Case Study Participants

time of this study. The following are summaries of each participant who agreed to participate. Table 2

Participants’ Characteristics Based on the Selection Criteria Participant Total years

of teaching Total years in inclusive setting Teaching Area Educational background

Regina 22 22 Biology B.S.Ed., B.Ed. (Secondary), B.Sc. (Biology)

Janet 5 5 Science M.P.Ed., B.Ed.

(Intermediate/Secondary), B.Sc. (Biochemistry)

Cynthia 13 13 Physics M.Ed. (Curriculum), B.Ed. (Intermediate/Secondary), B.Sc. (Hon) (Physics)

Edward 12 8 Biology M.Ed. (Educational Leadership),

B.Ed (Intermediate/Secondary), B.Sc. (Biology)

Regina

Regina is a 51-year-old science teacher. She was the only participant trained as a special education teacher with a Bachelor of Special Education degree. She had 22 years of teaching experience and had spent six years at her current school at the time of this study. Her classroom had a straight-row seating arrangement where the students face the teacher. Regina had an average class size of 35 and taught biology from grade 10–12. Her school had a population of about 700 students with 52 teachers. Of these 52-teaching staff, 10 were instructional resource teachers. At the time of this study, Regina was teaching two sections of Biology 3201 and one section of Environmental Science 3205. Regina’s class was equipped with a desktop computer and a number of iPads with internet access for students. The availability of technology in her class enabled her to respond to students’ diverse needs such as those with language disabilities. She explained that there is a wide range of needs and disabilities in her classroom, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, mental health issues, autism, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, cognitive delays, and hearing impairments. As a science teacher with a special education background, she firmly believes that all children have the right to be educated in inclusive classrooms. Regina explained that she enjoys working with children and watching them explore and learn. This motivated her to become a teacher. Specifically, she specialized in science because she feels that science provides answers to many of the difficult questions in life, and these answers may be proven through experimentation.

Janet

Janet is 28 years old and holds a Master of Professional Education as her highest form of post-secondary education. In addition to a B.Ed. (Intermediate/Secondary), she also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. She is a general education science teacher. At the

time of this study, Janet was in her sixth year as a science teacher. She taught as a junior high school teacher before moving to her current school, and she is in her second year in her new school. Janet had an average class size of 30 and had a wide range of needs in her classroom, including students with reading and writing disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorder, and ADHD. As a general education science teacher, she described her roles as teaching the Newfoundland and Labrador science curriculum from grades 7–12, providing learning and assessment accommodations for students requiring them including the provision of relevant and meaningful learning experiences for all students for lifelong learning. She taught Science 1206 and 2200, Environmental Science 3205, and Mathematics 2202 at the time of this study. Although her classroom was traditionally arranged with students facing her, there was a lot of peer collaboration and engagement in her class during lessons. She strongly supports inclusion because she believes education is a right and all children should be educated together devoid of any discrimination. On why she became a science teacher, Janet explained that she loved helping people and was involved in many things around her community when growing up. She also performed very well academically and loved science and mathematics. She felt these traits together with the positive influence of her high school teachers and family solidified her decision to go into teaching. Janet loves technology and utilizes it in her lessons to make them more inclusive. She had a desktop computer with internet access. She also had iPads for her students and often used videos in her lessons.

Cynthia

Cynthia is 35 years old and a general education science teacher with a Master of Education degree in Curriculum Studies. At the time of this study, Cynthia had 13 years of teaching experience. Her classes ranged in size of about 26 students, but sometimes fewer, which enabled

her to spend more time with her students. She taught physics in grades 10–12 and described her school as having a multicultural background. She explained that she has a diverse group of students with a wide range of needs in the various classes she teaches, including students in need of special services such as extended time, provision of notes, clarification of instruction, and assistive technology based on diagnoses such as anxiety, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and ADHD. Her classroom had a traditional straight-row seating arrangement with the students facing the teacher. Cynthia is very enthusiastic about teaching. She explained that her past experiences as a student influenced her decision to go into teaching:

I love interacting with and helping out others and always wanted to teach. I chose physics because I found it difficult as a student but once I understood it, it was an amazing breakthrough for me in learning how to learn. I wanted to share that experience with others (Interview 1).

As a general education science teacher, she explained that her roles and responsibilities include but are not limited to the provision of special services accommodations to students, differentiating instruction and utilizing technology to make her lessons more inclusive, and keeping lines of communication open with students, parents, and staff through phone, email, and meetings. She explained that she uses an inquiry-based instructional approach as well as the traditional approach to instruction in her classroom due to the nature of the subject she teaches. She was equipped with a computer and internet access. She explained that using technology in lessons motivates and enhances students’ understanding. However, she felt it is challenging for her to use Google Forms and other online teaching services for mathematics-oriented subjects like physics.

Edward

Edward is a 41-year-old science teacher with a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership. He had 12 years of teaching experience at the junior high and high school levels and had a diverse teaching background, including teaching in private schools. In addition to classroom teaching, Edward also has a coaching background. He explained that most of his “career choices and job or employment have been working with youth in some capacity (Interview 1).” He had worked with youths in diverse ways, including coaching sports and teaching swimming. As a teenager, Edward was fond of science and always found “laboratory and field studies” interesting, factors which motivated him to go into teaching. Before joining his current school, Edward had taught English, creative writing, mathematics, religious studies, music and art in grades seven, eight, and nine. At the time of this study, Edward was teaching Science 1206 and Biology 2201 and 3201 in his current school. His classroom setup had a straight-row seating arrangement with his students facing him. He had a multigrade classroom with an average class size of 36. He had a diverse classroom including students with visual impairments, anxiety and depression disorders, behavioural disorders, and students with a variety of individual education plans and testing accommodations such as requiring extra time, alternate settings, and the use of technology. He explained that he is “a big fan of how you learn as inclusive” and likes “looking at multiple intelligence as a way to practice inclusion” (I-1). He relied on multiple intelligence data from his students to form groups and give different assignments to his students. Besides teaching the Newfoundland and Labrador science curriculum, Edward doubled as a lead teacher and science facilitator by assisting in professional developments, collaborating with colleagues, and providing peer assistance. His school had a student population of about 875 with 64 teaching staff. Of this number, only seven of the teachers were scheduled as instructional resource teachers.