International Practice in Teacher Education

An Overview of International Practice in

Teacher Education for Inclusion

Author: Sue Stubbs Editor: Ingrid Lewis EENET CIC 22 September 2011

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Contents Abbreviations and acronyms .................................................................................. 2 1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 3 2. Teacher education that promotes and supports the development of effective, efficient and inclusive teachers .............................................................................. 4

2.1. Inclusive education needs to be a comprehensive strategy ............................. 4 2.2. Inclusive education needs to be clearly defined and understood ..................... 5 2.3. Change and innovation need to be welcomed and supported ......................... 6 2.4. Initial teacher education needs to be practical ................................................. 8 2.5. Inclusion needs to permeate and be integrated into all types of teacher education ................................................................................................................ 9 2.6. Inclusive teachers are good teachers; good teachers are inclusive teachers 11 2.7. Inclusion competences are broad-based ....................................................... 12 2.8. Teachers need to access support and to collaborate..................................... 13 2.9. Teachers need to reflect diversity .................................................................. 14 2.10. Education needs to be student-focused....................................................... 15 2.11. Effective school leadership .......................................................................... 16 2.12 Teacher trainers need to promote inclusion by example............................... 17

3. Recommended reading...................................................................................... 19 Annex A: Promoting quality inclusive teacher education................................... 23 Annex B: Teacher competences ........................................................................... 24 Annex C: Case studies on making teacher training more practical................... 25 Annex D: Armenia teacher training case study ................................................... 27 Annex E: Changes in the Learning Environment ................................................ 30 Annex F: References.............................................................................................. 31 Abbreviations and acronyms EENET Enabling Education Network ERI SEE Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe ETF European Training Foundation OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development TALIS Teaching and Learning International Survey

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1. Introduction Aim This document provides background information on the global experience of teacher education for inclusion. It provides a brief overview of research and studies on what enables and promotes, and also what limits and prevents teacher education being effective, efficient and inclusive.1 The European Training Foundation (ETF) defines a good practice as “an effective practice that helps a country capitalise on experience and knowledge gained through social innovation, assess transferability and reflect on general mainstream policy.”2 In this brief overview of good (or promising) practice in teacher education for inclusion, the core components are presented with examples from the literature on the subject, as well as practical case examples. The resource list at the end of the document provides direction to more in-depth reading material.

“Teachers need to be motivated, to be well informed about and understand our needs. They need to be well trained, ask us what we need and to be well co-ordinated among themselves.” The views of disabled young people in the Lisbon Declaration3

This paper looks at 12 key features of teacher education for inclusion: 1. Inclusive education needs to be a comprehensive strategy 2. Inclusive education needs to be clearly defined and understood 3. Change and innovation need to be welcomed and supported 4. Initial teacher education needs to be practical 5. Inclusion needs to permeate and be integrated into all types of teacher education 6. Inclusive teachers are good teachers; good teachers are inclusive teachers 7. Inclusion competences are broad-based 8. Teachers need to access support and collaborate 9. Teachers need to reflect diversity 10. Education needs to be student-focused 11. Effective school leadership 12. Teacher educators promote inclusion by example.

1 ETF (2010a) p.20. 2 ETF (2007) p.8 3 Lisbon Declaration, (Soriano et al., 2008) p.22. Cited in European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) P.43

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2. Teacher education that promotes and supports the development of effective, efficient and inclusive teachers 2.1. Inclusive education needs to be a comprehensive strategy Teacher education for inclusion should form part of an over-arching policy and strategy on inclusion within education as a whole. Government personnel, administrators, policy-makers, civil servants, and budget-makers need to be on board. Environments, structures, systems – all need to be involved in promoting inclusion.

What the literature says (see also Annex A) “There is a need to recognise that legislation, funding, curriculum, assessment and accountability should be considered holistically if they are to support a move towards more inclusive practice in which teacher education plays a key role.”4 OECD outlines how teacher education in general needs to be integral to a comprehensive policy. Eight ‘pointers for development’ are outlined:

i) develop a comprehensive teacher profile ii) view teacher development as a continuum iii) make initial teacher development flexible iv) improve selection procedures v) increase practical and school-based experience in initial teacher training vi) provide external accreditation to assure quality vii) establish strong induction programme via teacher mentoring viii) make teacher development integrated into school improvement, and to career incentives.5

“Systems are inherently conservative. Without intervention, methodologies and curriculum, relationships and environment revert to the ‘known’ – i.e. what teachers have experienced through their own schooling. A trainee can be fully acquainted with and support new theories, techniques and practices. But when he or she returns to the school.... within a year inertia takes over and the teacher will either have resigned or reverted to the ‘norms’ surrounding them..... Inclusion must concentrate on the totality of the environment. ‘Training’ is of course a component of this, but to be effective it cannot be treated separately from all other aspects of school life.”6

4 European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.20 5 OECD (2005a) 6 Williams, J (2006)

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Discussion points • List all the different components of the education system in Macedonia that need

to be part of an inclusive strategy. • Which components are already supporting inclusion? • Which components are potential barriers to inclusion? • What are the barriers to developing better teacher training that promotes inclusive

education? • How can these barriers be overcome?

2.2. Inclusive education needs to be clearly defined and understood When teachers understand inclusive education as only being about children with ‘special needs’, this can result in limited motivation and responsibility for inclusion. There are many interpretations of inclusive education. It is very important that teachers have a common understanding of inclusive education that is based on a social and rights-based model, where the focus is on responding to diversity and removing barriers to learning, not on perceiving the child or marginalised group as ‘the problem’. In practice this means uncovering bias and prejudice, and being committed to everyone’s human right to education.

