Abstract
The global pursuit for inclusion officially started with the United Nations Salamanca Statement, which called for the integration of children with special educational needs (SEN) into mainstream schooling. This triggered a substantial universal restructure of education systems, which includes a major reconsideration of teacher education for inclusion in order to prepare teachers to teach their diverse learners. Through a comparative case study design, this study explores inclusive practices in primary education in England and Bahrain. More specifically, the study examines the way in which schools support teachers' in-service professional development (PD) which then aid in the implementation of inclusive education. The findings reveal PD practices for inclusion in England which focus on support for SEN and improving teacher attitudes towards inclusion as well as PD practices in Bahrain that emphasise the assimilation of new teachers and the promotion of a collaborative teaching environment.
TopIntroduction
The global pursuit for inclusion officially started with the United Nations Salamanca Statement in 1994, which called for the integration of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schooling (UNESCO, 1994). This agreement, signed by 92 governments, triggered a substantial universal restructure of education systems. Some countries were faster than others in adopting this policy. Nations also had different incentives for embracing inclusion which were either driven by the strive to reduce the expenditure associated with segregated special education (Armstrong, Armstrong, & Spandagou, 2010), or the strive for social justice. The implementation of inclusive education by developing countries might also be in response to the pressures of competing with developed countries. Regardless of the motivations for pursuing inclusive education, the benefits on an individual and societal level can still be attained.
Since the initiation of inclusive education, the field has witnessed different levels of modifications not only on an educational level, but also on a societal level. Over the years, inclusion has influenced changes in policy, structural levels, teacher education, home-school relations, curriculum, and teaching techniques (Slee, 2013; Strogilos, 2012). More specifically, there is a major reconsideration of teacher education for inclusion in order to prepare teachers to teach their diverse learners. Despite decades of research on inclusion, the absence of a universal definition and consensus on inclusive practice, along with the inconsistent impact of inclusion policy, are all widely acknowledged in the literature (Ainscow, Dyson, & Weiner, 2013; Farrell, Hick, & Kershner, 2008; Spratt & Florian, 2015). Booth, Nes, and Strømstad (2003) discuss that the different conceptualisations and understandings of inclusive education pose barriers to developing inclusive teacher education, particularly the problematic perspective of inclusion as mainly related to teaching students with special educational needs. Booth et al. (2003) indicate that appropriate teacher education is crucial for the success of inclusive education, as teachers are considered instigators of inclusion. Most of the existing research on teacher education for inclusion additionally focuses on developing initial teacher education for inclusion, with a less substantial focus on developing professional development for inclusion.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Integration: The physical placement of students with special educational needs from special education to mainstream education.
Communication and Autism Team (CAT): A team of specialists within the United Kingdom schooling system to support learners, school staff, and families to improve the learning experience of students with autism.
Pupil School Support (PSS): A service provided by the United Kingdom schooling system in support of learners with learning difficulties and vulnerable groups. This support can be provided to school staff through training which in turn will support this groups of learners.
Education Health and Care Plan (EHC): A document which outlines the detailed support and provision for learners with special educational needs in the United Kingdom schooling system.
Non-Arabic Speakers: Learners in the Bahrain public school system, who are predominantly from South Asian countries, whose first language is not Arabic.
Inclusion or Inclusive Education: Concerned with the presence, active participation, and achievement of all learners in a mainstream school.
Local Authority: The organisation responsible for a group of schools in a specific region in the United Kingdom schooling system.
Special Educational Needs (SEN): Includes students with emotional and behavioural difficulties, autism spectrum disorder, learning difficulties, hearing impairment and deafness, physical and health difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, deaf-blindness, speech difficulties, visual impairment, non-native language speakers, and gifted learners.