Inclusive pedagogy: From learning to action. Supporting each individual in the context of ‘everybody’

• This is a study of the enactment of inclusive pedagogy by new graduates of the University of Aberdeen.
• The paper shows how theoretical concepts informed actions in different contexts.
• The dignity of each child in the classroom community was central to inclusive pedagogy.
• The paper shows how individual difficulties were addressed through a consideration of ‘everybody’.
• Teachers drew selectively and purposefully from established strategies to ensure inclusion.

This paper draws from a novel study of graduates from a one year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) course at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The study explored how beginning teachers in their various contexts used the theoretical ideas of inclusive pedagogy. Observation and interview data were analysed to reveal linkages between the principles that informed the course and the practices of programme graduates. By drawing on examples from the data that illustrate inclusive pedagogy in action, questions are addressed about how teachers in diverse classrooms create learning environments with opportunities that are available to everybody.