IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY
Abstract
In today’s educational landscape, inclusive education—particularly through the medium of physical activity—plays a vital role in promoting equity and holistic development. Physical education serves not only as a tool for physical well-being but also as a powerful vehicle for social inclusion and educational success. By fostering collaboration among schools, families, and extracurricular settings, inclusive physical education supports the diffusion of universal values and promotes the acquisition of life-changing skills for all students, especially those facing learning and social barriers. This inclusive approach shifts the focus from viewing diversity as a challenge to embracing it as a valuable educational resource. Inclusive teaching methods encourage the recognition and capitalization of individual differences, ensuring that all students, regardless of ability, can fully participate in the learning process. Far from being limited to students with disabilities or special educational needs, inclusivity is now understood as a broader educational strategy that enhances the learning environment for everyone. An inclusive school does not merely adapt to the needs of a few but proactively designs its teaching practices, environments, and community interactions to support the success of every learner. This requires rethinking educational contexts, employing adaptable strategies that serve both individual needs and collective growth. The Italian educational system, aligned with modern pedagogical frameworks, emphasizes the value of diversity and promotes inclusive classrooms as dynamic spaces where every student contributes to and benefits from shared learning experiences. Ultimately, physical education emerges as a critical domain where inclusiveness can thrive, offering moments of aggregation, empowerment, and personal growth. When applied inclusively, it becomes not only a physical pursuit but a socially transformative practice that strengthens the educational mission and supports the development of empathetic, resilient, and collaborative individuals
Keywords:
Inclusive Education, Physical Activity, Diversity in Learning, Educational Equity, School-Family CollaborationDownloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Prof. Lorenzo Antonio De Luca
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Brennan, A., King, F., & Travers, J. (2021). Supporting the enactment of inclusive pedagogy in a primary school. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(13), 1540–1557. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1651412
Ciyer, A. (2010). Developing inclusive education policies and practices in Turkey: A study of the roles of UNESCO and local educators (Doctoral dissertation). Arizona State University.
DeMatthews, D. E., Serafini, A., & Watson, T. N. (2021). Leading inclusive schools: Principal perceptions, practices, and challenges to meaningful change. Educational Administration Quarterly, 57(1), 3–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X20917852
Demchenko, I., Maksymchuk, B., Bilan, V., Maksymchuk, I., & Kalynovska, I. (2021). Training future physical education teachers for professional activities under the conditions of inclusive education. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 12(3), 191–213. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/12.3/222
Garg, S., & Sharma, S. (2020). Impact of artificial intelligence in special need education to promote inclusive pedagogy. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 10(7), 523–527. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2020.10.7.1403
Graham, L. (Ed.). (2020). Inclusive education for the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003111228
Haegele, J. A. (2019). Inclusion illusion: Questioning the inclusiveness of integrated physical education: 2019 National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education Hally Beth Poindexter Young Scholar Address. Quest, 71(4), 387–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2019.1656573
Hansen, J. H., Carrington, S., Jensen, C. R., Molbæk, M., & Secher Schmidt, M. C. (2020). The collaborative practice of inclusion and exclusion. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 6(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2020.1736287
Hutzler, Y., Meier, S., Reuker, S., & Zitomer, M. (2019). Attitudes and self-efficacy of physical education teachers toward inclusion of children with disabilities: A narrative review of international literature. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 24(3), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2019.1571183
Juvonen, J., Lessard, L. M., Rastogi, R., Schacter, H. L., & Smith, D. S. (2019). Promoting social inclusion in educational settings: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Psychologist, 54(4), 250–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1655645
Kefallinou, A., Symeonidou, S., & Meijer, C. J. (2020). Understanding the value of inclusive education and its implementation: A review of the literature. Prospects, 49(3–4), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09451-w
Kim, H. J., Yi, P., & Hong, J. I. (2021). Are schools digitally inclusive for all? Profiles of school digital inclusion using PISA 2018. Computers & Education, 170, 104226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104226
Kinsella, W. (2020). Organising inclusive schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(12), 1340–1356. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1521116
Kirk, D. (2019). Precarity, critical pedagogy and physical education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429025656
Mihajlovic, C. (2020). Special educators' perceptions of their role in inclusive education: A case study in Finland. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 4(2), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2020061403
Miller, A. L., Wilt, C. L., Allcock, H. C., Kurth, J. A., Morningstar, M. E., & Ruppar, A. L. (2022). Teacher agency for inclusive education: An international scoping review. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 26(12), 1159–1177. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1855108
Nilholm, C. (2021). Research about inclusive education in 2020 – How can we improve our theories in order to change practice? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 36(3), 358–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2020.1755923
Opstoel, K., Chapelle, L., Prins, F. J., De Meester, A., Haerens, L., van Tartwijk, J., & De Martelaer, K. (2020). Personal and social development in physical education and sports: A review study. European Physical Education Review, 26(4), 797–813. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X20912779
Óskarsdóttir, E., Donnelly, V., Turner-Cmuchal, M., & Florian, L. (2020). Inclusive school leaders – Their role in raising the achievement of all learners. Journal of Educational Administration, 58(5), 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-04-2019-0067
Pangrazi, R. P., & Beighle, A. (2019). Dynamic physical education for elementary school children (19th ed.). Human Kinetics.
Pennac, D. (2010). Diario di scuola. Feltrinelli Editore.
Pozo-Armentia, A. D., Reyero, D., & Gil Cantero, F. (2020). The pedagogical limitations of inclusive education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(10), 1064–1076. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1717630
Rekaa, H., Hanisch, H., & Ytterhus, B. (2019). Inclusion in physical education: Teacher attitudes and student experiences. A systematic review. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 66(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2018.1439156
Sánchez, P. A., de Haro-Rodríguez, R., & Martínez, R. M. (2019). Barriers to student learning and participation in an inclusive school as perceived by future education professionals. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 8(1), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2019.1.321
Sleeter, C. E., & Zavala, M. (2020). Transformative ethnic studies in schools: Curriculum, pedagogy, and research. Teachers College Press.
Stentiford, L., & Koutsouris, G. (2021). What are inclusive pedagogies in higher education? A systematic scoping review. Studies in Higher Education, 46(11), 2245–2261. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1843151
Stinken-Rösner, L., Rott, L., Hundertmark, S., Baumann, T., Menthe, J., Hoffmann, T., ... & Abels, S. (2020). Thinking inclusive science education from two perspectives: Inclusive pedagogy and science education. Research in Subject-matter Teaching and Learning (RISTAL), 3(1), 30–45. https://doi.org/10.23770/rt1839
Sturm, T. (2019). Constructing and addressing differences in inclusive schooling – Comparing cases from Germany, Norway and the United States. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(6), 656–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1441333
Sulasmi, E., & Akrim, A. (2019). Management construction of inclusion education in primary school. Kumpulan Makalah, Jurnal Dosen, 1(1). [No DOI available]
UNESCO. (2009). Guidelines for inclusion: Ensuring access to education for all. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000177849
Väyrynen, S., & Paksuniemi, M. (2020). Translating inclusive values into pedagogical actions. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(2), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1458594
Vilchez, J. A., Kruse, J., Puffer, M., & Dudovitz, R. N. (2021). Teachers and school health leaders' perspectives on distance learning physical education during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of School Health, 91(7), 541–549. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13033
White, R. L., Bennie, A., Vasconcellos, D., Cinelli, R., Hilland, T., Owen, K. B., & Lonsdale, C. (2021). Self-determination theory in physical education: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 99, 103247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103247
World Health Organization. (2020). Physical activity. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
