RECALLED TO LIFE: KNITTING TOGETHER AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA OR A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY STARTING IN TEACHER PREPARATION

As the field of education strives to create inclusive general education learning environments for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, this dissertation of practice investigates implicit biases in pre-service teachers' interactions with these students. The study addresses the problem of grouping and segregating students by ability and critiques arbitrary definitions of "smart" based on literacy scores, classroom assessments, and IQ test results from a historical context. Through a case study simulation activity, pre-service teachers engaged with various instructional methods to identify knowledge gaps in their perception of students with learning disabilities and their role in perpetuating implicit biases. Findings revealed three central themes: knowledge and awareness gaps in critical preservice content, siloed teacher preparation courses, and multiple instructional methods effectively enhanced pre-service teacher reasoning concerning content in a simulation activity. The study highlights the need for a unified teacher preparation curriculum to better equip pre-service teachers in addressing implicit biases, ultimately fostering more inclusive and effective educational practices in general education settings for students with learning disabilities and dyslexia.