Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity – serie

This open access international scientific study provides an analysis of how the educational strategy of Universal Design for Learning can stimulate the process of inclusive education in different educational-cultural contexts and different areas of the educational system. The findings of the research deepen the conception of inclusive education and present an analysis of factors that are significant for developing the educational system as well as providing evidence-based recommendations for educational practice.The research for this work was done in four European countries with various historical-cultural contexts: Lithuania and Poland underwent a transformation of the educational systems at the turning point in their political system, shifting from a strictly centralized Soviet policy to a liberal and democratic education system; Austria has experienced changes in social stratification and a need for cultural harmonisation arising from active national migration processes, whereas Finland has been gradually developing a socio-democratic model of national welfare. The analysis of the educational processes in the four countries has been performed using a qualitative action research method. The researchers, in cooperation with the teachers from the selected schools in their country, have implemented the strategy of Universal Design for Learning and assessed its transformation indicators in terms of the quality of inclusive education components.

This open access international scientific study provides an analysis of how the educational strategy of Universal Design for Learning can stimulate the process of inclusive education in different educational-cultural contexts and different areas of the educational system. The findings of the research deepen the conception of inclusive education and present an analysis of factors that are significant for developing the educational system as well as providing evidence-based recommendations for educational practice.The research for this work was done in four European countries with various historical-cultural contexts: Lithuania and Poland underwent a transformation of the educational systems at the turning point in their political system, shifting from a strictly centralized Soviet policy to a liberal and democratic education system; Austria has experienced changes in social stratification and a need for cultural harmonisation arising from active national migration processes, whereas Finland has been gradually developing a socio-democratic model of national welfare. The analysis of the educational processes in the four countries has been performed using a qualitative action research method. The researchers, in cooperation with the teachers from the selected schools in their country, have implemented the strategy of Universal Design for Learning and assessed its transformation indicators in terms of the quality of inclusive education components.

This book reveals the entanglement of ethics, rights and justice in education. It aims to develop everyday philosophy to guide choices as we continue to attempt to make schools places for all comers. The authors offer education as a social good, a building block for inclusive communities. This assumes an ethical predisposition. Ethics and inclusive education takes the reader on a journey through the conceptual foundations of ethics, rights and justice to assist us to build a formulation of the fair or just society and the way ethical approaches to schooling may support or unravel that.

This book reveals the entanglement of ethics, rights and justice in education. It aims to develop everyday philosophy to guide choices as we continue to attempt to make schools places for all comers. The authors offer education as a social good, a building block for inclusive communities. This assumes an ethical predisposition. Ethics and inclusive education takes the reader on a journey through the conceptual foundations of ethics, rights and justice to assist us to build a formulation of the fair or just society and the way ethical approaches to schooling may support or unravel that.

This book addresses the current issues of inclusive education during the time of the global pandemic of COVID-19. It offers inclusive pedagogical strategies and approaches for teachers and instructors to cater for the diverse learning needs of children in the midst of the pandemic. The work explores different ways in which students in different contexts across the globe are being accommodated and shows how inclusion is being implemented. It draws on a range of theoretical frameworks and research projects to provide multiple perspectives on inclusive pedagogical practices.

This book addresses the current issues of inclusive education during the time of the global pandemic of COVID-19. It offers inclusive pedagogical strategies and approaches for teachers and instructors to cater for the diverse learning needs of children in the midst of the pandemic. The work explores different ways in which students in different contexts across the globe are being accommodated and shows how inclusion is being implemented. It draws on a range of theoretical frameworks and research projects to provide multiple perspectives on inclusive pedagogical practices.

This book addresses issues related to school inclusion from the perspective of systemic inclusion. It focuses on the need to face the challenges of inclusion in education from a broad perspective, including the classroom, the school as an institution, families, and the community. It also pays attention to the full interactions between them. The book demonstrates how inclusion can be carried out in very real, concrete and everyday ways. It also shows how researchers can work hand in hand with the professionals and other stakeholders who are developing their practices day by day.The book draws on a range of research projects of the Spanish and international research groups to provide both rich theoretical frameworks and rigorous research outcomes related to the four dimensions of the systemic inclusion perspective and its necessary networking: classroom, school, families and the community. Most of the chapters take Spain as the case study but, far from being a local book, it uses Spanish analysis to dialogue universally with current main debates and challenges in inclusion, almost 30 years after the Salamanca Statement.

