Transformative Inclusive Education

Book excerpt: Inclusive education is a critical issue at the forefront of educators’ minds. Transformative Inclusive Education tackles the subject by reimagining current practices in education and renovating teaching strategies. This collection demonstrates that inclusion is an educational reform movement that can only succeed if educational institutions and practitioners rethink the meaning, substance, and purpose of education and adopt the new missions, patterns of decision-making, understandings of teaching and learning, pedagogies, collaborative roles, and classroom practices that flow directly from the inclusive reform movement. Featuring contributions from a diverse array of scholars, practitioners, and people with disabilities, this text weaves together the historical, legal, theoretical, and pedagogical currents that underpin the implementation of inclusive education and speaks to current research in the field. From there, it moves forward with a practical trajectory and guide for enacting lasting, effective change in schools to create an inclusive environment for all students. The authors integrate concepts such as RTI, UDL, MTSS, and SEL, and address issues such as collaborative decision-making, positive approaches to behaviour, academic scaffolding, and inclusive technologies and teaching practices. They also look beyond schools, extending inclusive education to families and communities and integrating self-advocacy in practice. Including case studies, realistic examples, and activities for further learning and reflection, this volume is a vital resource for undergraduate and graduate students in education. FEATURES - Provides a framework to redesign teaching practice and enact positive, lasting change for truly inclusive schools - Connects theory to larger pedagogical constructs such as experiential learning, social construction of knowledge, student engagement, and authentic learning - Contains resources for further reading and activity boxes with essential takeaways for student review