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The broad spectrum of the classroom
The Framework for Inclusion has been developed to give teachers the support and confidence they need to ensure everyone in the classroom is catered for.
The move towards creating a Framework for Inclusion began with a meeting in January 2008, involving university deans, government representatives and Sir Jackie Stewart.
The Formula One racing car legend was discussing the problems he encountered at school due to his dyslexia. Sir Jackie said that discovering he was dyslexic was like "being saved from drowning". But by that point he had left education behind, and he now campaigns for the early recognition of dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
The outcome of that meeting was the announcement of the Scottish Teacher Education Committee's (STEC) Inclusion Action Plan. That in turn led to the development of the Framework which was launched in April 2009, at the STEC's annual conference.
A national framework
The Framework for Inclusion is the result of in-depth consideration across all seven Scottish teacher education universities as to how inclusive education was promoted in the education and development of student teachers. As a result, a two-year plan was established to share general principles and articulate these within a national framework, to provide clear guidance and support for student teachers and for teachers and educators throughout their careers.
STEC, with the support of the Scottish Government, set up a working group with representation from all of the seven universities involved in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) to develop the National Framework for Inclusion.
Inclusive education
The Framework has been designed to ensure that all students and teachers are appropriately guided and supported throughout their careers towards gaining the required knowledge and understanding of inclusive education.
"It's an innovative and very powerful project," said Dr Lisa McAuliffe, programme leader of the Inclusive Education postgraduate programme and lecturer at the School of Education at the University of the West of Scotland, and a member of the STEC inclusion working group.
"All Scottish ITE institutions are represented by two colleagues from each university. One of these has extensive knowledge and understanding in the area of inclusion, while the other is a specialist in programme design and implementation. What we're trying to do is work together so that our teacher education specialist colleagues can incorporate and embed the messages of inclusive education in their own teaching throughout the teacher education programme."
Online resource bank
The working group has now developed a framework document due to be launched in January 2010 as an online resource bank which will play a key role in supporting the programme.
"Student teachers, qualified teachers and advanced professionals can all access the resource bank to find out a little more information," said the working group's Jayne Bruce, director of the PGDE programme and lecturer at the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen.
"If they wish, existing teachers can continue to develop their skills and undertake additional studies or courses to enhance their qualifications in the area of inclusion.
"For teachers wishing to find out more about inclusive approaches, there has never been anywhere other than very specialist sites and areas to go to. This is a very generic and open statement about what inclusion is, in its widest sense."
The myth of the "average learner"
The inclusion document is designed to look at issues of language, ethnicity, social class and poverty, specific learning difficulties, Scottish travelling communities and looked after children, as well as more able children who need to be challenged within the classroom.
"It is important to move away from a notion that a teacher's responsibility stops at meeting the needs of what I call the 'mythical average learner'," said Dr McAuliffe.
"Teachers have responsibility to think of the needs of all children and plan their lessons so that every child in the class can access them. Appropriate support should be available to them to enable them to do this effectively."
Focus on inclusion
The main focus will be on educating the next generation of teachers on inclusion issues, but the framework will also play a part in the CPD programmes of practising teachers, as well as advanced professionals.
Ultimately, said Jayne Bruce, everyone can learn from teaching in an inclusive way.
"All learners will experience difficulties at some point, whether that's emotional difficulties, learning difficulties, or any other difficulty," she said. "Every teacher has the responsibility for looking after their children and planning for them as individuals."
The working group have worked with a wide variety of interested parties, including voluntary organisations, and it is indicative of the strength of these partnerships that Dyslexia Scotland is also taking this opportunity to launch its new resource for the assessment of dyslexia, which can be accessed through the Framework resource website.