Toward an Inclusive Teacher Education Program (original) (raw)

The Impact of Initial Field Experience on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitude Toward Inclusion

Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 2009

In the United States, up to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within 5 years (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). This unacceptable level of sustainability of the profession is of concern to both teacher preparation institutions and the local education agencies. This paper looks at one factor that may impact the sustainability of current teacher preparation models: attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom. Participants in the study were currently enrolled in 3 different phases of a teacher preparation programmes at a regional university in the United States. A survey was administered at the beginning and at the end of the semester. Results indicate that students become progressively more negative toward inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom yet continue to support the social value of having all students in a general education setting. Results from the survey are presented and implications for practice are discussed.

What do we Know and Where Can We Grow?: Teachers Preparation for the Inclusive Classroom

2017

General educators have been charged with the responsibility of teaching students with exceptionalities, yet many report they do not have the skills to effectively instruct diverse learners, including those with disabilities (Blanton, et al., 2011). Currently, more than half of all students with disabilities spend about 80% of their day in the general education classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). This shift to educate all in the general education classroom increases the demand on teachers to be accountable for all learners academic achievement. The goal of this chapter is to provide instructors of teacher education programs with a review of current research in the field and recommendations for teacher preparation programs to effectively support and positively shape pre-service teachers attitudes and beliefs about students with exceptionalities.

A Theoretical Essay about Inclusion and the Role of Teachers in Building an Inclusive Education

European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 2022

This article is a theoretical essay that revisits the concept of inclusive education and places teachers at the heart of the educational commitment of all schools, which means, quality education for all students. The teacher's knowledge, attitudes and values influence the building of a learning environment that facilitates a focus on the needs of each student, placing the student in the middle of the edification of an inclusive school. In this article, we will, on one hand, value the need for the teacher to move towards the development of differentiated pedagogical practices in the classroom, where pedagogical differentiation, as a principle of positive discrimination, is a way of guaranteeing equal opportunities in accessing teaching and learning. On the other hand, we will also consider reflective practice as a privileged resource for the teacher to develop new skills and knowledge. Teachers who reflect on their practices tend to adopt professional attitudes that lead to self-critique, commitment, responsibility, and autonomy. Being a reflective teacher is a pathway to the birth of a different teacher; a teacher capable of improving teaching competencies by creating learning opportunities that will facilitate the implementation of different methodological approaches.

Preparing preservice teachers towards inclusive education

2015

In this article the authors focus on the importance to prepare teachers in training to work in an inclusive educational setting. Through in-depth interviews with teachers in inclusive education, 5 basic competences for teachers could be withdrawn. These include: a) to increase the well-being of each child in the class; b) to differentiate without exclusion; c) to broaden the cooperation with parents; d) to cooperate with external people and colleagues within the classroom; e) to be flexible and responsible for the whole class. All the competences are relevant and obtained at the end of the training. But especially the frame of reference to look at these competences is important. The authors focus on the framework of diversity thinking and propose that teachers in training should be trained to become reflective practitioners.

Reframing teacher education: Preparing teachers for inclusive education

Inclusive education is increasingly common in K-12 schools, yet teacher preparation for inclusive education has been lagging. In the present study, interviews of teacher candidates, mentor teachers, university faculty, and fieldwork supervisors were completed to determine experiences of, and preparation for, inclusive education. Results indicate that teacher candidates received very mixed, and often contradictory, messages about inclusive education in their coursework and fieldwork experiences. Recommendations for building capacity for inclusive fieldwork and inclusive teacher preparation are proposed. Further, the need for teacher educators to reframe teacher preparation, from the traditional model of preparing teachers for largely segregated roles, to providing the skills and techniques necessary for working and succeeding in inclusive settings, is discussed.