What the literature says “Many objections and perceived barriers disappear when the underlying concepts of inclusive education are thoroughly understood... Inclusive education represents a shift from being pre-occupied with a particular group to a focus on overcoming barriers to learning and participation.”7 “IE [inclusive education] seems to be generally understood among education professionals and the wider public in the country [Macedonia] as education for students with special needs.”8

Case example: Bosnia and Herzegovina Helping teachers to reflect on a wider vision of inclusion Inclusion training resulted in disabled children being accepted into mainstream schools, but it took longer for teachers to accept that inclusion was also about including Roma children and other minority ethnic groups. Anti-bias training packages were used to encourage teachers to examine their assumptions and their own prejudice, and “to reflect on what being a teacher and being part of a school.. now needs to mean if schools are going to reverse the discrimination that they have... fostered”.9

7 Stubbs (2008) 8 ETF (2010a) p.32 9 Save the Children (2008) p.25

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Discussion points • What is your understanding of inclusive education? • What are your values, beliefs and principles about children, learning and

education? • How can you contribute to the development of a common and progressive

understanding of inclusive education? 2.3. Change and innovation need to be welcomed and supported The established traditional approach to teaching does not support inclusion, yet it is not easy to bring about lasting, effective change. Teacher education needs to include an understanding of how change happens, how it can be supported, how resistance is natural, and how people need support and collaboration in order to move through change. Teacher education should include how to develop a climate in which teachers welcome innovation, acknowledge mistakes and failures, and value improved practice and competence. That is why teacher education primarily needs to encourage teachers in the skills of critical self-reflection, analysis and examining assumptions – and this needs to be done on an on-going basis. The process of ‘look, act, think’ is a simple methodology that helps to promote these skills. It has been used extensively in EENET’s and other organisations’ action research projects and participatory workshops to support teachers in changing their own attitudes, behaviours and developing new skills.

act look

think

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What the literature says In Ethiopia, during training workshops teachers “…were introduced to the ‘look, think, act’ cycle. This means looking at what we do in schools that is inclusive or exclusive; thinking about this in detail and analysing what we have found out; and then taking action to improve the situation. The cycle continues when we look at the actions and the new situation and think about how to take further action to become more inclusive. Teachers worked in groups to discuss what needs to change, how it could be changed, who would be involved, how to record the process and results, how to communicate with stakeholders, etc. They also looked at the feasibility of each other’s suggested changes and at how to turn general statements into specific actions”.10 “Teachers must question assumptions, pose and research problems and use curricula, tests and research as ‘generative’ rather than ‘prescriptive’.”11 EENET’s website contains a range of articles about, and manuals to support, action research. See: www.eenet.org.uk/resources/ Case example: Kenya The confidence to innovate A student teacher from Kenya went to do some training in Pakistan. For her practical training, she was placed in a class with an existing teacher. The student teacher used her creativity to develop innovative teaching methods, but she was initially reprimanded by the existing class teacher for going against the status quo. The class included students with cerebral palsy, hearing impairment and autism. The student teacher got the children to work in groups and used painting and craft to enable them to do a project on the Olympic Games. The children who had been labelled as having ‘special needs’ were very actively involved and not standing out in any way. The student teacher said “my role was only to facilitate”. But the existing class teacher said she was not happy; she preferred to have the ‘children with special needs’ keeping quiet because that is what their parents preferred. After some time, the student teacher revisited the school and was welcomed by other teachers. The class teacher said “we are grateful that you have come back, you taught us to be inclusive, now the children we thought were handicapped are now the most active members of this class. After you left, it proved impossible to silence or to separate these children”. The parents were also happy.12

10 Shenkuti and Focas Licht (2005) 11 European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.23 12 Musalia (2006)

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Discussion points • What is your experience of reflecting on, and trying to change, your own beliefs,

behaviours or skills? How did you do it, and what were the results? • What would support you to make positive change in your school or training

institute? What sort of obstacles might you face? How can you overcome these?

2.4. Initial teacher education needs to be practical One of the main criticisms from teachers in many countries is that their initial training (and even any subsequent in-service training) involved insufficient or irrelevant practical experience in the classroom. The practical experience needs to reflect the theoretical input. In relation to inclusion, this means that trainee teachers need experience of working collaboratively in inclusive settings, being aware of their own assumptions and behaviours, and practising problem-solving and creative solutions. One type of approach is called ‘managed experience’, meaning “taking someone through the learning experiences based in real situations, but controlling the situation so that it fits the current level of learning”.13 What the literature says “Time spent in real classrooms, use of reflective assignments and collaboration between universities and schools were strong features of the programme and gave teachers a greater sense of efficacy, increased use of inclusive practices and high levels of leadership.”14 “The key recommendation of the project was to ensure that teacher education study programmes focus on competences relevant to the actual practice of teaching in a given environment.”15 The strengths of the teaching training programme “…comes from, on the one hand, the training content which responds to concerns related to day-to-day classroom practice, and on the other, from the practical work on real cases in school. The fact that teachers feel they are bringing solutions to real issues arouses and maintains their interest.”16

13 Holdsworth (1997) 14 ERI SEE (2009), p.26 15 ETF (2010a) p.20 16 Gansore (2006)

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Case example: Ethiopia Using action research to make teacher training more practical In Ethiopia, in a project supported by Save the Children, resource teachers assist classroom teachers to find ways to include excluded groups in the learning process. Resource and classroom teachers received in-service training on the idea of ‘presence, participation and achievement’ – three essential elements of inclusive education. As part of the training, the teachers had to go back to their classes and do observation and investigation work (into ‘presence, participation and achievement’). They presented case studies at the next workshop, and continued to do more observations and investigations after that.

At a third workshop, teachers learned about action research (the ‘look-think-act’ process), and were asked to return to their schools and carry out a simple action research cycle – identifying and analysing a barrier to inclusion and experimenting with some actions. At a fourth workshop teachers discussed their experiences, shared ideas and motivated each other to keep doing more action research to learn more about, and solve, more inclusion challenges.

