The Future of Education

Just like “It takes a village to raise a child”, it takes the entire school ecosystem to be inclusive in its approach for a child with diversities to feel truly included. By “diversities” we mean every kind of learner who is under-resourced, under-served or marginalized due to a variability and not just learners with disabilities. Inclusive education within a classroom can succeed only if the whole school is “inclusive”. And for that to happen the school needs a “culture” of inclusion (Cherkowski, S. (2010)). Not all schools have succeeded in developing this culture. While a classroom teacher may adopt an inclusive approach, a Physical Education teacher or administrative staff member, who also interacts regularly with the child, may not be equally sensitive and could unintentionally cause harm through demeaning or unwarranted words or actions. During the 1933–1934 academic year, Vygotsky delivered a lecture at the A. I. Herzen Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. In this context, Vygotsky (1998) argued: “To state a certain, general, formal position, it would be correct to say that the environment determines the development of the child through experience of the environment. (p. 294)”. In the school context, this environment encompasses all stakeholders- both direct and indirect, who shape the child’s experience of learning and education. The iSEAD programme aims to influence all these stakeholders, ensuring that they share a common understanding and commitment to inclusion and inclusive education. It is a dynamic, do-it-yourself, in-house workshop series in which every stakeholder becomes a change-maker and takes ownership of creating a conducive environment where inclusion is alive and thriving. The iSEAD inclusion toolkit authored by Ms. Manjushree Patil during her Fulbright-DAI Fellowship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is designed to build an inclusive ecosystem through ten structured sessions featuring games, activities, insightful videos, one-on-ones, group interactions, and more. iSEAD is the recipient of the Global Teacher Grant cycle of 2024, which is awarded to pilot research-based inquiry projects by Fulbrighters across the globe. It was the only project from India selected from 180 applicants around the world.