Assessment 1: Critical reflection and analysis (critical task)
Education & Teaching
24th May 2025
3
Assessment 1: Critical reflection and analysis (critical task)
Word count/time limit: 2500 words
Assessment description
This assessment requires you to reflect critically on current understandings of inclusive practice in schools. The assessment has a specific focus on:
stakeholder perspectives
Australian legislation
effective ways to support inclusive practice.
You must support your reflection with recent academic research (i.e. peer reviewed journal articles or book chapters from 2019 onwards) and address issues around access and participation in learning.
This will be achieved through:
engagement with relevant Australian legislation and policy frameworks
the perspectives of a focus student and relevant stakeholders
other relevant professional sources, which provide support for students with disability in inclusive settings.
Assessment details
The task is divided into 4 sections:
Section 1: Extended biography (250 words)
Choose one focus student from the profiles provided:
Assessment 1 Student profiles
Each student profile contains a link to an article that has informed the student profile. While the names in the article/student profile may be different, the article can be used to develop and expand information for your selected student. Include the article in your reference list and it may be used (Author/date) as an intext reference.
Student 1: Shanna
Shanna is now 9 years old, having being born in a Kenyan refugee camp and then coming to Australia at five years of age with her mother and 10 year old brother. Shanna has limited oral, reading and writing English skills but highly verbal in Kenyan. Shanna will draw rather than write and enjoys drama and music classes. She remains anxious about leaving home each day and is unsettled most days at school.
Refugee children's story turned into a heartwarming claymation videoLinks to an external site. (Harmon, 2018).
Student 2: Charlie
Charlie is in year 9 and was diagnosed with low vision at 4 years of age and then Autism Spectrum Disorder at 6 years of age. Charlie lives with sighted parents and two siblings. He has a keen sense of humour and excellent IT skills. Uses assistive and communicative technologies which will require updating when he accesses the senior curriculum.
Charlie loves his school – but he’s leaving after year 10 because it can’t support his disabilityLinks to an external site. (Cassidy, 2023).
Student 3: Jorjie
Jorjie is in year 12 in a rural regional school. From late primary school Jorjie’s teachers have suspected s/he is a gifted writer and poet. Jorjie plays this down and will, when encouraged by the peer group, engage in risk-taking behaviours to get approval. Jorgie has been diagnosed with epilepsy which is usually well controlled, but episodes have increased in severity and frequency. The family have limited finances, resources, opportunities to get an updated diagnosis. For 6 weeks now, Jorjie has had frequent absences.
Aboriginal 18-year-old with disability thrown to ground during NSW police arrest while having seizureLinks to an external site. (Rose & McLeod, 2023).
Student 4: Fassi
Fassi has been with the same foster-care family for more than 12 months now after being in several short term arrangements during the previous 12 months. Fassi was placed in Year 4 at the small suburban school (of a modest socioeconomic demographic) although, old enough for Year 5 class. Fassi is interested in spiders, collects them and can identify most of the ones in the local area. The teachers’ concern about Fassi’s acting out behaviour and refusal to comply, led to a clinical assessment and diagnosis of alcohol foetal syndrome. The school has implemented a positive behaviour program to foster more agreeable peer relationships.
Third of young people leaving Victoria's out-of-home care are homeless within three years – reportLinks to an external site. (Henriques-Gomes, 2020).
Extend this content to create an informed biography about the student’s schooling, family and home life, friends, after school activities, adult life ambitions and learning needs. You are welcome to include maps, images of school, parklands, recreational events to help contextualise the biography.
Section 2: Human Rights and principles of social justice (800 words)
In factual statements, outline the reasons Human Rights and principles of social justice inform your current understandings and delivery of inclusive schooling practices.
You are to develop a cohesive, critical argument with specific details about the development of inclusive education practices in Australia.
You are asked to demonstrate your understanding of inclusive education’s foundation in social justice and equity,
comparing and contrasting
from several perspectives using a range of academic literature sources.
