1 Everybody in! Drama as a Pedagogy for Inclusion Olivia Karaolis Sydney School of Education and Social Work University of Sydney A thesis submitted to fulfil requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2020 2 Declarations This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Olivia Karaolis 3 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which this study has been conducted and to pay my respects to their elders, past and present. The garden in this story could only grow because of the support of many wonderful people. Firstly, I would like to thank the flowers, the children that participated in this study and the children I have known in my practice. Thank you for all you have taught me, this study is for you. Thank you also to the wonderful preschool communities and early childhood educators that so willingly and generously allowed me to join their world and share their stories with me. I am particularly grateful to Karen Ng and the contributions you made to this study. To my wonderful supervisors, Professor Emerita, Robyn Ewing, who inspired this study and guided me to bring it to fruition. Thank you also to Dr. Cathy Little, for helping me articulate and express my vision of an inclusive garden and for your continual guidance. I have been so privileged to have you both in my life. I would also like to express my gratitude to my colleagues at the University of Sydney. Dr. Nicole Brunker, for introducing me to portraiture and sharing her artistry with me and to Associate Professor Ilektra Spandagou for her wisdom. Thank you to Shay Ryan for editing this work. Everything I learned about punctuation and grammar is because of you. 4 Dedication To Michael, for making and caring for our garden and to my Mom and my flowers, Won-Bhin, Autumn-Rose, Daniel, True and Aurora, the day is beautiful because of you. 5 Abstract As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) all educational settings and early childhood centres in Australia must legally “ensure an inclusive education system at all levels (Article 1, United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with a Disability). Inclusion for all children has been identified by the government as a national priority, yet from the extensive body of research surrounding inclusive practice (Cologon, 2019) highlights a range of barriers to such realisation. This inquiry seeks to add to the knowledge of inclusion for educators’ working with young children in early childhood settings and specifically explore the potential of drama of reducing these barriers. Included in the study are three preschools that enrol children with additional needs in their program. Together with the researcher, the children and staff engaged a range of drama strategies, including puppetry and found they significantly increased the participation and contribution of all children in their learning experiences, creating a more inclusive learning environment. The process of this study is depicted in portraits, allowing the audience to discover the world of the children, how their day-to-day experience was changed by the creative approaches and the potential of drama and puppetry as a valuable tool for professional development in the early childhood sector. 6 Table of Contents Contents Everybody in! Drama as a Pedagogy for Inclusion ...................................................................................... 1 Declarations .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Illustrations ...................................................................................................................................... 10 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ 11 Glossary of terms: ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 15 Background to the Study: Into the Garden: ............................................................................................ 18 Long day care centres. ........................................................................................................................ 18 Family day care. .................................................................................................................................. 18 Preschools. .......................................................................................................................................... 19 Occasional care. .................................................................................................................................. 19 Early Childhood Intervention.............................................................................................................. 19 The Science that Informs the Gardens .................................................................................................... 19 Research Problem ................................................................................................................................... 24 Welcome to the Preschools ..................................................................................................................... 26 Welcome to the Children ........................................................................................................................ 28 Welcome to the Early Childhood Professionals ..................................................................................... 28 Research Timeline .................................................................................................................................. 28 Chapter 2: A Garden for All: A Review of the Literature Part 1 ................................................................ 31 Defining the Garden ................................................................................................................................ 31 Inclusion. ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Early Childhood Intervention.............................................................................................................. 35 Disability. ............................................................................................................................................ 36 Additional Needs ................................................................................................................................ 37 International and National Voices: Garden Policy.................................................................................. 37 Voices of Research. ................................................................................................................................ 39 How We Flower Through Relationships ............................................................................................ 39 7 How We Flower Academically ........................................................................................................... 40 How the flowers become part of a community ................................................................................... 41 Mighty flowers: Peer Mediated Interventions..................................................................................... 43 Early Childhood Professionals ............................................................................................................ 46 The Voice of Play ............................................................................................................................... 51 Voices of the Flowers ......................................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 3: Drama in the Garden: A Review of the Literature Part 2 .......................................................... 61 The Arts and Neurodevelopment ............................................................................................................ 62 The Arts for Literacy, Learning and Professional Development ............................................................ 62 Drama-rich processes .............................................................................................................................. 65 Drama and Students with Additional Needs ..........................................................................................