Abstract
School closures and the wider social constraints resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the difficulty of attaining educational goals and affected students with special needs. Education and training systems have responded and demonstrated a great ability to innovate and adopt new approaches, but also shown significant shortcomings due to teachers' being unwilling to make use of different environments and learning tools. The chapter reflects on the immediate response to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at the systems of teacher support available, including the successful and safe uses of technology for learning that help education systems become more equitable and inclusive and more effective in fulfilling their mission, more efficient in their operation and use of resources, and thus, better equipped to serve the needs of their communities and society at large. Appropriate teacher training and teacher competencies are fundamental to ensuring teachers are adequately skilled, remunerated, and ready to implement equitable and inclusive learning.
TopIntroduction
COVID-19 caused major disruptions in education, and further destabilized the mental and physical well-being of students with disabilities (UNESCO, 2020; Cerdan Chiscano, 2021; Kim & Rose, 2020). There is growing evidence that students with disabilities have been significantly less engaged in distance learning than their peers due to digital exclusion, absence of appropriate assistive equipment, and teachers' inexperience (Flack, Walker, Bickerstaff & Margetts, 2020). Teachers need to be trained and actively involved in reorganizing and implementing educational programmes for new technologies to be successfully integrated in schools. Research shows that innovation programs that have not allowed teachers to participate in all stages of their implementation have not succeeded (Clarke, 2007; Deglau & O'Sullivan, 2006). Inclusion in education has not proven to be a satisfactory educational transformation. In the absence of reforms, several factors, such as standard curricula, large numbers of students, educational materials, material infrastructure of schools, and conventional educational methods, continue to remain the same (Efthymiou, in press). In many families and learning situations, distance learning was challenging, especially for students with special needs. Among the major concerns have been the absence of targeted learning support at school, financial support, and access to a variety of extracurricular activities (Hamilton & Ercikan, 2022). Many schools and teachers were not prepared for such a change in both digital capacity and resources, including connectivity and infrastructure. Some primary and secondary school teachers reported that they did not have clear guidance and communication with public authorities. They also reported a lack of support and training in learning planning for periods during which all, or most, students would learn remotely (Aiano et al., 2021).
Inclusive education is a process that contributes to the achievement of social inclusion. Inclusion is a series of actions that embrace diversity and foster a sense of belonging. This view is based on the belief that all people have their own individual value and potential, and should be respected regardless of their background, abilities, or identities (Santamaría Graff et al., 2020). The quest for better education and training that includes diversity is not unique to COVID-19. Planning for education and training continues to present challenges, including the need to create meaningful learning experiences for learners of various ages, backgrounds, and abilities (Simamora, 2020). Teachers and schools need support in adapting and improving their own pedagogical and organizational styles to benefit every student. It is imperative that the education and training system adopt a coherent, continuous improvement-oriented approach to address these challenges and improve capacity in distance education (Ehren & Baxter, 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
COVID-19: SARS-CoV-2 causes Coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19.
Readiness: Pedagogical activity that is effective in the context of inclusive education through the integration of qualities, properties, knowledge, and personal skills.
Digital Citizenship: A sense of digital citizenship is the act of successfully utilizing digital technologies to cultivate values, skills, and attitudes in an ethical and responsible manner.
Special Education Needs and Disorders (SEND): Children who experience barriers to learning, e.g., reading, writing, speaking, etc., may require special school interventions.
Equity: To provide equitable treatment, equal opportunities, and fair access to information and resources.
Inclusion: To include, accommodate, or integrate people who have traditionally been excluded because of their race, gender, sexuality, or abilities.
Special Education: Students with disabilities can access the same educational opportunities as students without disabilities.
Inclusive Education: When all students, regardless of their disabilities, are placed in classes that appropriately meet their needs at their own school.