Margaret Sutherland

Buses, Traffic Lights and Green Lights: The past, present and future of meaningful inclusion

Date and Time Thursday 24 August, 11:00 - 12:00
Building and Room Gilbert Scott, Bute [Floor 4]

Margaret Sutherland is Professor of High Ability Studies and Inclusive Practice in the School of Education, University of Glasgow. She has 41 years teaching experience in mainstream primary schools, behaviour support and latterly in higher education, and so her work is primarily concerned with learning, teaching and pedagogy. She has published in the field of inclusion and gifted education and is best known for her practical books on being gifted and talented in the early years. Margaret is on the advisory board for the Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, the British Journal of Special Education and Support for Learning as well as key journals in the field of gifted education. She serves on the Executive Committee of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She regularly gives keynote addresses at conferences and has led courses, workshops and seminars across the UK and has been invited to work with researchers, teachers and students in Africa, Europe, Australasia, China and North America.

Buses, Traffic Lights and Green Lights: The past, present and future of meaningful inclusion

It is essential that we acknowledge and understand our educational past, the successes we need to build on and the mistakes we must learn from. It is equally important that we do not get paralysed by fear of our previous errors or by the immense and ever-changing challenges of the future.  If we are to truly value diversity, we must appreciate its dynamism and intersectionality and we must be agile and progressive in response. In the not too distant past in Scotland, children who were “different” attended special schools and were separated out to be taken by bus to these segregated schools each morning, often while the children in mainstream school looked on. In line with the many international policies calling for inclusive practice, Scotland’s education system has moved beyond this structural system of segregation by ability. We have moved towards a system rooted in children's rights and entitlements and supported by an inclusive legislative framework and key policy drivers. But this journey has not been an easy one and has hit some significant traffic jams along the way.  For example, key to the success of such policies are teachers, and yet many countries in Europe and beyond are facing a recruitment and retention problem which could grind progress towards meaningful inclusion to a halt. With seven years left for the world to meet the global Education 2030 agenda time is running short to reach our destination. This presentation will examine the role of teacher education in the drive for getting a green light for inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

Upcoming ECERs

Title
26.08.2024
ECER'24, Nicosia
08.09.2025
ECER'25, Belgrade
17.08.2026
ECER'26, Tampere
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Important Dates ECER 2023

Title
01.12.2022
Submission starts
31.01.2023
Submission ends
01.04.2023
Registration starts
01.04.2023
Review results announced
15.05.2023
Early bird ends
26.06.2023
Presentation times announced
30.06.2023
Registration Deadline for Presenters
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Conference Venue

and Local Organisers

University of Glasgow
Glasgow G12 8QQ

Local Association - SERA

Scottish Educational Research Association

EERA Member Organisation

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