This approach to practical training not only helped teachers to respond better to children at risk of exclusion, but also helped teachers to start working together on solving problems, where previously they had all worked in isolation (and as a result had felt over-burdened).17

(See more examples in Annex C) Discussion points • What practical experience do trainee teachers need? • What practical training experiences do they currently have access to (during pre-

or in-service training? • How can learning through practical experience be linked to learning the theory of

inclusive education?

2.5. Inclusion needs to permeate and be integrated into all types of teacher education The principles and practices of inclusive education cannot be taught effectively through separate courses. There needs to be a constant message running through all pre-service and in-service courses, distance learning programmes, informal exchange opportunities, mentoring systems and cluster school programmes. TALIS outlines the following types of professional development that serving teachers could participate in:

“courses/workshops (e.g. on subject matter or methods and/or other education-related topics); education conferences or seminars (at which teachers and/or researchers present their research results and discuss education problems); qualification programme (e.g. a degree programme); observation visits to other schools; participation in a network of

17 Shenkuti and Focas Licht (2005)

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teachers formed specifically for the professional development of teachers; individual or collaborative research on a topic of professional interest; and mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching, as part of a formal school arrangement.”18

Finding ways for inclusion to feature in all these learning opportunities is vital. Inclusion is – and must be seen as – a way of perceiving the diverse world rather than a separate topic that is only focused on sometimes. In teacher education, there is a move towards supporting the ‘permeation’ or ‘embedded’ model, where inclusion is an integral part of the curriculum for all trainees, rather than an optional add-on, or a course that only some trainees or teachers attend.19 What the literature says “…modules or units on special education in initial teacher education serve to ‘reinforce the sense of separation that characterises special education and leads to the belief that such children are the responsibility only of those who have undertaken specialist courses.”20 Case example: Kyrgyzstan Conveying the message through multiple routes From 2003, training was conducted in a number of ‘pilot professional development schools’ and also 84 cluster schools. Resource trainers acted as mentors to existing teachers in mainstream schools, and there was much sharing of experience at seminars. This helped teachers to tackle many existing obstacles to inclusion. The next step was to introduce the Index for Inclusion. This resource pack helps schools to change policies, practices and cultures within schools. Co-ordination groups of teachers, parents, administrators and children were formed. In addition, a course for university students was developed entitled ‘Inclusive Education Principles and Practices.’ This is delivered by the Resource Trainers.21 Case example: Zambia Teachers teaching teachers Teachers in Mpika, Zambia, had been supported by a local teacher trainer to engage in action research activities, as part of the ongoing process of learning how to be more inclusive teachers. They documented their experiences. EENET supported them to publish their articles in a book called Researching our Experience. This book has encouraged teachers and trainee teachers around the world to try out ideas and experiment. More interestingly, the teachers in Mpika used it as their own ‘home-made’ training manual. When new teachers joined their school they were asked to read the book to learn from what the teachers were already doing, and become inspired to join in this development process.22

18 OECD (2009) p.57 19 European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.21 20 Florian and Rouse (2009) cited in EAD SNE (2010) p.21 21 Djumagulova, C (2006) 22 EENET (2003), and personal communication, Paul Mumba.

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Discussion points • List all the ways in which teachers receive training, education and support for

improving their practice in your context. Which ones are the most effective? • How many of these methods currently convey messages about inclusive

education? • What other ways could be introduced to support teacher’s on-going training and

education?

2.6. Inclusive teachers are good teachers; good teachers are inclusive teachers Competencies for successful inclusive teaching are fundamentally the same as competencies for successful teaching. All children can learn, and all children need their learning supported. A good teacher is student-focused, not curriculum orientated. A good teacher uses active teaching and learning methods that encourage and support all children to attend school, participate in lessons and school life, and enable them to achieve quality learning outcomes. What the literature says “…the teaching approaches and strategies... were not sufficiently differentiated from those which are used to teach all children to justify a distinctive SEN pedagogy... the more important agenda is about how to develop a pedagogy that is inclusive of all learners.”23 “…teachers need to develop competencies that involve knowledge, skills and dispositions to teach equitably and to promote the learning of all pupils.”24 Case example: Burkino Faso Improving teachers’ skills to teach all children A pioneering inclusive programme in Burkino Faso uses child-focused activities to improve learning for all, and to include children with hearing impairment. The Integrated Education and Training Centre for Deaf and Hearing People runs teacher training workshops. “We use the workshops to give teachers an insight into the variety of (non-formal) techniques that can and should be used for teaching/learning. E.g: Icebreakers, brainstorms, group and pair activities, role play, using visual images and games etc. We get them to discuss how they feel as workshop participants/learners, and we ask them to discuss ways of learning in the workshop and rules for making the workshop positive and constructive for everyone.” They then ask teachers to run a ‘workshop’ in their classes, on a specific curriculum topic. This helps them see that these active-learning techniques are really relevant and useful.25

23 Davis and Florian (2004) p.6 24 ETF (2010a) p.23. 25 Imerovic (2006)

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Discussion points • What attitudes, knowledge and skills make a good teacher? • Which of these competences would be helpful in including students from

marginalised groups? • To what extent does current teacher education in your context promote the idea

that ‘inclusive teaching is good teaching’? How could this be improved? 2.7. Inclusion competences are broad-based Training for inclusion requires a shift from traditional approaches.

“This should move away from the current almost exclusive emphasis on subject content toward a focus on skills, values and attitudes as embodied by the concept of competencies.”26

These skills, values and attitudes include;

• having high expectations of all students • recognising that all learners need support • understanding the social and cultural dimensions of education • being committed to creating cohesion and inclusion in society as a whole • working with support staff and as part of a team • examining one’s own assumptions – self-critical reflection • being aware of and actively combating the factors contributing to exclusion.

What the literature says See Annex B on ‘teacher competences’ and Annex E on ‘changes in the learning environment’. Discussion points • What were the traditional attitudes, skills and behaviours of teachers when you

were at school? • What sort of competences do teachers need today to respond to the current

diverse society?

