International Higher Education Teacher Award ^2024/25

The ‘We Teach Together!’ method has its roots in the participatory paradigm espoused by Disability Studies.Traditional academia tends to create an ableist environment that hinders the participation of disabled people. As we know from the theory and practice of participatory research, the active involvement of disabled persons generates more valid questions and results, as well as a more socially just environment and more effective social support systems. By combining life experiences with theoretical knowledge, students receive a more in-depth understanding of human diversity and equality. Innovation: Our method is innovative, because we not only invite disabled people to university courses as guest experts by experience for a few lectures, but also continously work together as a team of co-instructors from planning to evaluation. Outcomes/activities: Each semester we choose topics for our project-based seminars, and we organize the classes and asses the work of our students together. Disabled co-instructors support students in creating inclusive projects for and together with disabled people. We regularly disseminate our work in article journals that use scientific language or plain language, we are active on social media and attend national and international conferences as well. Based on our student’s feedback, the method helps them to strengthen their professional identity as helping professionals, to understand the ethics of support, to learn to communicate by using accessible language and tools. In 2019, we published a book on the theory and practice of inclusive higher education and created a MOOC course about the method's main pillars. Our disabled colleagues work on temporary contracts and are always paid for their involvement. Besides the inclusive team teaching method, the know-how also includes the pillars of participatory supervision, which ensures constant self-reflection and mental support. The third pillar is the shadow tutor who acts as a mentor during the adaptation to other training areas in higher education. Similar European approaches have been applied in Germany, Austria, England and Ireland, but to our knowledge, no other initiative can be compared to the complexity and sustainability of the We Teach Together! method. The adaptability and sustainability is demonstrated by the fact that in recent years we have successfully applied it in the training of mainstream teachers, social workers and theologians.

Methodology

Our "We Teach Together!" method is based on an inclusive team teaching approach, where persons with and without disabilities lead seminars in collaboration. Disabled persons, referred to as participatory co-instructors, play a vital role by sharing their lived experiences relevant to the seminar topics. Their personal insights complement the academic knowledge facilitated by professional instructors. Collaboration begins during course preparation, where we work closely with our disabled colleagues to design the content, define each instructor's role, and tailor communication to meet the needs of co-instructors. We have developed our method over the years in collaboration with individuals with various disabilities (including intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, autism, communication difficulties, and multiple disabilities). A key consideration is that we meet the individual needs of each person to ensure their meaningful involvement. For co-instructors with intellectual disabilities, we create presentation materials together in an easy-to-understand format. The learning environment is carefully adjusted for accessibility, including arranging the classroom to accommodate wheelchair users, using sign language interpreters, auditory narration, augmentative and alternative communication, and allowing personal assistants to be present if required. Our courses follow various methodological principles, with a particular emphasis on project-based learning. This approach engages students actively, focusing on their abilities and resources, while instructors act as facilitators. Disabled co-instructors play a key role in supporting students to create inclusive projects for and with disabled people. Project-based learning typically culminates in the development of a tangible product, fostering collaboration and practical application of knowledge. Throughout the years, students have created flash mobs, inclusive events, workshops, graffitis, fundraising pages, inclusive toys and board games and children's tales that had a direct social impact. Another key component is cooperative learning, where each participant has a distinct but equally important role. Developing collaboration skills is essential in special needs education, where teamwork is crucial. We also apply a team teaching model in our seminars. This model not only enhances the learning process but also serves as a role model for future special education teachers. One of its advantages is fostering the creation of a democratic student group, where instructors can participate in project groups during task-solving sessions and mentor project development. Infocommunication tools (ICT) further support collaboration. For course planning and project execution, we use file-sharing systems, e-learning platforms, and closed Facebook groups to work with students. Course materials are enhanced by digital visual aids, including illustrative images, videos, and works created by individuals with disabilities, such as texts and poems they have written. The initiative emphasizes partnerships between educators, serving as a role model for students. Many students encounter individuals with disabilities for the first time in these seminars, which fosters understanding and breaks stereotypes. The seminars create a democratic learning atmosphere that not only deepens understanding of disability but also equips students with essential collaborative skills for their future professional roles. During inclusive seminars, we emphasize feedback and reflection as key tools for the ongoing development of the method and its scientific foundation. At the end of each course, we collect anonymous written feedback from students to evaluate their experiences. Given the multi-teacher model, regular self-reflective feedback among instructors is also essential for effective collaboration. After each session, we carry out structured discussions to assess the effectiveness of the teaching, identify areas for improvement, and explore strategies for future enhancement. We regularly disseminate the results of our research on the advantages and challenges of the method.

Tools, equipment, technology used

As previously mentioned, our method incorporates various ICT tools and platforms, such as e-learning platforms, videos, and easy-to-understand presentations. The defining aspect of our approach is not merely the tools themselves but the way they are inclusively adapted to meet the needs of disabled co-instructors. Unlike traditional higher education methods, we employ innovative pedagogical approaches and creatively utilize tools. Through our inclusive perspective, we facilitate the adaptive and creative use of online and offline tools in student projects to foster social inclusion. For instance, our students have created social awareness-raising videos in collaboration with individuals with disabilities.

