Understanding the development of inclusive education system in Lithuania

We aim at overviewing the systemic changes of Lithuanian education system with the focus on teaching and learning school subjects. Lithuania is following an international approach on inclusive education (UNECSO, 2008). It is legally recognised, that children with special educational needs (SEN) have a need for assistance and services in the education process that occurs due to being exceptionally gifted, having congenital or acquired disorders or disadvantages in a person tag surroundings (Law on Education, 2011). Strive for inclusive education is based on the changes of the whole system of education, and it is closely related to the development of educational paradigms. The methodology for developing inclusive practices must take account of social processes of learning that go on within particular contexts (Ainscow, 2005). Inclusive education practice requires three main competences: 1) ability to apply new teaching methods; 2) ability to use partnership methods to establish networks at school, between school and family; 3) ability to control administrative methods in creating environment favourable to diversity of children and their needs (Galkiene, 2006). The exploratory study has been implemented in two stages: 1) review of the documents relating to inclusive education in Lithuania and covering the main issues such as educational policy, educational support, educational inclusion in practice, teacher training for inclusion; 2) meta-analysis of research findings from other independent studies published in periodicals ‘Special Education’ and ‘Social Welfare: Interdisciplinary Approach in the period of 2008-2016. The meta-analysis of the studies revealed, that in Lithuania, unfortunately, there are only few studies in inclusive teaching didactic.[...]Šiaulių universiteta