This book addresses issues related to school inclusion from the perspective of systemic inclusion. It focuses on the need to face the challenges of inclusion in education from a broad perspective, including the classroom, the school as an institution, families, and the community. It also pays attention to the full interactions between them. The book demonstrates how inclusion can be carried out in very real, concrete and everyday ways. It also shows how researchers can work hand in hand with the professionals and other stakeholders who are developing their practices day by day.The book draws on a range of research projects of the Spanish and international research groups to provide both rich theoretical frameworks and rigorous research outcomes related to the four dimensions of the systemic inclusion perspective and its necessary networking: classroom, school, families and the community. Most of the chapters take Spain as the case study but, far from being a local book, it uses Spanish analysis to dialogue universally with current main debates and challenges in inclusion, almost 30 years after the Salamanca Statement.

This book reflects a range of pedagogical responses to increasingly complex educational contexts. It finds this complexity in the interplay of a number of factors, including the diverse histories and identities of educational actors; institutional and systemic demands and constraints; competing conceptions of valued knowledge; and technological change. The chapters show the demand for pedagogical response to unexpected and unprecedented events (like COVID-19) and the importance of addressing barriers to access that become sedimented into institutional cultures. The authors, mostly from Global South contexts, are concerned with enabling educational access and inclusion in the face of competing global and local demands. They present new knowledge about pedagogical approaches that are relevant and effective in uncertain times and challenging places. Together, the contributors offer accounts of hope-full and innovative practice and conceptually rigorous engagement with fundamental issues of learning and teaching.

This book reflects a range of pedagogical responses to increasingly complex educational contexts. It finds this complexity in the interplay of a number of factors, including the diverse histories and identities of educational actors; institutional and systemic demands and constraints; competing conceptions of valued knowledge; and technological change. The chapters show the demand for pedagogical response to unexpected and unprecedented events (like COVID-19) and the importance of addressing barriers to access that become sedimented into institutional cultures. The authors, mostly from Global South contexts, are concerned with enabling educational access and inclusion in the face of competing global and local demands. They present new knowledge about pedagogical approaches that are relevant and effective in uncertain times and challenging places. Together, the contributors offer accounts of hope-full and innovative practice and conceptually rigorous engagement with fundamental issues of learning and teaching.

This edited volume delves into the intricate relationships between multilingualism, inclusive education, and social justice. It presents a rich array of interdisciplinary studies that blend both theoretical and practical perspectives.The authors employ a mixed-methods approach to gather and analyze data from a diverse range of populations, including students, teachers, parents, and language policy experts across various educational levels. The book examines the dynamics of bilingual and multilingual classrooms, as well as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) environments, emphasizing the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity as valuable educational resources. It draws upon a variety of theoretical and practical approaches from applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, language policy, and education, all centered on the benefits of multilingualism, inclusive education, and social justice.The work explores the complexities of multilingualism and multiculturalism and their connections to inclusive education and social justice across different geographic regions and educational settings. It adopts a dual approach, examining both theoretical frameworks and practical realities, by incorporating the voices and perspectives of multiple stakeholders. This diverse range of viewpoints sheds light on the roles of family and school involvement in promoting multilingual education, inclusive practices, and social justice.

This edited volume delves into the intricate relationships between multilingualism, inclusive education, and social justice. It presents a rich array of interdisciplinary studies that blend both theoretical and practical perspectives.The authors employ a mixed-methods approach to gather and analyze data from a diverse range of populations, including students, teachers, parents, and language policy experts across various educational levels. The book examines the dynamics of bilingual and multilingual classrooms, as well as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) environments, emphasizing the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity as valuable educational resources. It draws upon a variety of theoretical and practical approaches from applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, language policy, and education, all centered on the benefits of multilingualism, inclusive education, and social justice.The work explores the complexities of multilingualism and multiculturalism and their connections to inclusive education and social justice across different geographic regions and educational settings. It adopts a dual approach, examining both theoretical frameworks and practical realities, by incorporating the voices and perspectives of multiple stakeholders. This diverse range of viewpoints sheds light on the roles of family and school involvement in promoting multilingual education, inclusive practices, and social justice.

