Chapter 15 Case 12: Creating an Inclusive Community: Professional Collaborations Between General and Special Education Teachers

To create an inclusive environment where systemic changes in practices occur, we believe it is important for professional development to establish communities of practice (Kim et al., 2020; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Moulakdi & Bouchamma, 2020; Tan & Thorius, 2019) wherein deep, critical conversations can take place (Nieto, 2000). Pushing beyond conversations, these communities can provide support as conversations move to actions for equity and justice-oriented mathematics teaching and learning (Tan & Thorius, 2019). Communities of practice provide the space to develop an environment to process, build respect and trust, and engage in productive struggle to change beliefs and practices (Vanassche & Kelchtermans, 2016), by acknowledging, appreciating, and leveraging the expertise of each participant (Petersen, 2016). The emotional and instructional support provided by a community of practice allows for teachers to engage in high-quality equitable mathematics instruction.