Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO -Introduction -Background -The current project: WB 04/06 -Improving research competence – comparative classroom studies -Bologna discussions -Promoting common understanding of inclusion across borders -A research project ready for dialogue with school authorities -Added values and challenges The School as an important Partner in Building Polyphone Societies A Project Concerning Development towards the Inclusive School Practices – Research – Capacity Building Berit H. Johnsen, University of Oslo, together with colleagues from the universities of Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tuzla and Zagreb Presentation on the joint RCN & SIU conference: Crossing Minds and Borders in the Western Balkan Countries. Sarajevo March 2010

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO The polyphone society is a society celebrating the plurality of cultural, religious, linguistic and other differences, including differences between disabled and non-disabled citizens

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO The WB 04/06 project Development towards the Inclusive School: Practices – Research – Capacity Building is a cooperation between the universities of Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tuzla, Zagreb and Oslo. It consists of three main topics: Comparative classroom studies towards inclusion Improving competence in classroom research with focus on methodology and theory Sharing of knowledge and experience related to the Bologna Process

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Background of the project 1998: Pedagoska Akademija, now Faculty of Education, University of Sarajevo in cooperation with the Norwegian Union of Education. SØE 06/02. Institutional Competence Building and Cooperation with Two Bosnian Universities: “Special Needs Education towards Inclusion”. Cooperation Programme with South-East Europe (CPSEE) WB 04/06 Development towards the Inclusive School: Practices – Research – Capacity Building. Universities of Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tuzla, Zagreb & Oslo

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Educational inclusion Inclusion is seen as the global policy prescribing development towards a local regular school that welcomes all children with their unique individual characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs; all children with and without special needs and disabilities; a school combating discriminatory attitudes, and offering a meaningful and individually adapted education to every pupil within the community of the class (Frederickson & Cline, 2002; Johnsen, 1998/2000; Johnsen, 2008, in press; Johnsen et al, 2007; UNESCO,1994; WB 04/06). 2 The Importance of Educational Inclusion. Practices – Research – Capacity Building Invited presentation at the international Tuzla workshop, November 2008, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Project WB 04/06: Development towards the Inclusive School

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Improving competence in classroom research with focus on methodology and theory The Sarajevo workshop: Professor Tone Kværnbekk, University of Oslo: Theory of science The Belgrade workshop: Professor Kirsti Klette, University of Oslo: Qualitative classroom studies The Skopje workshop: Professor Harry Daniels, University of Bath, UK: Qualitative methods and analysis in special needs education research The Oslo workshop: Professor James Wertsch, Washington University of St. Louis, USA: Mediation and Intersubjectivity in Vygotskian Approaches to Education The Oslo workshop: Professor Ivan Ivic, University of Belgrade: Vygotsky, “Piagotsky” and Vygotsky Inversed – Three Related Approaches to Studies of Classroom Interactions The Tuzla workshop: Professor Sangeeta Bagga Gupta, Örebro University, Sweden: Inclusion, Communication and Didactics: Education for All or Education for "the Other" The Zagreb workshop: Dr. Elizabeth McNess, University of Bristol, UK: Comparative educational research

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Context and core of inclusive practices What are inclusive practices?: We know something, but we need to develop more knowledge and skills The main questions in our joint comparative classroom studies are therefore: –How does the school teach in accordance with the pupil/s’ different levels of mastery and needs for support in the learning process? –What are the recourses, barriers and dilemmas in the school’s development towards inclusion? 12

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Joint main aspects of research and comparison The pupil/s Assessment Educational intentions Educational content Class organisation and teaching methods Communication Care Frame factors/Context

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO 13 Figure: The Curriculum Relation Model revised in Johnsen (2007)

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO The Bologna Process of Higher Education

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Question 1: How does the Inclusive School-project promote a common understanding across borders in the Western Balkans, of the importance of the school in educating responsible citizens regardless of gender, ethnic and cultural differences and special educational needs?

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Cooperation across borders: “… even though each country represent multicultural societies with different values, the participants in this project share one similar value - education for all”. Implementation of full inclusion in the school is a long term task The principle of inclusion is not limited to pupils with and without disabilities and special education needs “It emphasises the importance of the school as a relevant factor in developing tolerance and acceptance of differences according to disability, gender and ethnicity and to create democratic citizenship. Thus the project induces development of a common understanding of the importance of accepting all minority groups in our society based on antidiscrimination and social welfare aims”.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Quetion 2: Did the project have a dialogue with school authorities of the different Balkan countries involved in the project prior to start-up? How has this dialogue developed throughout the project – and what will be the impact on institutional and governmental level?

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO “Through a series of workshops we contributed significantly to raise the level of inclusive politics, culture and practices, both at school level and the level of local community. The advantages of this approach are recognized by the administrative staff, but what is crucial is that the lack of institutional support to help shape this model of work remains scarce, and thus huge efforts invested during these years remain once more wasted”.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO “We believe that active participation of representatives of the Ministries of Education (…) in following projects would contribute significantly to the development of inclusive theory, culture and practices in our area, as well as in countries in the region. We think that it would be very useful in the coming period to plan a project that will contribute to implementation of better coordination of health, social and educational sectors, as the results of all universities recognize that it is a problem not only in our country but most countries in the region”.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO …It takes three comprehensive efforts to develop effective management of local educational systems related to national standards of inclusion understood as joint belongingness in one heterogeneous country: –First, it is necessary to continually deal with issues of curriculum content. –Second, the school environment must become a friendly place for each pupil, teacher and community member. –Third, political debate through fostering animosity and inhibiting any deeper discussion about reforms must be separated from the school. Without reform of education no other reforms can be successful.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Question 3: What are the added values of running a cooperation project in higher education and research with many different partners? What are the main challenges related to such a cooperation?

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Added values of the cooperation project: Building and development further a network of research, innovation and higher education internally between neighbouring countries on the Balkans, between the North-Western and South-Eastern outskirts of Europe and wider The contribution of prominent international researchers on the workshops New research methodologies introduced, discussed and applied: –qualitative methodologies –contextualised comparative educational research methodology

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Challenges Much of the work related to the project has to be done in addition to full time work at the home university Language challenges Perhaps the main challenge for our network is the question of how to move on; with the network, research, further research methodological cooperation, joint publishing, and last, but most important, with implementation of the new knowledge in higher education of future professionals, information distribution, dialogue with authorities and participation in system development of educational inclusion.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Conclusion It is an old truth that welfare societies are evaluated on their ability to secure the rights of citizens who need solidarity and care of others, such as children, elderly, sick and disabled. Development and application of special educational knowledge in the ordinary school and society is a core discipline in the development and sustainability of this kind of society. Development of educational and social inclusion promotes the polyphone society; the society where differences in culture, belief, gender, age and ability is celebrated. The inclusive school is a crucial partner in building polyphone societies.

Berit H. Johnsen, Department of Special Education, UoO Thank you ALL