Policy into practice examples - United Kingdom (Scotland)

Background/why this example shows innovative practice: 

The University of Aberdeen was funded by the Scottish Executive (2006–10) to develop new approaches to training teachers for inclusive education. The overarching aims of this project are to ensure that newly qualified teachers: (1) have a greater awareness and understanding of the educational and social problems/issues that can affect children’s learning; and (2) have developed strategies they can use to support and deal with such difficulties.

Setting/situation of the example:

As the concept of educational inclusion has widened to incorporate broader issues of social inclusion, there is now greater awareness of the exclusionary pressures associated with migration, mobility, language, ethnicity and intergenerational poverty. Given the competing policy agendas of standards-based reforms, and moves towards greater social and educational inclusion, the development of inclusive education, is a daunting prospect. This is relevant not only for teachers, but also for those who prepare teachers to work in schools.

Partners involved: 

Local authority and schools

Description of activity/approach being taken:

The ITE course reforms at Aberdeen have been driven by three key concepts associated with the development of inclusive practice. These include (1) the understanding that the challenge of inclusive practice is to respect and respond to human differences in ways that include rather than exclude learners in what is ordinarily available to others in the daily life of the classroom. Such an understanding is manifested when (2) the teacher works to extend what is ordinarily available to all, as opposed to doing something ‘additional’ or ‘different’ from that which is available to others. This is a complex pedagogical endeavour that depends on (3) a shift in thinking about teaching and learning from that which works for most learners along with something ‘additional’ or ‘different’ for those who experience difficulties, to the creation of lessons and learning opportunities that enable all learners to participate in classroom life. The interrelationship of these three key concepts is expressed in practice as the interaction of teachers’ ‘knowing’, ‘doing’, and ‘believing’. This practical expression maps onto Shulman’s (2007) conceptualisation of professional learning as apprenticeships of the head (knowledge), hand (skill, or doing), and heart (attitudes and beliefs). In practice, these ideas and concepts have served as a foundation for the PGDE curricular reforms, however ideas are also consistent with the content of the four year BEd course.

Competences that are being developed:

The programme adheres to the Standard for Initial Teacher Education outlined above. It is consistent with the Framework for Inclusion.

Impact/benefits for student teachers/learners/others:

The IPP approach to teacher education encourages students to think broadly about the responsibility they have for children’s learning. 

Identification of what can be learned from the study about teacher education for inclusion:

See research from IPP:

Florian, L., Young, K. & Rouse, M (in press) Preparing Teachers for Inclusive and Diverse Educational Environments: Studying Curricular Reform in an Initial Teacher Education Course. International Journal of Inclusive Education

Rouse, M. (2010) Reforming initial teacher education: A necessary but not sufficient condition for developing inclusive practice in C. Forlin (Ed) Teacher Education for Inclusion: Changing Paradigms and Innovative Approaches, 47–54 London: Routledge

Florian, L. & Rouse, M. (2010) Teachers’ professional learning and inclusive practice. In R. Rose (Ed.). Confronting Obstacles to Inclusion – International Responses to Developing Inclusive Schools, pp. 185–199, London: Routledge

Florian, L., & Rouse, M., (2009) The inclusive practice project in Scotland: Teacher education for inclusive education, Teaching and Teacher Education 25(4), 594–601

Plans for further development/extension of this practice:

Studies of the reforms undertaken at Aberdeen are ongoing. 

Contact details for further information:

Lani Florian
University of Aberdeen
School of Education
MacRobert Building Room 711
King’s College
Aberdeen AB24 5UA