When I began my research for my portfolio, I knew immediately that I wanted my topic to be about inclusion in schools. This is because my major at Syracuse University is inclusive elementary and special education. In most of the classes that I have taken in college so far, I have learned about inclusion, and what teachers should do to make classrooms welcoming for each and every student. The research that I have been doing for this class has definitely expanded my knowledge of inclusive education, and I am excited to use this new information for my future career.
The main purpose of my research was to find out what it truly means to be inclusive in schools. Sometimes it can be tough to really understand a complex term like inclusion when you do not have background knowledge on it, so I think that the sources I found could be extremely helpful when it comes to defining this word. In order to find my sources, I mostly used Syracuse Library Summons. This website is very helpful because it has many options to specify a search in the advanced search section. I was able to select the type of source I wanted by using only a few words as well. I think that one of the most important things to think about when researching is what you want your sources to convey. This will help in the process because you will only need two to three words typed in the search bar to find what you are looking for. The assignments that I have done have also helped with my research. For example, the annotations and the rounding out the conversation assignment allowed me to think about the value of my sources, and why they are important to my topic. Overall, the exercises and assignments that I have done have helped me to specify my research, and find value in my sources.
Overall, I think that my research covers a lot of what I wanted it to cover, but it may have some holes. During my research, I tried to find sources that are told in the perspective of someone who has a disability. However, it was very hard to find articles like this. Most of the articles were in the viewpoint of an expert in the field of education. I did find studies that included the perspectives of children though, which I think is important. In addition, I was able to find sources that talked about the same topic in different ways. For example, one of the articles is about inclusive relationships in physical education, and how gym class can promote these friendships. Another source I found is about inclusion in two completely different countries. All of these sources help me to define inclusion because they come together to create a big picture of inclusion.
Supporting Materials:
WRT 205 focusing flowchart Assignment
WRT 205_ Complicating Research Assignment
WRT 205 rounding out the conversation worksheet – Dominique PDF
Annotations: