- I decided that I want my topic to be about inclusive education, so the first thing I did was search inclusive education in Syracuse University Library Summons. A wide variety of articles, books, and other scholarly journals came up, but nothing was exactly what I wanted. I made my search a little bit different by saying that I wanted a journal article, and searching inclusive education benefits. The advanced search was helpful because it allowed me to be more specific, and find some articles that could be a great source. Although I found many great articles by changing by search only a little bit, in the past, I have found it helpful to really take advantage of the advanced search section. For example, you can specify the area of study, make sure the article is current, and even filter your search so that you have only peer reviewed articles. Overall, I like to do my research using the Syracuse Library Summons because of how easy it is to work with.
- I think that one important thing that I can do in order to represent different voices is find sources that are written, or have input from various people who are involved in inclusion. For example, I could find an article where a student who has a disability shares his/her experiences with education, whether it be in a special education classroom, or a general education classroom. Also, I think that it would be interesting if I could find an article that includes the experiences of a child who does not have a disability in their inclusive classroom. Experts, teachers, and school administrators could also be a great resource because they have had experiences with so many different kids. Overall, I think that it is really important to collect sources that include input from various people instead of just showing one side of the argument or one person’s perspective. In order to find these sources, I will do research, and use available filters in order to find what I need.
Writing and organizational cultures
Dominique I agree that its important try and represent others in any applied scenario. I’ve been doing some research along your line seeing how language abilities (and even disabilities) are perceived in the classroom. Whats helped me was listening to videos of experts/ researchers discuss this to audiences (TedTalks are a great place to start). Your research topics sound interesting and I’m looking forward to reading more about.
Some of the primary sources that you’re referencing are more likely to be found on the open web (Google search) or in trade/ professional journals–K-12 teachers are less likely to publish in the kind of peer-reviewed scholarly journals that are cataloged on academic databases. Their audience is more likely to be other K-12 teachers and school administrators, rather than university folks.
You may also find that this work isn’t always in print form–be open to video and audio sources, too. ProPublica might be an especially useful media outlet, as they do extensive work in the area of education, often in conjunction with National Public Radio (NPR).