1. Vanja Ivosevic Centre for Education Policy Becici, 24 April 2010 Mapping policies and practices for the preparation of teachers for inclusive education in contexts of social and cultural diversity

2. Objectives: to analyse policies and practices regarding teachers pre- service training and in-service professional development schemes at the country level, and to identify issues, challenges and good practice in the 7 participating countries with regard to the skills and competences required for inclusive education practices by teachers from primary and secondary education.

3. Key concepts Inclusive education: Inclusive education in this study is understood broadly as a process by which a school attempts to respond to all pupils as individuals by reconsidering and restructuring its curricular organisation and provision and allocating resources to enhance equality of opportunity. Competences: as an integrated set of knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

4. CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND (THEORIES, BELIEFS)RESEARCH DESIGN AND INSTRUMENTS Competence is an integrated set of knowledge, skills and dispositions (assumption 1) The table of competences for inclusion developed in Tuning and key European documents were used for Teaching professionals themselves should be the main source of information, in the process of defining teacher competence (assumption 2) focus groups with teachers working in diverse environments Social inclusion should be mainstreamed in all policies relevant for teachers (general pluralism) and balanced with targeted approach for children from marginalised/vulnerable groups (assumption 3) Dispositions are predominantly socio-culturally developed (assumption 4) The country team looked into: - policies and regulations - data from interviews with policy-makers, course designers, teacher educators, teachers, school principals, parents, community representatives etc. Programmes based on beliefs about knowledge being value-laden and constructed by the knower are more inclusion-friendly (assumption 5) Online survey of initial Teacher Education programmes to include questions on course units, practical experiences, opportunities for reflection and dialogues, teacher educators' beliefs Teacher Education programme experiences building teachers' competences for inclusion include: - focus on inclusion-relevant topics in courses - provision of practical experiences and - opportunities for interaction with families - opportunities for critical reflection - opportunities for discussion and dialogue (assumption 6) Catalogues and other sources of information about in- service programme Cross-country similarities are important for policy making (similar heritage, prospective European integration and relevant policies and practices) (assumption 7) Collection of examples of best practices - from the Western Balkans

5. Preliminary findings Policies, strategies and legal acts aim at achieving an inclusive education system However, often, inclusive education is viewed in narrow terms: inclusion of one or few targeted groups rather than as a broad concept

6. Pre-service teacher education Preparation of teachers in VET sector is often lacking in formal pre-service education Inclusive education – additional subjects to the existing programmes of teacher education Lack of practice and contact with pupils, as well as vulnarable groups, parents Who are the teachers?

7. In-service teacher education Often teachers opt for subject oriented training Inclusion oriented training aimed at specific groups Differences in how the in-services training is adressed within the system of teachers career and progression Filling in the gaps or enhancing competences?

8. Further steps 7 country reports to be published on ETF website (English and language of the country) Synthesis report in writing; expected by end of summer

9. Thank you! www.cep.edu.rs vivosevic@cep.edu.rs