26 ETF (2010a) p.47

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2.8. Teachers need to access support and to collaborate Teachers need to have knowledge, skills and willingness to seek support outside their classroom and school. Traditionally teachers work alone. They can be afraid to share their problems or show a lack of competence. Training therefore needs to emphasise that no one individual can have all the competences necessary to realise inclusion. Teachers need to learn how to recognise when they need support, how to ask for it, who to ask, and how to use such support. They need to learn to look for support in a variety of places – from other teachers, managers, trainers, parents, local organisations that work with specific groups or on particular challenges facing the community. These competences can be built during pre- and in-service training through activities such as team-building exercises, role play and practical experience working alongside others. What the literature says “Teachers need to be able to seek and use the support of other actors who can serve as valuable resources in inclusive education, such as support staff, parents, communities, school authorities...”27 Case example: Uganda Learning to collaborate with parents “There needs to be a good relationship between parents, teachers and pupils.” Parent support and involvement is essential for successful inclusion particularly of children with disabilities. Teachers need to learn how to listen to, welcome and talk with parents. In this Uganda programme, parent groups were encouraged, and as a result parents even took their educational demands to district level. Teachers actively reached out to parents by visiting their homes and persuading parents to send their children to school.28 Learning how to relate sensitively to parents and community members, and to invite their collaboration in making education more inclusive, is a core competency that needs to be developed in teachers. Discussion points • What are the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional way in which

teachers work alone? • What are the different ways in which teachers can work with others and access

support? • In what ways do teachers collaborate already in your context? Does the existing

teacher education system support/encourage this collaboration? If so, how? • What are the opportunities for improving collaborative practice and overcoming

the challenges of working with others? 27 ETF (2010a) p.23 28 Katende (2006)

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2.9. Teachers need to reflect diversity The most effective way to promote inclusion is for education personnel themselves to include representatives of minority, marginalised and excluded groups. For instance, there needs to be a balance of male and female teachers, and there needs to be teachers from minority ethnic/language/religious groups, and teachers with disabilities. To achieve this, teacher education needs to be inclusive in terms of environment, materials and ethos as well as content. For instance, to promote girls’ educational enrolment, retention and completion, there needs to be enough women teachers at all levels in education. To encourage women to train as teachers at all levels, the training curriculum and methodology need to demonstrate gender equality (e.g. removal of gender stereotyping in the course materials and activities; support for women trainees who have to juggle work and family commitments, etc). There also need to be policies that promote and monitor equitable enrolment and retention in training courses. What the literature says “Teachers and trainers coming from different ethnic groups and possessing the necessary skills and competences for working in a multicultural context facilitate and promote inter-ethnic participation in education and training.”29 Case example: Mozambique Promoting diversity in the teaching workforce EPF (Teacher Training Colleges for the Future) collaborates with a disability organisation (ADEMO) to recruit disabled trainee teachers. “The disabled students improve the educational environment in the college, participate in all aspects of the programme, and demonstrate that education is for all.” Salimo uses a wheelchair and when he enrolled the paths were improved so he could move around. However, although trainee teachers generally receive a salary during their practical year, the authorities refused to give Salimo one. So he began teaching anyway. When a Ministry of Education inspection committee unexpectedly came to the school where he was teaching, they were impressed to see him using very participatory and child-focused methods, whereas other teachers were still using traditional approaches. They lobbied for Salimo to receive a contract and a salary. Salimo faced many more obstacles, as his contract was removed again by an official who said that disabled people could not be teachers. With help from the disability organisation and teacher training college principal, the contract was eventually reissued. Role models such as Salimo are vital to change policy, practice and attitudes toward inclusion.30

29 ETF (2007) p.9 30 Schurmann (2006)

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Discussion points • How many teachers have you met from various marginalised groups? Do you

know anything about their experiences of training and teaching? • What are your assumptions about teachers from different marginalised groups? • How can teacher training and school environments encourage and support more

teachers from marginalised groups to train as teachers and stay in the teaching workforce?

2.10. Education needs to be student-focused Listening to student voices, understanding where students are coming from, valuing the input from students, and welcoming active participation in learning – all these are elements of inclusive teaching and learning. Teachers’ competencies in these areas can and should be developed through teacher education. Case example: Yemen Learning how to use students’ life experiences to make education more relevant and inclusive “The best teacher-trainers are usually children!” This is a quote from Manal AsShureify who was involved in including working children in education. She was involved in a project that identified the barriers that prevented working children from participating in education. One barrier was the fact that children found school disconnected from their working lives; school in its traditional format was boring for them. So teachers were introduced to the idea of linking the formal and informal learning environments, to make education relevant for working children. For example in a maths lesson, they were shown how to use simulations of shops. They also learned how to draw on children’s communication skills acquired through anger or conflict management situations on the street, to develop their Arabic language skills. Teachers were trained in classroom observation methods and to carry out focus group discussions. They were also exposed to the real-life working situations of the children and supported to come up with practical solutions for how best to engage the children in learning. Videos were taken of the teachers’ lessons then replayed so that teachers could observe how they managed their lessons and reflect on students’ responses and needs.31

31 AlShureify (2006)

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Discussion points • What are the main characteristics of ‘teacher-focused’ or ‘curriculum-focused’

teaching? How does this differ from ‘student-focused’ teaching? • How does student-focused or child-friendly teaching affect the way teachers think

and behave? • How can teacher education help teachers to become more student-focused? • How can we make the teacher education itself more inclusive and student-

focused?

