contexts. However, most teacher educators may not have had the opportunity to experience inclusive teaching in these contexts or to experience them currently in higher education. This paper describes my experiences as a science educator when an adult with significant disabilities was my student. In order to document the complexity of this work, I discuss my initial ideas regarding individuals with disabilities. I describe how these ideas changed as a result of teaching, reading and reflection. I summarize my realizations of this process and conclude with implications for teacher educator learning and teaching inclusively.

Keywords:

• inclusion
• college science teaching
• special education
• reflective practice

Notes

1. An AlphaSmart is a portable word‐processing keyboard, essentially a digital typewriter, manufactured by NEO Direct, Inc.