A newly graduated classroom teacher has an overwhelming task ahead of them. Australia is a culturally diverse nation, and schools are seeing greater participation of students with Indigenous heritage, different faiths, and special education needs.
Those special needs range from developmental impairments and disabilities to disadvantages that influence the development of communicative and social competence, cognitive ability, or literacy and numeracy.
A novice typical classroom teacher, however, commonly completes just one unit in "inclusive education" during their undergraduate study. With this training, it is unrealistic to expect them to cater for the range of diversity found in an average inclusive classroom.
In education, "inclusion" is frequently confused with earlier concepts of mainstreaming and integration. The deficit model, which describes the system’s tendency to focus on student weaknesses such as learning disability or cognitive impairment, has long led to tensions between "typical" and special education teachers.
Typical classroom teachers must take care not to adopt a deficit view of learning. They must provide an accepting and equitable system. A proactive method of teaching is a "strengths-based" approach that accepts diversity and provides opportunities for all students to develop accordingly.
The sector has recognised the need for continuing the professional development of teachers to cater to children with special education needs. Tertiary institutions have committed to support graduates once they begin their careers, and there are numerous informal learning opportunities on offer to "top up" professional knowledge.
Rather than view special education schools as segregated settings, the profession should join forces and learn from each other.
Universities have recently accepted that micro-credentialing, which offers continuing professional development in small intensive chunks, is now a part of their mandate.
However, a one-off weekend workshop is not viable for educating typical teachers in the nuances of evidence-based assessment and teaching strategies required for a special needs focus. On the other hand, not everyone can invest in the years of study postgraduate courses demand.
Rather than view special education schools as segregated settings, the profession could consider joining forces and learning from each other, to collaborate for the successful inclusion of children with special needs.
Without adequate collaborative training, some typical classroom teachers may feel a threat to their professional skills and autonomy. Professionals tend to feel happier when they perform what they are trained to do within their own familiar boundaries.
As such, an alternative idea to teacher upskilling could be professional workplace development and blended learning. This involves a mix of on-campus workshops, classroom-based instruction and online consultation.
A special education expert would work collaboratively with a typical teacher, to provide access to a community where collegial sharing and discussion can occur. They can offer face-to-face sessions that can strengthen community building, provide instant access to a network of professionals for training and development, and foster a collaborative professional community online.
Typical teachers would adopt alternative methods of assessment, which are co-operatively designed, and implement intervention programs and initiatives that have a universal basis. This maximises efficiency by utilising expertise and staff flexibility, especially in light of scarce resources.
Kathleen Tait is a senior lecturer in special education at Macquarie University
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