Teachers' roles and sentiments in inclusive education

Abstract

Majority of European countries implement inclusive education and focus on the meeting of the diverse educational needs of children in a regular school (www.european-agency.org). Nevertheless, in many countries, including Lithuania, children with special educational needs and their families continue facing significant barriers to access high quality inclusive education. One the main barriers relates to teachers’ preparedness and their changing roles in inclusive school. The author aimed at analysing teachers’ roles and sentiments while working in inclusive school. The research methodology was based on the concept of inclusive education and the qualitative research approach. The discussions with teachers in seven focus groups in different school contexts in Lithuania have been organised focusing on the research question what are the roles and sentiments of the teacher‘s while educating diverse children in a regular class? We base our understanding of inclusive education on the internationally adopted definition (UNESCO, 2009). Strive for inclusive education requires new thinking about what constitutes effective and engaging teaching and learning for all. Teachers are now facing the challenge that former knowledge, minds and learning no longer serve the world where what we know is less important that what we are able to do with knowledge in different contexts (Friesen, 2009). Educational settings and teachers, therefore, need to commit to the transformation of their communities for the implementation of inclusive education to be successful. Regarding the importance of the role of teachers, research indicates that they play a critical role in the implementation of inclusive education (Forlin et al. 2010). The changing role of the teacher in inclusive school can be a challenging for those who is used to being a knowledge provider.[...]