Master of Inclusive Education

What is this course about?

CSU's Master of Inclusive Education is designed for graduates with qualifications in human development services such as teaching, speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology or nursing where a special interest is an asset.

The Master of Inclusive Education course has been designed to graduate highly skilled Inclusive Educators capable of acting as agents of change in the context in which they work.

The course aims to link explicitly to the theoretical underpinnings of complexity and self-organisational theory. The key principles involved are those of collective intelligence, nested similarity, dispersed control, and self-organisation. The course rests on a conceptual framework whereby change agency is at the very core of the theory, pedagogy and content applied within the course. Subjects within the course are designed to build personal capacity, collaborative problem solving skills and an understanding of the systems and context in which individuals are situated. Students will develop the core knowledge and skills required to teach, consult, collaborate, advocate and evaluate in an inclusive service delivery model.

The course also focuses on the research, advocacy and evaluative knowledge and skills required to scale-up innovations in inclusive education to the level of the school. Three pathways: teaching, leadership and project; are offered to students enrolled in the course. These pathways are chosen in the second year of study and enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for change agency in their current or future work setting. The course has been designed to cover international and Australian theory as well as best practice in the field of inclusion.

The Master course aims to build professional capacity in our graduates that scales up, going beyond their own base of experience, classroom space and students to influence the communities of practice within the schools in which they work.

Particular objectives of the course will enable students to:

• critically appraise educational research, theory, policy, and practice
• use the findings of educational research to inform practice
• apply the principles of pedagogies of inclusion to their own lesson design and in doing so, situate these
• pedagogies within in their own practice and experience
• reflect upon the process of curriculum differentiation and the role of teacher or consultant
• reflect upon knowledge and perspectives on educational testing in inclusive settings
• develop an individual behaviour plan for students in inclusive settings
• plan a professional development program to build capacity with colleagues, that extends the collaborative problem solving model to systems level
• contribute to the ongoing professional dialogue in education
• direct and manage their own professional development
• exercise leadership at an appropriate level in a range of settings
• engage in a variety of forms of educational research to further their studies in education
• enhance their standing within their educational community
• assist in the transformation of education to meet the changing needs of society.

All CSU qualifications in the area of special education bear nomenclature related to inclusion. This reflects contemporary practice in the field and positions graduates at the forefront of current thinking while retaining a broad-based focus on the traditional scope of preparation in special education.

Practical experience

The development of practical skills is a vital part of the course. For example:

• students implement curriculum projects and design and implement instructional plans for children in the workplace
• the course will expose students to a variety of assessment procedures in a range of developmental and achievement areas
• students will spend several sessions working with families of students with special needs and are required to use appropriate family support strategies.

Residential schools

There are no compulsory residential schools associated with this course.