Milli steins og sleggju: hugmyndir umsjónarkennara um faglegt sjálfstæði sitt til að tryggja fulla þátttöku allra nemenda í efstu bekkjum grunnskóla

Abstract

Hér er fjallað um reynslu kennara á unglingastigi grunnskóla af því að vinna í anda stefnu um skóla án aðgreiningar. Tekin voru eigindleg viðtöl við sex umsjónarkennara í jafnmörgum grunnskólum í fjórum bæjarfélögum á höfuðborgarsvæðinu. Niðurstöður leiddu í ljós að þeir upplifðu miklar skorður af völdum: a) formgerðar grunnskólans á efri stigum sem þeim þótti hafa tekið mun minni breytingum í átt að skóla án aðgreiningar en yngri stig grunnskólans, b) tiltekinna menntastrauma og stefna sem þeim fannst vinna gegn skóla án aðgreiningar og loks c) skorts á faglegum stuðningi í takt við starfsaðstæður þeirra. Það var skoðun kennaranna að jaðarsetning sumra nemenda yrði meira afgerandi eftir því sem á skólagönguna liði. Kennararnir upplifðu sig oft og tíðum eins og milli steins og sleggju þar sem þeim væri gert erfitt um vik að tengja hlutverk sitt sem umsjónarkennarar þekkingu og björgum sem þeir hefðu yfir að ráða. Hjá öllum viðmælendunum kom fram að faglegt sjálfstæði hefði rýrnað og björgum fækkað á síðustu árum, sem rekja mætti til aukinnar markaðs- og stjórnunarvæðingar, og lítið svigrúm gæfist fyrir vangaveltur um siðferðilegt hlutverk og inntak skólans. Kennurunum varð tíðrætt um mikilvægi þess að þeir væru hafðir með í ráðum í hvers kyns stefnumótun í kennslu.

Inclusive education is based on core values of human rights, democracy and equality. The research question is inspired by the authors’ experience of how some students move silently closer to the social margins as they draw nearer to the end of compulsory education in spite of the teacher’s full intention and effort that all students feel equally valued and active participants from beginning until the end of compulsory school. In the Icelandic Compulsory Education Act (Lög um grunnskóla nr. 91/2008) it is stated that any form of alienation is rejected and the aim is to protect students who for any reasons are socially vulnerable or in danger of not gaining full access to everyday school life. The aim of this research is to explore teachers’ experience of inclusive teaching of students in secondary classroom settings (14-16 year-old). The macro structures, as well as policy and institutional features are the main focus, and how these shape and influence teachers’ professional autonomy, ideals and values. This is a qualitative interview study. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers in six compulsory schools in four different municipalities which were all part of the metropolitan area of Reykjavík. The schools were located in socially different areas of the Reykjavík metropolitan area. The socio-cultural classroom situation was different for each of the teachers as can be gathered from their narratives. All the teachers shared a long-term professional experience (15 years or more), as well as being positive and proactive towards inclusive education. Results indicate that teachers feel openness to schooling practices and opportunities for inclusivity diminish closer to the end of compulsory schooling. The teachers sometimes felt stuck between a rock and a hard place as it was made difficult for them to balance their role between being a classroom teacher and their working conditions and resources. All participants felt that formal access to resources was delivered and defined by other professions, as for example how much and what kind of assistance or support is needed. Teachers’ ideas of democracy in education with active student participation were clearly defined but had no resonance with the individualization that emphasizes competition and, as a result, often works against the ideology of the inclusive school and its educational principles. Values that do not pertain to rules of the market are marginalized and there is little space for questions on the content and ethical value of schools, teachers and other influences on school work. Teachers mentioned the importance of their direct participation in policy making or agenda pertaining to teaching. There was a clear call for increased flexibility in the school framework, smaller classes and more emphasis on offering art and craft