Inclusive Pedagogy:a way of being? Mapping inclusive pedagogy in initial teacher education in a Scottish University

Aims This presentation will report on the findings relating to the University of Dundee from the collaborative study to identify and map inclusive pedagogy across Scotland’s universities initial teacher education programmes. Methods We have used The Council of Europe’s ‘Tool to Upgrade Teacher Education Practices for Inclusive Education’ (Hollenweger, Pantic and Florian, 2015) to identify and map how the principled approaches of the Framework for Inclusion (STEC, 2014) are evident in our undergraduate (4 year) and post-graduate (36 week) initial teacher education programmes. Mapping using the tool has taken place with qualitative data being collected through audits of programme materials, and interviews and surveys with lecturers and students. Findings The findings, which suggest that while there are some instances where inclusive pedagogy and inclusive education are taught explicitly; for much of the initial teacher education courses, inclusive pedagogy is implicitly present and underpins much of the teaching, learning and assessment which takes place both in university-based learning and placement-based learning. This is recognised as such by both students and lecturers in our research findings. Conclusions Conclusions and findings, including recommendations for policy and practice, will be discussed. These include suggestions from students and lecturers for how awareness could be raised of the implicit nature of inclusive pedagogy which underpins much of our teaching and learning; also recommendations for how inclusive pedagogy should be included in the syllabi of initial teacher education courses will be discussed. References Hollenweger, J., Pantic, N. & Florian, L. (2015). Tool to Upgrade Teacher Education Practices for Inclusive Education. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Retrieved from http://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/1473702/8927135/Tool+to+Upgrade+Teacher+Education+Practices+for+Inclusive+Education/0cf28c1b-4f95-49ab-9fd3-de77b772ffed%20 Scottish Teacher Education Committee (STEC). (2014). National Framework for Inclusion Revised. Retrieved from http://www.frameworkforinclusion.org/index.ph