2.11. Effective school leadership Effective leadership plays a vital role in improving teacher practice. It also improves student-teacher relationships, leads to better outcomes from teacher appraisals, and aids improved collaboration between teachers.32 The type of leadership needed for an inclusive school is different from the traditional, authoritarian role that is present still in many schools. Leaders need to be role models. They needs to be able to encourage teachers and pupils to work together, to be creative, to problem solve, and to learn from mistakes and failures, whilst having the highest expectations of everyone. Leaders who come from marginalised groups will, by example, be effective promoters of an inclusive environment – although we shouldn’t assume that just because someone comes from a particular group that they will automatically (without training and experience) understand and champion the educational rights and needs of all marginalised children. Training for principals is vital if inclusively-trained teachers are to be given the space and support to move ahead with innovative new practice in their classes What the literature says “Leadership involves an interactive process entered into by both learners and teachers. ...there is a need for shared leadership, with the principal seen as a leader of leaders. Hierarchical structures have to be replaced by shared responsibility in a community that becomes characterised by agreed values and hopes...”33 “It is apparent that the success of educational inclusion does not depend only on teachers, but it is based on the teamwork of members of expert services. …school principles must be agents of change. Hence it is necessary to establish training programmes for principles to prepare them for more intense cooperation between schools and local communities, and parents.”34

32 Findings from OECD (2009) TALIS 33 Ainscow and Miles (2008) p.14.

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Case example: Zambia Challenging the traditional views of school leaders Paul Mumba has been teaching for more than 20 years. His class is inclusive, and he focuses heavily on the concept of ‘democracy in the classroom’, building on child rights concepts to make the class a more equitable, child-friendly place. He now works as a local trainer, helping other teachers to develop their skills and confidence to include diverse groups of children in their classes. But Paul had to fight hard to get to this point. When he qualified as a teacher he “…found that the theories I had learnt did not work [in practice]. I thought that I wasn’t being a good teacher. I wasn’t doing well and the children weren’t doing well. Traditional teaching methods are old-fashioned, so I tried out different methods.” He had lots of exciting ideas for how he could make the learning process more fun, and yet also more beneficial, for all children. He started to try these ideas in his first school, and he could see positive results, but the head teacher didn’t approve of his style – it was too different from the traditional norm. Paul moved to another school, but found the same response. When he finally moved to his current school, the head teacher was again not sure about Paul’s ideas, but he allowed him to try. Soon students in Paul’s class were achieving some of the best results in the country, and children who were not so academic were actively joining in the learning process and making significant progress. Children who had previously been out of school started to join his class too. The head teacher appreciated the results, and encouraged more teachers in the school to follow Paul’s example. If the head teachers in Paul’s schools had been more aware of child rights and inclusion issues, Paul could have been allowed to make a greater difference for more children at a much earlier date.35 Discussion points • What are the qualities that a good school leader must possess to promote

inclusion? • How would you characterise school leadership in your context? • How can teacher training processes develop leaders for inclusion?

2.12. Teacher trainers need to promote inclusion by example Research shows that the role of teacher educators in promoting inclusive practices in trainee teachers is vital. Teacher educators need to examine their own assumptions, prejudices and practices, and become role models for inclusive teaching. This is why it is important that there is a comprehensive strategy to promote inclusive education. If teacher educators are still operating from traditional paradigms, an inclusive curriculum for teacher education will have limited impact. The way teachers are trained needs to be participatory and inclusive. There is little point trying to teach about inclusion only by using the methodology of traditional, non-participatory and non-inclusive lectures! Teacher education needs to use student-centred and active 34 Mirosevic (2007). See also OECD (2009) 35 Mumba (2001) and personal communications.

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learning approaches to demonstrate to teachers what an inclusive classroom looks and feels like. What the literature says “Teacher educators not only have the role of supporting student teachers’ learning about teaching, but … they also model the role of the teacher. Korthagen, Loughran and Lunenberg (2005) say that here the teacher education profession is unique: ‘the way teacher educators model the promotion of certain views of learning could be a more important factor in shaping teacher behaviour than the content of the messages they are sending, despite inherent differences between the university and school contexts’...”36 Discussion points • Describe the influence of a mentor or teacher who inspired you to learn. • What qualities did they possess? • How could more teachers trainers be encouraged/supported to become positive

role models for inclusion?

See Annex D, the case study on Armenia, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of that programme according to the points listed above.

36 European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.41. See both pages 41 and 42

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3. Recommended reading The resources listed below are recommended for reading and translation. We have provided a brief description of each document to assist in your selection. You can find further reading relevant to teacher education good practice in the References list in Annex F. Ainscow, M and Miles, S (2008) ‘Making Education for All Inclusive: Where next?; Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v38 n1 p15-34 Mar 2008

This paper outlines different understandings of inclusive education, arguing that inclusion is a ‘principled approach to education’ focusing on the presence, participation and achievement of all children. It emphasises that becoming more inclusive is less about introducing new techniques, and more about changing school systems, improving leadership, and enabling collaboration between schools and communities. As such it presents the idea of teachers learning through action and collaboration outside the training room.

Booth, T and Ainscow, M (2011) Index for Inclusion: Developing learning and participation in schools (third edition), Bristol: Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education

This resource for school evaluation and improvement guides schools through a process of inclusive school development. It encourages scrutiny of school life and involves a self-review of a school’s cultures, policies and practices. Through this, barriers to learning and participation are identified, priorities for development are determined, and plans are put into practice to help build supportive communities which foster high achievement for all students. The Index provides a useful framework for supporting teacher development within the context of whole-school improvement. The latest edition can be bought from CSIE: www.csie.org.uk/publications/current.shtml#schoolsindex2011. The second edition of the Index can be downloaded in English and more than 20 other languages from EENET’s website: www.eenet.org.uk/resources/resource_search.php?theme=indx&date=0&author=0&publisher=0&type=0&country=0#translations

EENET (2006) Enabling Education, Issue 10. Special Edition on Teacher Education

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf This edition of EENET’s newsletter contains articles from around the world, documenting practical experiences of inclusive teacher education. For instance it looks at action research as a teacher education tool; supporting teachers to work with deaf learners; and the importance of supporting people with disabilities to become teachers. The short, easy-to-read articles are very useful in teacher training situations, for inspiring discussion, reflection and comparison.

