Inclusive education is linked to a human rights-based approach (UNESCO, 2017). Teachers should be equipped with the appropriate skills to teach diverse pupils, seeing individual differences as opportunities for enriching learning (Ainscow, 2020). In the literature there is evidence that inclusive education helps ensure both quality education and later social inclusion (Kefallinou et al., 2002).
Pre-service teachers’ and teacher’s knowledge, values, and beliefs are important for inclusion. Teachers with positive attitudes towards inclusion are more likely to adapt their pedagogy to support all pupils (Sharma et al., 2006). Developing effective inclusive practice begins in the teachers’ professional preparation (Rouse, 2008). Therefore, it is clear that Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has an important role in teachers’ professional development as inclusive practitioners (Sharma and Nutta,l 2016), as they learn about pedagogy and they reflect on key values about human differences. However, as there is uncertainty around the implementation of inclusive practices and the support of all pupils in the classroom (Florian, 2012; Black-Hawkins and Amrhein, 2014), a focus on inclusive practices based on pre-service teachers’ and teachers’ perspectives, and on identifying exclusionary practices is needed (Slee, 2011). Therefore, this symposium will present pre-service teachers’ and teachers’ perspectives on inclusive practices in three different countries: Scotland, Finland and Cyprus, recognising the contribution of pre-service and fully registered teachers’ perspectives to the improvement of school experiences and inclusive practice.
Initially, the symposium will present the Scottish policy context on inclusion, and teacher education. Data from focus group interviews with pre-service primary teachers in Scotland will be presented offering examples of good quality inclusive practice, contradictions, and different interpretations. Subsequently, this symposium will discuss the Finnish context. More specifically, teacher education and policy will be presented. Pre-service teachers’ perspectives of inclusive practices linked to teacher autonomy will be discussed. Furthermore, the symposium will present findings from Cyprus. A brief overview of the teacher education system and the education system in Cyprus will be offered and data that show teachers finding ways to teach inclusively despite the systemic and attitudinal obstacles will be discussed, closing with an optimistic perspective.
Thereby, this symposium will offer an international perspective on the approaches and practices that have been adopted by pre-service teachers and teachers, presenting findings from three different countries. By presenting and discussing data and findings from three different contexts the congruences and differences between these countries’ national systems will be highlighted. Collectively, the papers that will be presented in this symposium make an important contribution to international debates about how teachers can and should be prepared for inclusive education. This work is current and relevant particularly to teacher educators internationally as teacher education is being questioned, inequality is rising, and teachers are required to teach diverse pupils. The findings of the studies will inform future planning in teachers’ professional education contributing to the quality of initial teacher education programmes in Europe and beyond.
