Future Directions for Inclusive Teacher Education

Book excerpt: Are teachers ready for inclusion? What is appropriate teacher education? Traditional approaches to inclusive education focused on learners with disabilities. Modern approaches, however, conceptualise inclusion in terms of providing educational equity and equality of access for all students within the same regular school system. Future Directions for Inclusive Teacher Education provides a wealth of ideas about how to support teachers to become inclusive through the application of positive training approaches. Written by some of the most influential internationally acknowledged experts in teacher education for inclusion and highly experienced researchers, together the authors provide a plethora of ideas for teacher educators to ensure that their training is pertinent, accessible, and futures-orientated. This up to date and accessible book combines three key areas related to teacher education for inclusion, which provide: A review of what is happening across the globe by offering examples from different regions; Preparation for teachers to support learners with a range of diverse needs including disability, poverty, ethnicity, gender, cultural diversity, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory impairments and those who are considered gifted and talented; A consideration of systemic approaches, policy, and partnerships, and how these can be better employed in the future. This highly topical text will support all teaching professionals, educational systems, and schools in their transformation of inclusive teacher education.