Teacher Education for Inclusion

TE4I project
 The European Agency for Special Needs
and Inclusive Education

The Agency is an independent organisation that acts as a

platform for collaboration for its 31 member countries,
working towards ensuring more inclusive education
systems. The Agency’s mission is to help member
countries improve the quality and effectiveness of their
inclusive provision for all learners.

For more information visit: www.european-agency.org

 The TE4I Project Participants
• The TE4I project ran between 2009 and 2012
• 25 Agency member countries participated in the project
• 55 experts took part in activities:
 SNE specialist teacher educators and policy makers
 Mainstream teacher educators and policy makers
• Representatives of OECD and UNESCO and the European
Commission DG-EAC Schools Unit
 TE4I project aims
• To address the essential project question: How are all
teachers prepared via their initial education to be
inclusive?
• To examine the essential skills, knowledge and
understanding, attitudes and values needed by everyone
entering the teaching profession
• To provide information on best policy and practice to
support the development of TE4I
• To develop a Profile of Inclusive Teachers
 Project Recommendations (1)
• Effective approaches to improve the recruitment of teacher
candidates and increase retention rates should be explored
along with ways to increase the number of teachers from
diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities
• Research should be undertaken on the effectiveness of
different routes into teaching and the course organisation,
content and pedagogy to best develop the competence of
teachers to meet the diverse needs of all learners
 Project Recommendations (2)
• The profession of teacher educators needs to be
further developed with improvements in
recruitment, induction and continuing
professional development
• Schools and teacher education institutions must
work together to ensure good models in practice
schools and appropriate placements for teaching
practice
 Project Recommendations (3)
• Wider, systemic reform is needed to ensure the development of
inclusive schools, to support the development of teacher
education for inclusion
• Reform must include clarification of the language that is used
when referring to inclusion and diversity
• Policies should be introduced to develop a ‘continuum of support’
to allow teachers to meet the full diversity of learner needs
• Accountability measures that impact upon teachers’ work should
reflect the importance of wider achievements that are more
closely aligned to inclusive principles.
 The Profile of Inclusive Teachers
• Requested by Agency country representatives – what are the
necessary competences required of all teachers?
• Developed as a guide for the design and implementation of ITE
programmes for all teachers – not a script for ITE content
• Should be considered stimulus material for identifying relevant
content, planning methods and specifying desired learning
outcomes for ITE
• Guiding principle: inclusion is a principled, rights-based approach
to education underpinned by a number of central values
 The Profile Model
• Four core values relating to teaching and learning have been
identified as the basis for the work of all teachers in inclusive
education: Valuing Learner Diversity; Supporting All Learners;
Working with Others; Personal Professional Development
• These core values are associated with areas of teacher
competence
• For each area of competence identified, the essential
attitudes, knowledge and skills that underpin them are
presented
 Areas of competence
These are made up of three elements:
• attitudes
• knowledge
• skills

A certain attitude or belief demands certain knowledge or

level of understanding and then skills in order to
implement this knowledge in a practical situation
 Valuing Learner Diversity
Learner difference is considered as a resource and an asset
to education:
• Conceptions of inclusive education
• The teacher’s view of learner difference
 Supporting All Learners
Teachers have high expectations for all learners’
achievements:
• Promoting the academic, social and emotional learning
of all learners
• Effective teaching approaches in heterogeneous classes
 Working with Others
Collaboration and teamwork are essential approaches for
all teachers:
• Working with parents and families
• Working with a range of other educational professionals
 Personal Professional Development
Teaching is a learning activity and teachers take
responsibility for their lifelong learning:
• Teachers as reflective practitioners
• Initial teacher education as a foundation for on-going
professional learning and development
 Project outputs
All project results can be found on the project web area:
www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/teacher-education-for-i
nclusion
• The Profile of Inclusive Teachers
• Project recommendations linked to sources of evidence
• Teacher Education for Inclusion across Europe. Challenges and
Opportunities
synthesis report
• Policy review and international literature review
• Country reports and a country information database
 More information
www.european-agency.org
European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Østre Stationsvej 33
DK-5000 Odense C
Denmark
secretariat@european-agency.org

This publication has been funded with support from the European Commission. This
publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
The Lifelong Learning Programme ran between 2007 and 2013.