Connecting service learning to the identification and removal of barriers that limit participation and learning for all learners.

  1. Manuel Cotrina García 1
  2. Mayka García García 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Cádiz
    info

    Universidad de Cádiz

    Cádiz, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04mxxkb11

Proceedings:
2nd SEA-EU Conference Higher Education in the Service of Society

Publisher: University of Split, The European University of the Seas (SEA-EU) Alliance

ISBN: 978-953-7220-92-1

Year of publication: 2024

Pages: 45-53

Type: Conference paper

Sustainable development goals

Abstract

This research article presents a didactic-pedagogical proposal for the initial training of future teachers. The proposal focuses on Service-Learning as a means to develop inclusive education through professional practice. It is the result of collaborative reflection by a group of teachers from the University of Cadiz, as part of the I+R+I project titled, 'What are we forgetting in inclusive education: a participatory research project in Western Andalusia' (PID2019-108775RB-C43). The text begins with the assumption that Service-Learning is a means of promoting inclusive education and is itself an inclusivemethodology. The proposal connects various core elements of Service-Learning, including the identification of needs and the development of services to reduce or eliminate barriers as a means of transformative action. The links between Service-Learning and the central element of inclusive education make sense. This is embodied in the concept of barriers that limit or prevent the presence, participation and educational progress of all students (Ainscow, 2004). This paper addresses several research questions: How can Service-Learning facilitate inclusive pedagogy in initial teacher education? How can we identify and eliminate barriers to presence, participation, and educational progress for all learners?How does the service contribute to the development of more inclusive school contexts? This work continues the authors' previous contributions to various areas of Service-Learning development, including its epistemological bases (García & Cotrina, 2012), institutionalisation processes (García & Cotrina, 2015), innovative experiences in subjects related to diversity (García & Cotrina, 2016), and new implementation models such as the cascading service-learning model (Cotrina, 2022). All of the authors are committed to using Service-Learning as a valuable strategy for the initial training of future teachers. This approach enhances their competence development in relation to inclusiveeducation.