This volume addresses issues related to inclusive education and gamification and offers practical ideas for using games and gamified learning as effective methodological tools in inclusive education and in promoting inclusion in education. The work is structured into a predominantly theoretical section, and an applicative, illustrative one. The first part shows how gamification renders the educational context more inclusive and efficient by drawing on recent approaches to identify educators’ attitudes towards inclusion, and by proposing ways to build pro-inclusive attitudes and behaviors among educators at all educational levels. It also discusses challenges and solutions to ensure the right to education for all in the context of online education and for advancing curriculum innovation ideas to foster inclusion. The second part of the volume promotes inclusive attitudes and behaviors among educators and educational resource developers by providing examples of best practices, and methodological suggestions on using gamification to foster and promote inclusion in class and other educational environments.  The volume addresses an issue that is of main concern across the globe, namely ensuring the right to education for all learners, and helps building 21st century skills and empowering learners with special needs, including gifted students. It appeals to specialists in education and therapy, educational technology developers, and researchers.

This book highlights how social inequality shapes parent engagement, from resources available to parents and parenting logics to school responses to families and their engagement. It also provides multiple solutions that can help shift parent engagement from a source of inequality to an opportunity for social justice in education. The book embraces families’ funds of knowledge and advocates for family-centric rather than school-centric parent engagement. Parents’ experiences of engagement at home, in school, and in the community are inextricably tied to social class, race, gender, and immigration status, which are addressed in this collection. It draws on a rich array of theoretical frameworks and adopts a critical lens to the study of parent engagement in early years, K-12 schools, and in transition to higher education. The book brings together authors from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia and will be of interest to teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and researchers.

This book critically examines multiple discourses of wellbeing in relation to the composite aims of schooling. Drawing from a Scottish study, the book disentangles the discursive complexity, to better understand what can happen in the name of wellbeing, and in particular, how wellbeing is linked to learning in schools. Arguing that educational discourses have been overshadowed by discourses of other groups, the book examines the political and ideological policy aims that can be supported by different discourses of wellbeing. It also uses interview data to show how teachers and policy actors accepted, or re-shaped and remodelled the policy discourses as they made sense of them in their own work. When addressing schools’ responses to inequalities, discussions are often framed in terms of wellbeing. Yet wellbeing as a concept is poorly defined and differently understood across academic and professional disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, healthpromotion, and social care.  Nonetheless, its universally positive connotations allow policy changes to be ushered in, unchallenged. Powerful actions can be exerted through the use of soft vocabulary as the discourse of wellbeing legitimates schools’ intervention into personal aspects of children’s lives. As educators worldwide struggle over the meaning and purpose of schooling, discourses of wellbeing can be mobilised in support of different agendas. This book demonstrates how this holds both dangers and opportunities for equality in education. Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach is used to offer a way forward in which different understandings of wellbeing can be drawn together to offer a perspective that enhances young people’s freedoms in education and their freedoms gained through education.

The book takes as its premise the argument that diverse learner groups are a fact of demographic change that should be considered foundational in the preparation of teachers rather than be problematized as a challenge. It promotes the idea of teacher education for inclusive education based on a consideration of what it means to educate all children together. Divided into four parts, the book considers key issues for teacher education, teacher agency, teacher education for diversity, and a research agenda for the future.In today’s world, the demographic profile of students in schools is more complex than ever before, and the increasing cultural, linguistic and developmental diversity of today’s classrooms, along with the pressure to achieve high academic standards for everybody has significant implications for how classroom teachers should be prepared to meet these demands. This book advances a new understanding of inclusive education that addresses the limitations inherent in current approaches that problematize differences between learner groups by promoting a view of difference as an aspect of human individuality. It considers the implications of the research evidence underpinning teacher education for diversity and makes suggestions for future research in the field.

