Sustainable Learning is an approach to working with teachers and students to ensure schools are inclusive and accepting. This professional learning project is a partnership between three universities in Australia and the Australia-Latin America Training Academy, which is based in Melbourne and Quito, Ecuador.

In terms of the main principles underpinning “Inclusive Education and Sustainable Learning”, this project rests on an approach to inclusive classroom practice that has a focus on learning, not labels, works towards the provision of timely, appropriate support for learning that can reduce the impact of a disability, encourages the use of evidence-based instructional approaches, and supports collaboration and communication as key for students, teachers and families working towards creating more inclusive educational settings. Sustainable Learning was developed on the premise that students have a diversity of needs and do not all learn in the same way or at the same pace. This means that effective teachers are required to be responsive and plan their approaches to teaching and learning to accommodate diversity. Twenty-first century teachers need to respond to individual needs rather than assuming all students in their classes have to learn the same thing in the same way at the same time. This approach is distinct from previous deficit approaches to teaching students with a disability which focused on limitations and differences.

The design of this project was conceptualised by the Ecuadorean Ministry of Education. In its entirety, the project will extend for four years from 2018 to 2021, with an impact evaluation at the end of 2019 and continued investigation of outcomes to follow. The Ministry of Education signed an agreement with ALATA to use a ‘train the trainer’ model to provide professional learning to 250 teachers each year that focuses on equity (learning for all), relevance (teaching that matters) and sustainability (learning that lasts), the key tenets of Graham, Berman and Bellert’s (2015) ‘Sustainable Learning’. The project began with a focus on the Coast region based in Guayaquil (2018) and is planned for 2019 in the Highlands region. Specifically in 2018, experienced teachers as selected by the Ministry (who will in turn become tutors of the “Inclusive Education and Sustainable Learning” content) were provided with 40 hours of face-to-face professional learning delivered by the Australian academic team, followed by 12 weeks of online learning across four modules moderated by ALATA colleagues, to total 150 hours of input about inclusive education. Of these 250 teacher/tutors, 220 then took responsibility for geographically-located groups of 25 teachers each (to total 5,500 teachers). These groups of 25 teachers received 20 hours of face-to-face consolidation of four online learning modules over 13 weeks covering the same content completed by their teacher/tutors, but with a focus on more practical application. This professional learning again totals 150 hours. The teacher/tutors moderate the online learning of their group of teachers, provide feedback and run the face-to face sessions. All of these activities were supported by a group of ALATA experts who are academics, senior teachers, academics or officials from the Departments of Student Counselling Inclusion Support Unit. Again, the ALATA experts participated in 150 hours of professional learning, consisting of 24 hours of face-to-face contact provided by the ALATA academic team and then 13 weeks of online learning over four modules, which in their case also included attention to mentoring and coaching practices. This project rests on an approach to inclusive classroom practice that has a focus on learning, not labels, works towards the provision of timely, appropriate support for learning that can reduce the impact of a disability, encourages the use of evidence-based instructional approaches, and supports collaboration and communication as key for students, teachers and families working towards creating more inclusive educational settings.

The University of Melbourne The University of New England Southern Cross University Australia-Latin America Training Academy