‘Why would you separate inclusion and global citizenship?’

For Guusje Tavecchio, professor of Inclusive Education and Global Citizenship since 1 October, inclusive education and global citizenship are inseparable. After twenty years of research into inclusive curriculum design, she wants one thing above all: research that reaches teachers and the professionals of tomorrow. Her own CIND pedagogy plays a central role in this. To achieve this, she seeks collaboration with the education sector and partners in society.

Inclusive education and global citizenship now come together in one research group. How do you see the connection?

“You could also turn it around: why would you separate the two? Inclusive education is about questions such as: how can everyone take part, how does taking part contribute to well-being, and how does that help you to earn your degree and participate in the labour market? Global citizenship is about who you are in the world. To me, the two truly belong together.

We live in a global world, in which democratic values are experienced differently and are not always done justice. What if, as early as primary school, citizenship education paid much more attention to that global dimension? Then children learn to practise tolerance, open-mindedness and solidarity from a young age. That pays off when they become adolescents or young adults.”

You work with a pedagogy you developed yourself. What does it involve?

“It is the Pedagogy of CIND Encounter, known in Dutch as the KIND pedagogy. It consists of four building blocks: critical, inclusive, narrative and dialogic. I use it in curriculum design, among other things. In it, I invite people into spaces that are safe, brave and daring of understanding. If you don’t feel safe, you won’t share your stories. And without stories, you don’t have the information you need to bring about change. I want the other person to be not someone at a distance, but a partner. Stories then become the means for connection and for action.

For these kinds of encounters, we invite participants into a ‘third space’. There, together, we search for and develop a ‘third voice’: one of encounter, awareness and change. That, in a nutshell, is the effect of the CIND pedagogy.”

What brought you to The Hague University of Applied Sciences?

“I really had a great job. As Chief Inclusion Officer at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, I designed policy, supported its implementation and, through the research group on diversity and inclusion, monitored research into what we were doing. But my heart and my ambition lie in building a research group.

Over the past twenty years, I have mainly carried out intervention studies and research into inclusive curriculum design: from a concept to a model or design, then into practice, and making that researchable. Research for practice, aimed at teachers and the professionals of tomorrow: that is what I stand for. And that is exactly the mission of this research group.”

What will you continue, and where do you want to go?

“I have no intention of changing course completely. I will build on what is already there and look for where new paths lead. Those have, in fact, already been mapped out. Alongside the existing research lines of global citizenship, inclusive education and inclusive participation, we are developing a new line: inclusive leadership.

I strongly believe in co-creation, so I will set the course together with others. That said, certain elements are important to me: teacher professional development, curriculum design, and research focused on practice and implementation. With lasting embedding, and therefore impact, as the goal.”

Who will you be working with?

“There is already some excellent work in the current research group. It also comes together in projects with professor Barbara Warwas (Multilevel Regulation) and professor Katja Rusinovic (Metropolitan Development). Colleagues are already active on each research line. I am keen to build on that and see how the CIND pedagogy can help to continue that work and embed it even further in everyday educational practice. Hands-on.

In the area of inclusive leadership, my colleague Michel Hogenes has already secured a great project. I also see many opportunities to work with Barbara Warwas to translate the lessons from the Horizon projects into inclusive leadership programmes. That also creates opportunities for colleagues and partners to take an active part.”

What will degree programmes and students notice of your work in a few years’ time?

“A lot is already in place. Within the research group, for example, we already work with CLRA, Community-Led Research and Action: involving people from different networks in the research.

I hope that in a few years, narrative and dialogic ways of working will have become so natural for teachers and students that they are part of THUAS culture. That a difficult conversation doesn’t feel daunting, but like something that simply comes with the job. And that, for example, a nurse on the ward later on isn’t caught off guard, but feels competent.”

What gives you energy?

“The moment I feel change happening in a group of people, for example during a workshop with professionals or students. But also when I can tick off something big on my to-do list. I’m quite output-driven: after thinking and talking comes recording and acting. My drive lies in embedding what I research.”

Can organisations approach you?

“Certainly. Does your organisation, such as a school, healthcare institution, municipality or civil society organisation, have a question that relates to one of the four research lines? Then please get in touch. I can’t guarantee that we will solve everything straight away, but we can always start the conversation. That also helps me set priorities. If there’s one thing I don’t want to be, it’s an invisible academic. Feel free to email me at [email protected].”

Read more about Guusje Tavecchio’s appointment: Guusje Tavecchio Appointed Professor of Inclusive Education and Global Citizenship | The Hague University of Applied Sciences

Read more about the research group: Inclusive Education and Global Citizenship | The Hague University of Applied Sciences

The Inclusive Education and Global Citizenship research group is part of the Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning  at The Hague University of Applied Sciences.