This paper reports progress on an 18-month, Spencer Foundation racial equity research grant, which has direct implications for how we prepare teachers. The funded project adopts and adapts some conceptual tools developed by the EU-funded GeoCapabilities project (https://www.geocapabilities.org/) and by Morgan and Lambert (2023) who explore racial literacy in the context of UK geography teaching. The project is exploratory, not least in the sense that these intellectual resources are being adapted and further developed in a US context.

​Research aim. As an inter-generational discursive space, driven and steered by the emancipatory potential of education, the curriculum is continually made and remade. In this context the overarching research question is: In what ways do raised levels of racial literacy enhance emancipatory curriculum-making processes adopted by history and geography teachers?

Theoretical framework. At the core of GeoCapabilities, framed in the conceptual resources of ‘capabilities’ and teachers’ ‘curriculum making’ activity (Bustin, 2019), is the three futures heuristic (derived from Young and Muller, 2010). The RaLiCaM project aspires to develop racially literate Future 3 curriculum making that will explicitly support student learning through inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

Methods. The research team works collaboratively with 14 social studies teachers in northeastern Wisconsin building two ‘living documents’ (on ‘curriculum making’ and ‘racial literacy’), continually modified throughout the project. These documents are enhanced by teachers identifying and using curriculum artifacts with which to create curriculum vignettes. These are interrogated for their racial literacy and emancipatory educational potential during the action phase of the project.

Findings. The paper will be a progress report and present initial analysis: excerpts from the living documents and teacher vignettes will be shared.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand. The main sub-themes addressed by this research are Curriculum design for equitable teaching and Characteristics of quality teaching.

The focus of inclusive education is the process of breaking down barriers to the learning process for all students. Incorrect implementation of the approved curriculum by classroom teachers can inadvertently create barriers for students. The purpose of this study was to explore Queensland teachers’ accuracy in terms of the cognitive verbs (skills) they teach, which underpin the Australian Curriculum. The Australian Curriculum Content Descriptors, which teachers teach, and the Achievement Standards, which students demonstrate, are underpinned by cognitive verbs. Cognitive verbs are skills which students are required to demonstrate as evidence of learning. Accurate knowledge of these are important as inaccuracy can lead to unintentional barriers to the learning process. 1500 Queensland Primary and Secondary teachers completed a Kahoot quiz of their knowledge of 10 cognitive verbs (Evaluate, Discuss, Recognise, Manipulate, Refine, Design, Communicate, Investigate, Justify, Explain), which underpin the Australian Curriculum. Accuracy of the participant responses varied between 30% (Explain) and 90% (Evaluate). The significant variation in curriculum knowledge by Queensland teachers raises concerns regards the implementation of inclusive education. Lack of consistency of curriculum implementation could unintentionally create barriers for Queensland students. Implications of this study will be explored.

This study aims to investigate the impact of implementing critical thinking in educational settings to create inclusive learning environments. Drawing on theories of critical pedagogy, social constructivism, and multicultural education, the study seeks to explore how promoting critical engagement contributes towards fostering an inclusive and supportive classroom culture.

The theoretical framework is grounded in the belief that encouraging learners to question assumptions, consider multiple perspectives, and engaging in evidence-based reasoning, can empower learners to challenge stereotypes, recognize bias, and appreciate diverse viewpoints. While creating a collaborative and respectful environment where they learn how to resist oppressive power and reclaim their voices and have equal opportunities to participate and succeed.

The research methodology involves qualitative data collection through classroom observations, interviews, and analysis of educational materials giving learners a sense of involvement, learning to think of diversity as a strength and that no one way of being is the norm.

The findings of this research will highlight the impact of critical engagement to clearly understand the deeper meaning of inclusive, tolerance and justice in our schools. Wherein both educators and learners can explore their positions on race, stereotypes, and any other forms of discrimination and the many ways in which they manifest; develop critical thinking skills and an understanding of diverse perspectives among learners. While expressing a sense of belonging, communication skills, and appreciation of the value of critical thinking in their academic and personal growth.

This research is highly relevant to the conference theme of "Innovation in Education" and the specific strand of "Promoting Inclusivity in Learning Environments." By showcasing the benefits of integrating critical thinking into educational practices, this study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments that support the diverse needs and perspectives of all learners.

This paper seeks to describe and understand how a collective space of curriculum-making frames teacher agency in two Chilean schools.

Inclusive education has been posed as a key challenge for international education policy. This study conceptualises inclusive education as a political and ethical project of transformation (Slee, 2011). It is a constitutive element of education and, hence, a core dimension in curriculum development.

As a theoretical lens, this research uses curriculum-making conceptualised as a social practice (Priestley et al., 2021). This framing construes curriculum-making as different practices that occur across multiple layered “sites of activity”. From this framework, teachers are curriculum makers, considering that curriculum is always interpreted by teachers and influenced by their beliefs, experiences, and aspirations (Rosiek & Clandinin, 2016). Thus, inclusion knowledge would be produced by teachers in their classrooms (Armstrong et al., 2004). In this regard, teachers’ agency is central to inclusive education, considering their sense of purpose, reflexivity, and perceptions about their role as agents of change (Pantić & Florian, 2015).

Through a participatory action research approach inspired by the Freirean concept of cultural circles (Freire, 1968), fifteen teachers from two Chilean public schools participated in a weekly space of inclusive curriculum-making called Curriculum Circles.The design was structured using the experiences of Drew et al. (2016) centred on focusing, interrupting, and making sense of their practice more inclusively.

Multiple data sources were used to document the process, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field notes, and teachers' journals. The findings suggest that Curriculum circles framed teacher agency in diverse ways. From an ecological perspective (Priestley et al., 2015), practicality and collective support were determinants to frame teacher agency. These elements connect teachers with their sense of purpose, fostering their desires and actions to make a more inclusive curriculum for all.