You must:
include references to education in the
Universal Declaration of Human
(United Nations [UN], 1948), the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
(UN, 2006), and the
Convention on the Rights of the
(UN, 1989) and offer the reasons for their importance
offer a comprehensive definition of inclusive education from the perspective of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2016)
General comment No. 4 on Article 24 - the right to inclusive
. Compare this with your state education’s conception of inclusive education.
critically analyse how international agreements have been translated into legislation in Australia.
Section 3: Stakeholder perspectives on inclusive education (800 words)
Understanding and valuing different perspectives on inclusive education is very important for teachers.
Use the same student profile which you selected in Section 1
Use
at least seven
peer-reviewed journal articles, and professional resources that inform possible educational issues or challenges for your selected student.
Complete the following
multiview
table with first-person’s perspective of the impact of inclusive practices in a mainstream educational setting in relation to your selected student. Evaluate the different stakeholders’ perspectives by articulating two benefits and two concerns. This is not opinion. All statements must be supported with sources.
Use a first-person stance, by placing yourself in the shoes of the stakeholder and write from their perspectives.
|
Stakeholder |
Two benefits |
Two concerns |
|
Student |
|
|
|
Parents/carers |
|
|
|
Teachers |
|
|
|
Peers/classmates |
|
|
|
Principal |
|
|
You must:
identify the selected student.
identify two benefits and two possible challenges for your selected student who attends a mainstream school that provides whole-of-school and whole-of-class inclusive practice activities and strategies.
take the view of the stakeholder concerned (i.e. step into their shoes). What are the benefits and challenges for that
particular stakeholder
?
support your work with academic references in each cell of the table using in-text citations. Do not use personal opinions or guesswork.
Section 4: Being an inclusive educator (1150 words)
Now ask yourself: What are your key understandings on inclusive practice for your future teaching?
Critically analyse (examine and interrogate) your researched knowledge about inclusive education, multiple perspectives of inclusive practice, Australian legislation and policies, issues of access and participation, stakeholder perspectives and attitudes, and the teaching and learning strategies that will inform your work as a future inclusive education teacher. Refer to the Disability Standards for Education in your response (2005).
Within this analysis, detail at least
five strategies
that inform and update your understanding of your selected student - their strengths, needs and challenges, both at the start of the school year and at key points throughout the school year.
Give details about the strategies you use to assess if the teaching/learning practices have been effective. Suggest the criteria you use and if not as successful as you want, detail the changes to the strategies for the following year.
Use a minimum of ten academic journal articles from 2019 onwards; and professional sources (e.g. NESA material) to support your analysis.
Ensure this section of the task:
refers to teachers’ obligations as set out in the
Disability Standards for Education 2005Links to an external site.
(Federal Register of Legislation,
n.d.b
)
demonstrates an understanding of the key issues in inclusive practice including the difference between exclusion, integration and inclusion
include multiples perspectives including that of the teacher
is supported by academic references and policies using in-text citations. Do not use personal opinions (e.g. I think
... )
Sources and referencing
Acceptable sources for this assessment task include:
peer-reviewed academic journal articles no more than 10 years old
Australian and international legislation and policies that address rights for people with disability or anti-discrimination, as well as access to inclusive education
professional web-based sources (for example, professional organisations such as Autism Australia, Vision Australia, Down Syndrome Australia); and professional resources (for example, Autism Australia’s Sensory Processing Fact Sheet, Vision Australia’s Adaptive Technology advice, the Down Syndrome App).
You are expected to incorporate content from the unit site (learning materials, readings), provide a complete reference list for the references cited throughout each section and reference according to APA 7 conventions.
Supporting resources
Universal Declaration of Human
(UN, 1948).
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
(UN, 2006).
Convention on the Rights of the
(UN, 1989).
General comment No. 4 on Article 24 - the right to inclusive
(CRPD, 2016).
Australian
Disability Discrimination Act 1992Links to an external site.
(Federal Register of Legislation,
n.d.a
).
Disability Standards for Education 2005Links to an external site.
(Federal Register of Legislation,
n.d.b
).