Description
Burke’s (2010) one-woman play “Ducks on the Moon” (DOTM), a performative memoir, chronicled her journey from denial to acceptance to celebration of her son’s diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Songs were written and added; DOTM became a performative musical memoir. More than that, as a professor of Educational Psychology, Scott Anthony conducted an Arts-Based Educational Research project (ABER). A workshop performance of DOTM was presented to in-service and pre-service teachers. Focus group interviews followed. This audience learned much about ASD, about family-professional relationships, about inclusive practice—and about how a musical may serve as effective professional development for educators.
Research Interests
Recently, Dr. S. Anthony Thompson has become interested in Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER) and Inclusive Education. He has researched broadly in the field of Inclusive Education and Teacher Education. His work is largely informed by alternative understandings of dis/ablement and has conducted inclusive educational research in classroom settings, but also in larger areas such as disability policy through the Canadian Disability Policy Alliance (CDPA). Dr. Thompson is currently involved in a pan-Canadian study of teacher education and inclusive education through the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education.