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Many more teacher education articles and manuals can be found on EENET’s website at: www.eenet.org.uk/resources/

EENET (2005) Learning from Difference: An action research guide, Manchester: Enabling Education Network

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/Learning%20from%20Difference%20Guidelines.pdf Action research can be a key tool in teacher training, helping teachers to turn theory into practice and learn from their own experiences. This tool helps teachers to become reflective practitioners, and supports practitioners and community members to ‘capture’ their experiences so that they can be shared with a wider audience. The activities are designed to encourage wide participation in action research across the school community.

Holdsworth, J (1997) ‘The Uses of “Managed Experience” and the Limitations of Training. Lessons from the Lao Integrated Education Programme, Vientiane: Save the Children

This discussion paper remains very relevant despite its age. It contains useful examples of how to make teacher training really practical in a relevant and effective way.

INEE (2010) INEE Pocket Guide to Supporting Learners with Disabilities, Geneva: Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/INEE_Supporting_Learners_with_Disabilities.pdf This guide was initially written for teachers working in emergency, conflict and crisis situations, but has proven to be very popular with teachers and trainers in regular contexts because it is short and easy-to-read. It looks at key issues such as recognising children’s learning needs, managing the school day, planning learning activities, etc. For each issue there is a summary of the main challenges that teachers may face; suggestions for key messages to convey to teachers during training or discussions; and suggestions for practical actions that teachers can be encouraged to discuss with each other and adapt to their own situation.

INEE (2010) Teachers can help everyone learn (poster), Geneva: Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/Teachers_can_help_everyone_learn_poster.pdf

This poster accompanies the pocket guide. In a brief and accessible style, it outlines some of the key characteristics and actions of an inclusive teacher. Most of the suggestions are low cost and/or easy to achieve. The poster can encourage teachers to see inclusive education as a less intimidating process; it is essentially about being a good teacher.

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Lewis, I (2009) Guide to Inclusive Education Study Tours, Enabling Education Network and International Disability and Development Consortium

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/IE_Study_Tour_Guide.doc

Study tours are often used as part of a programme for training trainers, or for giving teachers a chance to experience what teaching and learning is like in another context. Study tours can be expensive yet are often not used to their full potential. This guide draws on EENET’s experience of running inclusive education study tours to highlight how to make a tour genuinely beneficial for the visitors and the hosts: for instance, involving two-way learning; recognising learning needs and expectations; and incorporating practical, active learning methods into the programme.

OECD (2005a) Developing Teachers’ Knowledge and Skills – Pointers for Policy Development, OECD Directorate for Education, Education and Training Policy Division

www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/0/45399491.pdf Training teachers to be inclusive is actually about training teachers to be good all-round teachers. This requires us to work on improving teacher education generally, not just on inserting separate courses on inclusive education into teachers’ training schedules. This very short (two page) factsheet offers a check list of key considerations that can help us to improve teacher education generally.

Save the Children (2008) Making Schools Inclusive: How change can happen, London: Save the Children UK

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/Making%20schools%20inclusive%20SCUK.pdf This booklet gives many practical examples of promoting inclusive education, also through pre- and in-service teacher education. Pages 21-25 focus on ‘Teacher Training for Inclusive Practice’.

Stubbs (2008) Inclusive Education: Where there are few resources, Oslo: Atlas Alliance

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/IE%20few%20resources%202008.pdf This booklet gives a background and critical overview of key issues, concepts and strategies in relation to inclusive education that are relevant to situations where economic resources are limited. It includes exercises and material that can stimulate participatory learning on inclusive education topics, and has case studies from around the world.

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UNESCO (2004) Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments, Bangkok: UNESCO Bangkok

www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/032revised/index.htm This kit of ten booklets contains tools and activities suitable for self-study, to help teachers start creating an inclusive, learning-friendly environment (ILFE). Some of these activities ask readers to reflect on what their schools are doing now in terms of creating on ILFE, while others actively guide readers in improving their skills as a teacher in a diverse classroom.

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Annex A: Promoting quality inclusive teacher education This is a succinct summary of the common features that ‘help programs confront many core dilemmas of teacher education’:37 • A common, clear vision of good teaching permeates all course work and clinical

work. • Well-defined standards of practice and performance are used to guide and

evaluate coursework and clinical work. • Curriculum is grounded in knowledge of child and adolescent development,

learning, social contexts and subject matter pedagogy, taught in the context of practice.

• Extended clinical experiences are carefully developed to support the ideas and practices presented in simultaneous, closely inter-woven coursework.

• Explicit strategies help students (1) confront their own beliefs and assumptions about learning and students and (2) learn about the experiences of people different from themselves.

• Strong relationships, common knowledge, and shared beliefs link school- and university-based faculty.

• Case study methods, teacher research, performance assessments and portfolio evaluation apply learning to real problems of practice.

37 Darling-Hammond (2006) cited in European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.41

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Annex B: Teacher competences Developing teacher profiles and assessing competences “Feyerer et al. (2006) stress the need for schools to convey the competences necessary for living in a diverse and multicultural society to all learners and therefore suggest the following teacher competences and say that the methods used in teacher education must also correspond to these goals that include: • Open, project oriented and pupil centred forms of education; • Use and production of new teaching materials, design of learning environments; • Process oriented support diagnostics and new forms of assessment, feedback

and evaluation; • Reflection and adaptation of one’s own values, attitudes and action patterns; • Intercultural learning, gender education and education of gifted students; • Interdisciplinary collaboration with other teachers, therapists and institutions

within/beyond school and increased parental involvement; • Quality assurance and school development (e.g. use of the Index for Inclusion,

Booth and Ainscow, 2002); • Public relations together with all school partners to positively influence public

opinions.”38 The following table is an extract from: EFT (2010) Mapping Policies and Practices for the Preparation of Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Country Report. Working Document January 2010, European Training Foundation