This book provides a global and social examination of how disabilities are played out and experienced around the world. It presents auto-ethnographic perspectives on disability across cultures, societies, and countries by documenting individuals’ personal narratives, thought processes and reflections.Chapter authors share cross-cultural perspectives within and across various countries, such as India, Australia, United States, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Croatia, Brazil, South Africa, and Qatar. Adopting a self-reflective stance following qualitative research methodology, the chapter authors discuss the current challenges in the field. Next, they deconstruct disability identities, explore the complexities of communication with differently abled persons, examine inclusive policies, practices and interventions and present insights from caregivers. The book concludes with critical reflections and a look to the future of global diversity and inclusion.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book presents insights into the lived realities of children with disabilities in primary schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It examines specific cultural and societal characteristics of Ethiopia that influence the education of children with disabilities. The book presents findings drawn from interviews with, and participant observation of the schoolchildren, family members, teachers and other “experts”, and places these findings in a cultural-historical context. The multidimensional approach taken allows for, on the one hand, the provision of a historical grounding of the book, explaining the main historical junctures and their implications for education, and the discussion of the role of culture and society as barriers and facilitators of education. On the other hand, it gives the book a more personal angle, allowing the reader to gain insight into what it means to feel like a family, develop a sense of belonging, and trying to move toward educational equity.

This book critically examines multiple discourses of wellbeing in relation to the composite aims of schooling. Drawing from a Scottish study, the book disentangles the discursive complexity, to better understand what can happen in the name of wellbeing, and in particular, how wellbeing is linked to learning in schools. Arguing that educational discourses have been overshadowed by discourses of other groups, the book examines the political and ideological policy aims that can be supported by different discourses of wellbeing. It also uses interview data to show how teachers and policy actors accepted, or re-shaped and remodelled the policy discourses as they made sense of them in their own work. When addressing schools’ responses to inequalities, discussions are often framed in terms of wellbeing. Yet wellbeing as a concept is poorly defined and differently understood across academic and professional disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, healthpromotion, and social care.  Nonetheless, its universally positive connotations allow policy changes to be ushered in, unchallenged. Powerful actions can be exerted through the use of soft vocabulary as the discourse of wellbeing legitimates schools’ intervention into personal aspects of children’s lives. As educators worldwide struggle over the meaning and purpose of schooling, discourses of wellbeing can be mobilised in support of different agendas. This book demonstrates how this holds both dangers and opportunities for equality in education. Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach is used to offer a way forward in which different understandings of wellbeing can be drawn together to offer a perspective that enhances young people’s freedoms in education and their freedoms gained through education.

The book takes as its premise the argument that diverse learner groups are a fact of demographic change that should be considered foundational in the preparation of teachers rather than be problematized as a challenge. It promotes the idea of teacher education for inclusive education based on a consideration of what it means to educate all children together. Divided into four parts, the book considers key issues for teacher education, teacher agency, teacher education for diversity, and a research agenda for the future.In today’s world, the demographic profile of students in schools is more complex than ever before, and the increasing cultural, linguistic and developmental diversity of today’s classrooms, along with the pressure to achieve high academic standards for everybody has significant implications for how classroom teachers should be prepared to meet these demands. This book advances a new understanding of inclusive education that addresses the limitations inherent in current approaches that problematize differences between learner groups by promoting a view of difference as an aspect of human individuality. It considers the implications of the research evidence underpinning teacher education for diversity and makes suggestions for future research in the field.

This book provides a global and social examination of how disabilities are played out and experienced around the world. It presents auto-ethnographic perspectives on disability across cultures, societies, and countries by documenting individuals’ personal narratives, thought processes and reflections.Chapter authors share cross-cultural perspectives within and across various countries, such as India, Australia, United States, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Croatia, Brazil, South Africa, and Qatar. Adopting a self-reflective stance following qualitative research methodology, the chapter authors discuss the current challenges in the field. Next, they deconstruct disability identities, explore the complexities of communication with differently abled persons, examine inclusive policies, practices and interventions and present insights from caregivers. The book concludes with critical reflections and a look to the future of global diversity and inclusion.