“If they don’t learn the way we teach them, can we teach them the way they learn?”
(Dr. Harry Chasty in Mackay 2012, p. 76)
According to Armstrong (2011), “inclusive education is one of the most important…concepts to emerge in the UK and internationally in recent years” (p.7). For this reason it is important for all teachers, whether in training or experienced, to explore the issue and possible methods of inclusion in the school and in the classroom.
In the past inclusion policies have often revolved around children with Special Educational Needs, but nowadays it is seen as encompassing a wider variety of needs. These include dyslexia, autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, physical and emotional problems, children with extreme behaviour problems and English as an Additional Language. We have decided to focus on areas of personal interest. Our choices are not a reflection of those we deem most important or relevant, but rather that which we are particularly interested in, that we wanted to research further and share with our fellow student teachers. Those areas are ability inclusion, dyslexia and EAL.
References
Armstrong, F. 2011. “Inclusive education: School cultures, teaching and learning” in Teaching and Learning in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms. Ed. G. Richards & F. Armstrong. Routledge: London.
Mackay, N. 2012. Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement. SEN Marketing: Wakefield.
Contemporary Issues in Teaching and Learning 