38 European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) p.37

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Annex C: Case studies on making teacher training more practical The following case studies from EENET’s network show ways in which teacher training in other countries has helped teachers to move beyond a basic theoretical understanding of inclusive, quality education for all. None of these examples on their own would offer teachers enough practical experience to make them inclusive teachers, but the examples show the kinds of approaches that can be integrated into wider teacher training initiatives to boost the practical side of training. A longer-term approach to revising teacher training, Lao In Lao, the pre-school teacher training curriculum was revised over a two-year period, with long-term support provided by an international NGO. The process involved regular seminars for teacher trainers, after which they had to do classroom observations and practical teaching sessions. The trainees also observed and learned from each other in between seminars. A manual was developed, but the focus of training was on the practical activities, observations and sharing of experiences. Training teachers to be creative, Liberia Inclusive education is about making teaching and learning more participatory and responsive to the needs of all children. The materials that teachers use – and how they use them – plays a big role in this. However, many teachers feel they cannot do anything if the school/government does not provide them with these materials. In Liberia, teachers and student-teachers participated in workshops to learn how to make and use low-cost pictorial learning aids for themselves. This was important because the schools could not always afford to buy such materials. They learned how to make picture cards, maps, discussion starters and educational games. Most teachers had no experience with drawing and were worried about how to start. They were therefore shown basic guidelines for drawing faces, figures and animals and were given further drawing advice when needed. After four days, all participants had designed and made at least one pictorial learning aid. They practised using it, and their colleagues gave feedback and suggestions for improvements to the materials and to the ways they were used to make the class more active and inclusive for all. Training teachers to see a future vision for teaching and learning, Burkina Faso In Burkina Faso the Integrated Education and Training Centre for Deaf and Hearing People (CEFISE) runs regular workshops with teachers to help them develop practical skills for working with all pupils in regular schools, including those with hearing impairments. The training focuses on supporting teachers to see what teaching and learning could be like, as opposed to being stuck in a vision of what it currently is like.

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At the workshops they discuss teaching and learning techniques and get teachers to reflect on how they feel during each activity – so they can empathise with how children feel during lessons. The workshops also cover how to develop relationships with parents to assist inclusion, how to manage large classes, and how to do cross-curriculum teaching, such as using art as a tool in other subjects. Teachers are then asked to return to work and run a ‘workshop’ in their class, using the kind of active methods they experienced in the training workshops. The project also supports deaf teachers to work alongside hearing teachers, to support each other with tackling various inclusion challenges. Training teachers to adapt to the needs of learners, Yemen In Yemen, a large number of children work, which has a negative impact on their education. Many working children find themselves excluded from education, or feel excluded within the school. The Working Children’s Rehabilitation Centre helped teachers to learn about and respond to the educational needs of working children. Because working children often find school too disconnected from their life, they get bored and often drop out. The things they learn through work are rarely given credit in school. Teachers were therefore trained how to link the formal and informal learning environments in which working children operate. They were trained to use classroom observation methods and to carry out focus group discussions to learn more about the children’s lives and educational needs. The teachers were exposed to real-life school experiences and encouraged to suggest practical ideas for addressing these situations. A further tool used was to record teachers’ lessons, so that they could watch themselves and reflect critically on their teaching approaches, and on how their students reacted. They then discussed ways to improve. The teachers were also trained in how to use the children’s work experiences in lessons (e.g. using a market selling activity as a basis for a maths lesson).

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Annex D: Armenia teacher training case study39

“The teachers all reported finding the training useful, but most said that it was too theoretical – just 35 hours in a workshop without practical activities in classrooms..... Despite the problems, however, there were some excellent specialists and teachers who embraced the ideas in the training and tried hard to learn more and take the concept of inclusive education further than the training had told them.”

An international NGO in Armenia has been supporting inclusive education for about 10 years. They started by supporting inclusion in kindergartens, and then after about 7 years moved to supporting inclusion in primary schools. They have taken a multi-disciplinary approach, supporting teacher training, public campaigning, government advocacy, supporting and training specialists (within schools and within assessment centres), supporting disabled people’s organisations, etc. As with most of the work on inclusive education in Armenia, the NGO’s work on inclusive education started from a disability focus, seeking alternatives to special schools and investing a lot of effort in assessment of children (often medically-focused). The NGO has, in recent years, tried to move its own thinking towards a wider vision of inclusive education – improving presence, participation and achievement for all learners. It is working hard to encourage others to make the same shift, but has an uphill struggle to dismantle entrenched beliefs. Most teachers, specialists, parents and officials see inclusive education as a process of placing disabled children in regular schools, and do not yet understand the wider issue of improving the quality of education to ensure participation and achievement as well as basic access. One element of the NGO’s latest project involved supporting an in-service teacher training initiative. The NGO provided funding and advice, but contracted a national education institution to develop and run the training. They created a manual for training teachers as well as booklet for working with parents and children to raise their awareness of inclusion. The training was designed as a cascade system. First 10 teachers were trained to be ‘inclusive education specialists’. They then trained teachers in their school/town, who then ideally would pass on their learning to other teachers as well. The teachers all reported finding the training useful, but most said that it was too theoretical – just 35 hours in a workshop without practical activities in classrooms. The institute staff did some follow up with teachers, such as observing them to see if they were implementing what they had learned. But in general teachers felt that they were given the ideas and then left to work out what to do with them. 39 Case study prepared by Ingrid Lewis (EENET) following various pieces of work to document and evaluate the project for the NGO.