Outcomes and outputs, main results

Main publications in English: Sándor, A. et al. (Review in progress). A career as a participatory teacher in Hungarian higher education. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, Special Issue. Sándor A. et al. (2024). Including the voices of persons with intellectual disabilities in academia: Participatory research, education and development in the academic world (pp. 382-397). In: Meyers S., McCloskey M. & Petri G. (eds.) The Routledge International Handbook of Disability Human Rights Hierarchies. Routledge. Sándor, A. et al. (2023). The Role of Participatory Instructors in Hungarian Higher Education: Results of a Qualitative Research to Support the Voices of Disabled People in Academia. International Journal of Disability and Social Justice 3(1), pp. 60-79. Cserti-Szauer Cs. et al. (2022). Social Innovation in Higher Education from a Disability Studies Perspective. In: Păunescu, C. et al.(eds.) Social Innovation in Higher Education: Landscape, Practices, and Opportunities (pp. 273-293). Springer. Losoncz, M. et al. (2018). Experiences of an Innovative and Inclusive Curriculum Development in Higher Education. Hungarian Journal of Disability Studies & Special Education, 1, 64–71. Conference presentations: Horváth P. L. et al. (2024). We teach together! The participation of people with intellectual disabilities as lecturers in Hungarian higher education. Otieno et al. (2024). Inclusive Education as a Deconstruction Tool, 12th Alter Conference. Leuven. Sándor, A., & Cserti-Szauer, Cs., (2023). Participatory innovations with disabled citizens in Higher Education Institutions. 11th. ALTER Conference. Paris. Maléth, A. et al. (2021). Ableist practices of everyday life: restricting the legal capacity of adults with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in Hungary. 9th ALTER Conference, online. Course development: Introduction to Disability Studies and its latest tendencies BA, The History of Disability and Special Needs Education BA, The Foundations of Special Needs Education, BA Theory and Practice of Supported living, BA Public Sphere and Communication, MA Life-Course Specific Knowledge in the Field of Disability, MA We teach together! Massive Open Online course Projects that implemented the method: PODIUM (Path Of Deinstitutionalisation – Urgent Moves) Carry on! The development of lifelong guidance services supporting lifelong learning through the training of professionals in the field of special needs education and employment National Programme of Excellence Self-efficacy instead of anxiety - Understanding the components of the sense of security; development of intervention tools and programmes for institutions and actors in different segments of social security Inclusive higher education sub-project - pilot outside the field of special education Examples of inclusive seminar projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG2A-3LRAQA https://www.bartoserika.hu/konyvek/segito-konyvek/veled-is-megtortenhet Know-how, awards: Könczei, Gy., Sándor, A., Horváth, P., Futár, A., Csángó, D., Cserti-Szauer, Cs., Katona, V., Kunt, Zs., Csákvári, J., & Rónay, Z. (2021). We teach together! Participatory Higher Education Methodology. Patented know-how ELTE/9799/1 (2021). Hungarian innovation patent. Antal, Zs., Cserti-Szauer, Cs., Csángó, D., Futár, A., Horváth, P., Katona, V., Kollár, Z., Kolonics, K., Kunt, Zs., & Sándor, A. (2017). TEMPUS Foundation Award for the International Development of Higher Education.

Lessons learnt

In addition to the positive aspects experienced, there are challenges in implementing the methodology. The Hungarian Higher Education Act does not currently allow for the full-time employment of people with disabilities who do not have a university degree (and as a consequense, are not able to apply for the doctoral school). Disabled persons face many disadvantages in the earlier stages of the school system and in other sectors as they grow up, and therefore there are very few of them with strong self-advocacy skills who even have the desire to participate - we plan to train both non-disabled and disabled persons who are open to trying our methodology. Until we create further training programmes on the topic, there is a self-pace Massive Open Online Course available for beginners. The biggest challenge is time management in academia. There are usually tight deadlines for proposals, too little time for completing publications, no built-in hours for reflection in courses, so it is not always possible to encourage meaningful participation in each phase of the process. Implementation needs a lot of time, because in the beginning, a lot of effort has to be put in the empowerment of the team members. We recommend to carefully prepare not only the inclusive team, but also the higher education environment. Our experience of almost a decade has shown that the presence of disabled people changes the community and the relationships within it. It is important that everyone from the Dean's Office, to the functional department staff is aware of the piloting of this method, because only through a collective effort can we create an inclusive environment, that can manage diversity effectively.

Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)

The first key to sustainable development is to build on strong support from faculty and university leaders, even across deanships. Secondly, conscious fundraising and finance management should surround the development of the project. Thirdly, both national and international embeddedness must be continuously increased. In this way, the method can be gradually improved and the networking support the cross-disciplinary adaptation. Last, but not least, we spend most of our time on community building in order to ensure that the method continues its operation even after one of the core team members quit their workplace or are unavailable for a while (i.e. longer parental leaves, sick leaves etc.) Since the beginning in 2016, we have successfully applied the method in the training of mainstream teachers, social workers and theologians. Our team is currently working on the adaptation of the project in law training. For successful adaptation, during recent years, we have added two new methodological pillars to the existing ones: Participatory supervision and the concept of shadow tutors. The supervision pilot project was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed us to work on it in a real-life crisis situation. The piloted supervision service was able to support instructor's role interpretation and led to more effective communication with students. It also supports the supervisee in summarising the issues relevant to their current professional work, while helping to distinguish the boundaries of supervision and therapy. This is important, because we strongly advise to only use our method with people who are not actively experiencing trauma related to their disability. For non-disabled instructors, supervision can help them to engage more effectively in managing diversity and avoid burnout from the extra workload that comes with framing the process. A shadow tutor in this framework is a person who facilitates the collaboration between the participatory co-instructor and the non-disabled instructor who is not yet familiar with the method. It is proposed that the shadow teacher has at least five years of experience in participatory teaching, which will allow them to manage the adaptation of “We Teach Together!” in co-disciplines and guarantee quality outside the field of special needs teacher training.

Promotion of best practice

Our team operates in the academic field, therefore most of our dissemination work is scientific in nature, such as scientific articles, national and international conferences, research projects. However, we put great emphasis on dissemination work outside of the university as well: We actively use our Facebook channel where we post in plain language, we are involved in course development and regularly implement the method in R&D projects (see 5.3. Outcomes)

Scope and impact

• Course/department level
• Faculty level
• Institutional level
• Cross-institutional level

Students report, that working with participatory co-instructors helps them to strengthen their own professional and personal identity, whilst they also become more confident in communicating with disabled people and providing them dignified support. After reflecting on their own unconsciuos biases, students can practice social awareness-raising in a protected environment. Our colleagues on the other hand experience that the presence of disabled co-instructors help them to create a more student-friendly and flexible, safe space that is accomodating to different needs. The method highly contributes to the deconstruction of the university as an abstract concept and creates a welcoming atmospehere. By involving disabled people in the creation of higher education knowledge content, their voices can be heard better. Mainstreaming their participation is not only a human rights issue, but also an efficiency issue. User involvement in project-based higher education innovations leads to social impact and strengthens inclusive communities.

6.1 Digitalization

• Innovative, novel methodology in using digital tools/devices in teaching
• Digital skills development and assessment both general and profession-related, embedded in course design, in teaching and assessment
• Novel digital solutions (tools, frameworks, devices, tasks to enhance efficiency and motivation)

Reasoning: We use file-sharing systems, Moodle, Canvas, and MS Teams groups to work with students. Course materials are enriched by digital visual aids, including images and videos created by disabled people. To engage students, mentimeter, kahoot and other interactive platforms are used. Some of the co-instructors communicate with the help of augmentative and alternative tools, such as BLISS boards. Using them in the classroom gives us the opportunity to experience diverse forms of communication together

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6.2 Internationalization

• Students engagement in international projects
• Courses implemented in international cooperation (projects, co-teaching, virtual/blended mobility, etc.)
• Courses offered to international multicultural students both online and offline
• International projects/research results embedded into course development and T&L

Reasoning: We apply the method in Erasmus courses and starting in Fall 2025, we will also offer two courses based on this method within the English BA program at our faculty. In 2021, we offered a joint interdisciplinary course on inclusive project development with Tallinn University. We successfully implemented the method in the Erasmus+ PODIUM project and are currently working on an Erasmus+ proposal on the topic of teacher diversity. The adaptation of the method involves Romanian universities.

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6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design

• Inclusive course design, universally designed divers activities to meet special students' needs
• Universally designed teaching material - adjustable for special needs
• Innovative teaching methodology for inclusion and meet diverse student needs
• Alternative, flexible assessment methods for students with special needs
• Senzitivizing students to consider special needs when practicing their profession
• Course includes hints on how the services/products of the profession could be universally designed/inclusive

Reasoning: Our faculty building is fully accessible and inclusion is an integral part of the organisational culture. Courses are tailored to the needs of participants with disabilities as their core value is inclusion. Each syllabus contains a diversity statement. Diverse teaching methods, including audiovisual materials, written texts, games, group work, discussions, and project work, optional types of assignments provide inclusive support for all learners. Easy-to-understand communication ensures accessibility for individuals with learning difficulties or language barriers. During the seminars, the partnership among instructors serve as role models for students, who often meet individuals with disabilities for the first time. Working with at least one disabled person during projects fosters sensitivity to different needs. The evaluation of their projects always consider the use of accessible practices. Students feel free to express their own identities and needs more effectively.

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6.4 Sustainability

• Sustainability goals are addressed in the course(s)
• Teaching material contains profession related sustainability aspects

Reasoning: By providing disabled people employment, salaries and meaningful activities, we support the 3. and 8. element of EU's Sustainable Development Goals. We involve disabled females, and people of colour with disabilities, who experience multiple types of opression, thus we encourage gender equality (5th goal) and reduce inequalities (10th goal). "We Teach Together!" itself has proven to be an effective tool for a more just and equitable future that includes people regardless of their support needs.

3.3 Public contact datas

Name	Email address	Website
Disability Studies and Social Innovation Lab	sandor.aniko@barczi.elte.hu	https://www.facebook.com/DSSILab