Teacher preparation and the inclusive practice of pre-service teachers: a comparative follow-up study

ABSTRACT

The successful inclusion of students with additional learning needs in regular classrooms represents a challenge for all teachers and especially those at the beginning of their careers. Despite the importance of successful inclusive practice, no studies have used objective measures to determine whether teacher preparation for inclusion covaries with the quality of lesson design, classroom practice, and self-evaluation by pre-service teachers. This study sought to determine the impact of two course design approaches on the the design, delivery and self-evaluation of lessons by pre-service teachers during a professional learning experience. The study found that differences in the design, delivery and self-evaluation of lessons covaried with the type of course design experienced by the pre-service teachers.

N.B. The term ‘Course’ is used throughout to indicate a single unit of study within an undergraduate programme of study completed by pre-service teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• pre-service teacher
• professional learning
• course design

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Julie Lancaster is a lecturer in Inclusive Education at Charles Sturt University. She has taught in mainstream and inclusive settings for students with high support needs, and taught inclusive education classes at undergraduate and masters level at university for the past 20 years. Her PhD focussed on best practice to teach pre-service teachers about inclusive pedagogies.

Alan Bain is Associate Professor in Inclusive Education at Charles Sturt University. He has worked internationally in schools and with education systems and published widely on organisational design and improvement for better and more inclusive learning and teaching in K-12 and higher education.