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Indeed, even the ‘specialists’ only received the same amount of training (35 hours) and mainly theory. So although they were already more experienced teachers, committed to the idea of inclusion, they also didn’t go through a practical training before they started training others. The training focused on ‘knowledge transfer’ – which assumes that the answers to inclusion challenges are already known and can be taught to someone else. In reality, of course, many of the challenges we face are unique and there may be no existing solution available. Inclusive education is mostly about problem solving, rather than applying an existing formula. The training did not prepare teachers to be problem solvers. It tried to provide them with direct answers to anticipated problems, but of course back in the classroom the teachers found there were many problems that had not been covered by the training and they didn’t know how to handle these. Most felt nervous about tackling inclusion challenges, and many still wanted to hand responsibility to specialists within the school or within external assessment centres. The training was focused on the workshops. There was very little opportunity for independent study – that is the trainees didn’t do any literature-based research, or do any field work in their schools to investigate and try to solve real-life inclusion challenges. Because the training happened in-service (rather than at the very start of their teacher training in college), and because the training still had a focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities, some teachers perceived it as an extra burden. They felt they were being asked to do something that was not in the job description they had originally trained for. The training had not managed to convey fully the idea that “if a teacher wants to be a good teacher, then they need to be inclusive”. Despite the problems, however, there were some excellent specialists and teachers who embraced the ideas in the training and tried hard to learn more and take the concept of inclusive education further than the training had told them. In some cases these specialists/teachers excelled despite, rather than because of, the training. These specialists/teachers were committed to helping their colleagues overcome their fears of responding to diverse children in class. They also understood the importance of the family in every child’s education, and so tried to engage parents in the process. The in-service training can be viewed as a very useful ‘first step’. It undoubtedly helped to raise many teachers’ awareness of inclusive education ideas, when previously they had known nothing about this because all ‘different’ children had simply been sent to special schools. It also helped to generate commitment in theory to the idea of including all children together in a quality education system. However, on its own this training was not enough to turn around decades of attitudes and practices within the teaching profession.

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Discussion points • Identify the aspects in this programme that reflect the ‘good practice’ points listed

throughout this document. • What do you think were the problems with this training approach? • How would you:

o Build on the successes of the programme? o Address the problems? o Follow-up the training to ensure that the initial investment is not

wasted?

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Annex E: Changes in the learning environment Extract from: OECD (2010)

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Annex F: References The following documents are references cited in this paper. Ainscow, M and Miles, S (2008) ‘Making Education for All Inclusive: Where next?; Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v38 n1 p15-34 Mar 2008 AlShureify, M (2006) ‘Including working children in education, Yemen’, Enabling Education, Issue 10

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf Davis, P and Florian, L (2004) Teaching Strategies and Approaches for Pupils with Special Educational Needs: A Scoping Study. Nottingham: DfES Publications.

http://orphansfamilyproject.pbworks.com/f/II.teaching%20strategies%20including%20aspects%20of%20II.pdf

Djumagulova, C (2006) ‘Redesigning the Soviet Education System in Kyrgyzstan’ Enabling Education Issue 10

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (2010) Teacher Education for Inclusion – International Literature Review, Odense, Denmark: European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education

www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/teacher-education-for-inclusion/teacher-education-web-files/TE4I-Lit-Review.pdf

EENET (2003) Researching Our Experience, Manchester: Enabling Education Network

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/rsrching_experience.pdf ERI SEE (2009) Teacher Training for Inclusive Education in Countries with Diverse Social and Cultural Contexts: Report of the Regional Seminar, Croatia, 28-29 May 2009, Education Reform Initiative in South Eastern Europe ETF (2007) Social Inclusion of Ethnic Groups Through Education and Training: Elements of good practice, European Training Foundation

www.issa.nl/members/member_docs/resources/ETF_report/Social_inclusion_of_ethnic_groups_Final_en.doc

ETF (2010a) Mapping Policies and Practices for the Preparation of Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Country Report, European Training Foundation Gansore, Noelie, (2006) ‘Inclusive Education in Burkino Faso: Teacher Training’, Ouagadougou: Handicap International

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/hi_burkina_faso.php Holdsworth, J, (1997) ‘The Uses of “Managed Experience” and the Limitations of Training. Lessons from the Lao Integrated Education Programme’, Vientiane: Save the Children

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Katende, P (2006) ‘Working with parents in Uganda’, Enabling Education, Issue 10 www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf

Mirošević, J K (2007) ‘Inclusive Education in Croatia’. Paper presented at the Regional Preparatory Workshop on Inclusive Education Eastern and South Eastern Europe Sinaia, Romania, 14 – 16 June 2007, UNESCO International Bureau of Education

www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Inclusive_Education/Reports/sinaia_07/croatia_inclusion_07.pdf

Mumba, P (2001) ‘Democratisation of the classroom, Mpika, Zambia’ Enabling Education, Issue 5.

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/eenet_news5.pdf Musalia, A (2006) ‘I did it! Personal experiences in an inclusive class’ Enabling Education, Issue 10.

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf OECD (2005a) ‘Developing Teachers’ Knowledge and Skills – Pointers for Policy Development’, OECD Directorate for Education, Education and Training Policy Division

www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/0/45399491.pdf OECD (2009) Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments – First Results from TALIS, OECD Publishing

www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/51/43023606.pdf OECD (2010) Educating Teachers for Diversity: Meeting the Challenge. OECD

www.oecd.org/document/38/0,3343,en_2649_35845581_44572006_1_1_1_1,00.html Save the Children (2008) Making Schools Inclusive: How change can happen, London: Save the Children UK

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/Making%20schools%20inclusive%20SCUK.pdf Shenkuti, N and Focas Licht, M (2005) ‘Action research in North Gonder, Ethiopia’ in Enabling Education, Issue 9

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/EENET%20newsletter%209%20FINAL.pdf Schurmann, E (2006) ‘Training disabled teachers in Mozambique’, Enabling Education, Issue 10

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf Stubbs (2008) Inclusive Education: Where there are few resources, Oslo: Atlas Alliance

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/IE%20few%20resources%202008.pdf Williams, J (2006) ‘Teacher training – a miserable failure?’ Enabling Education, Issue 10

www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/enabling_education10.pdf