Understanding and shaping the handling of diversity in schools

An insight into a learning and research workshop at the University of Münster

Abstract

Teacher beliefs and attitudes have proven to be significant for professional action in inclusive settings. The reflection and development of one’s own attitudes thus becomes an important task of teacher education and the professionalization of teacher students. How this shall be realized within the framework of a learning and research workshop at the Institute for Educational Science of the University of Münster, is shown by the following remarks. Special importance is attached to action research. There, the reflexive examination of one’s own situated point of view and concepts of normality is explicitly included in the process of research (self-study). In this way, research-based learning about the school-based dealing with diversity also becomes a research-based learning about oneself. In addition, the concept of action research explicitly links the reflective access to the school field with practical action. This connection can also be found in the learning and research workshop described here, in which not only the understanding but also the design of school practice is pursued. How this can look concretely, is exemplified by the example of testing adaptive teaching