Session Information
04 SES 04 A, Attitudes of Different Groups
Paper Session
Contribution
„Inclusive education is the official policy of the Icelandic school system and it involves teachers education and the whole schooling system of education and teaching. Its goal is quality education for everyone, democracy and social justice in schools“("The Icelandic research center on school inclusion," n.d.). Jóhannesson (2006) points out that Iceland inclusion is often misunderstood as integration, while Vislie ( 2003) finds the same confusion in other European countries. More specifically, the emphasis in Iceland seems to be on inclusion as a process that is characterised by democratic values and human rights, quality education for all children and education according to the needs of individual learners (Bjarnason, 2009; Jóhannesson, 2006).
The Icelandic 1974 Compulsory School Act ("Lög um grunnskóla," 1974) stipulated for the first time that all children had an equal right to education and that schools had the responsibility to meet the learning needs of all students. The view that all children should attend their neighbourhood school, rather than a special school for children with disabilities is clearly stated in the National Curriculum Guide, general part, from 1999 and 2006 (Menntamálaráðuneytið, 1999, 2006). Furthermore, Iceland adopted the vision of the Salamanca Statement and its framework for Action on Special Educational Needs (Menntamálaráðuneytið, 1995). Although the current Icelandic education policy seems to be clear, it is still debated and Dóra Bjarnason (Bjarnason, 2009) points out that the vision of educating all children in neighbourhood schools is not universally agreed upon by parents and teachers in Iceland. Moreover, teachers’ beliefs will influence their practices and how successful inclusive education will be (Curcic, 2009).
In 2008, a group of Icelandic researchers started a multi-disciplinary project called Teaching and Learning in Icelandic Schools 2009-2011 ("Teaching and Learning in Icelandic schools: Research Project 2009-2011," 2009), which deals with teaching and learning in 20 Icelandic schools for students aged 6 to 15. The aim of the study is to contribute to the body of knowledge on teaching and learning in Icelandic schools. Special emphasis is placed on the development of co-operative learning and inclusion. The main focus of this paper is to explore attitudes regarding inclusion and the significance of educating all children in their neighbourhood schools, including the attitudes of teachers, school managers, students (ages 12-15) and parents. This paper also explores the opinions of school staff, with regards to how well the needs of children with disabilities and immigrant children are met in neighbourhood schools.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bjarnason, D. (2009). Through the Maze: What is (special-) education in inclusive settings? Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://vefir.hi.is/dsb/skjol/Papers_and_articles/What_is_(special)elducation_RB(2).docx Curcic, S. (2009). Inclusion in PK-12: an international perspective. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13(5), 517-538. Jóhannesson, I. Á. (2006). “Strong, Independent, Able to Learn More ...”: Inclusion and the construction of school students in Iceland as diagnosable subjects. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 27(1), 103-119. Lög um grunnskóla, 63/1974. Menntamálaráðuneytið. (1995). Salamanca-yfirlýsingin og rammaáætlun um aðgerðir vegna nemenda með sérþarfir. Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://brunnur.stjr.is/mrn/utgafuskra/utgafa.nsf/xsp/.ibmmodres/domino/OpenAttachment/mrn/utgafuskra/. Menntamálaráðuneytið. (1999). Almennur hluti : aðalnámskrá grunnskóla 1999. Reykjavík: Menntamálaráðuneytið. Menntamálaráðuneytið. (2006). Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla almennur hluti. Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://bella.mrn.stjr.is/utgafur/agalmennurhluti_2006.pdf. Teaching and Learning in Icelandic schools: Research Project 2009-2011. (2009). University of Iceland: Reykjavík. Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://skrif.hi.is/starfshaettir/files/2010/05/Baeklingur_Starfsh_grsk-ENSKUR.pdf The Icelandic research center on school inclusion. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://vefir.hi.is/skolianadgreiningar/?page_id=11 Vislie, L. (2003). From integration to inclusion: focusing global trends and changes in the western European societies. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 18(1), 17.
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