The instantiation of theory into practice for pre-service teachers in inclusive education

2016

Pre-service teacher (PST) education courses are the vehicles for providing teachers with the preparation they require to work in inclusive classrooms. Discussions in the literature surrounding teacher preparation for inclusion are extensive (Jung, 2007; Killoran et al., 2014; Romi & Leyser, 2006). While there is widespread support for university-based teacher preparation, there continues to be national and international concern about whether the preparation PSTs receive for inclusion is adequate, and whether it does what schools require to ensure successful inclusive education (AITSL, 2015; Carroll et al., 2003; Edelen-Smith et al., 1993; Forlin et al., 2015; Husebo, 2012; Snyder, 2012). Serious concerns exist about the preparation of teachers for inclusive classrooms and also a lack of knowledge about how this preparation can be carried out differently and better (Cochran-Smith, Villegas, Abrams, Chavez Mills, & Stern, 2015; Darling-Hammond, 2005; Dempsey, 2012b; Florian, 2011). Th...

Inclusion in teacher education: What needs to change in practice?

Change and progress in Canadian teacher education: Research on recent innovations in teacher preparation in Canada, 2015

Educational inclusion is an international movement with the goal of ensuring free and equitable access and participation in public education for all students, regardless of language, gender, culture, or ability. In this paper we examine initial teacher education at one university within the province of British Columbia to determine state of inclusiveness within its Bachelor of Education program. We base this examination on two frameworks which support inclusive education initiatives, as well as national law on the duty to accommodate. Multiple barriers are identified at the program, institutional, and governmental levels, as well as the tensions between interacting inclusive education and the integrity and rigors of the teaching profession.

Enhancing teacher education for inclusion

European Journal of Teacher Education

As the demographic profiles of many education systems continue to change, the challenges facing the teaching workforce and how teachers are prepared to address different aspects of diversity are leading many European countries to reform teacher education policy in support of inclusive education. This move aligns with the 2018 European Union Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching, which noted that: [h]igh quality inclusive education and training at all levels, is essential in ensuring social mobility and inclusion. .. and a deeper understanding of our common values (European Commission 2018, p1). As an implementing measure, the Commission recommended that teachers, school leaders and academic staff be enabled to: promote common values and deliver inclusive education, through: (a) measures to empower teachers, school leaders and academic staff helping them convey common values, and promote active citizenship while transmitting a sense of belonging and responding to the diverse needs of learners (17). The European Charter of Fundamental Rights delineates the common values of the EU as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values were recently reaffirmed on the 10th anniversary of the Charter's integration within the Treaty of Lisbon in October 2019 (Council of the European Union 2019). They have been supported by a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, the Education and Training 2020 (ET2020) agenda to develop education and training systems in the Member States to:. .. ensure that all learnersincluding those from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with special needs and migrantscomplete their education. .. Education should promote intercultural competences, democratic values and respect for fundamental rights and the environment, as well as combat all forms of discrimination, equipping all young people to interact positively with their peers from diverse backgrounds' (ibid. p.7). While there are many efforts to address these common values, questions remain about how teachers can be better prepared to respond to the diverse needs of learners in today's schools. These questions are part of a wider discussion about how teachers are prepared to work within a rights-based policy framework of inclusive education, a valuesbased approach to education intended to combat all forms of discrimination and exclusion (UNESCO 2018). They represent an important step in considering how teacher educators engage with the challenge of preparing teachers to deal with difference, remove barriers to participation and implement policies of inclusive education. These discussions occur within and across national contexts which offer different programmes of teacher education and different routes into teaching. The many variations in how teachers are prepared suggests that a consideration of programme structure may be fundamental to deliberations about how shared concerns of equity and inclusion in

Developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice

Policies around the world increasingly call for teachers to become ‘agents of change’, often linked to social justice agendas. However, there is little clarity about the kind of competencies such agency involves or how it can be developed in teacher education. This paper draws on theories of teacher agency and inclusive pedagogy to clarify the meaning of teachers as agents of change in the context of inclusion and social justice. Inclusive practice requires the collaboration of teachers and others such as families and other professionals. Agents of change work purposefully with others to challenge the status quo and develop social justice and inclusion. We discuss the possibilities of combining theories of inclusive pedagogy and teacher agency for developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice in teacher education. These possibilities include: 1) nurturing commitment to social justice as part of teachers’ sense of purpose; 2) developing competencies in inclusive pedagogical approaches, including working with others; 3) developing relational agency for transforming the conditions of teachers’ workplaces; and 4) a capacity to reflect on their own practices and environments when seeking to support the learning of all students.