Education in the United Kingdom has undergone various changes over the past few decades. The government has passed laws that discourage less use of special schools; instead there is more focus on integration. These changes have sparked a wide range of reactions and discussions about the topic. There is a need to unravel the true definition or the most acceptable of inclusive education. Additionally one needs to assess whether or not inclusive education has brought positive changes. The negative consequences need to be analysed too. A thorough discussion on inclusive education must not neglect the need for parental involvement and roles played by teachers to facilitate the transition. (Mitchell, 2005)
Different definitions of inclusive education
Some philosophers argue that inclusion is the act of inviting others in or integrating others into the mainstream. (Asante, 1996). This premise stems from the fact that some people in society have always been treated unfairly. Society has been historically unjust to certain categories of individuals. These include racial minorities, handicaps and others. Proponents of such a definition claim that people who have been sidelined in the past need to be ‘invited in'. One can therefore extend this definition of inclusion to the field of education where inclusive education may be defined as a form of education that facilitates integrating those who have been neglected in the past ‘in'. However, one cannot help but see some of the loopholes that emerge from such a definition. First of all, who has a right to invite others in? Additionally one should examine what are the causes of exclusion in the past. It should be understood that all persons have equal rights in education. No single person should have the upper hand to decide another's fate. (Hanson, et al, 1998) A more acceptable way of looking at inclusive education should include the acknowledgment of the fact that all human beings are born equal and that society is given the responsibility of supporting those who have special needs.
The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education came up with a more comprehensive definition of inclusive education. They state that inclusive education refers to inclusion of all manner of children in schools (high school, universities, colleges and preschool) regardless of their disabilities provided they are given all the support they require. They assert that inclusion should encompass the community and life in general. It involves the acknowledgment of the fact that some pupils or students may need more support. The support should be provided by a number of stakeholders ranging from local governments, education agencies and education sponsors among others. However, there is a need to modify this kind of definition because it does not include the element of continuity. (Lieber et al, 1998)
The most acceptable and comprehensive definition was put forward by CSIE, two years later. They described inclusive education as the continuous process of including students in mainstream classrooms, the community and local culture. It also involves reducing the level of exclusion in the latter mentioned realms. It also involves the elimination or reduction of obstacles in education and participation. It should be noted that this definition is more dynamic and highlights the fact that schools/ communities cannot adopt inclusion overnight. This is something that gradually changes with time. It should also be noted that this definition avoids the use of integration and emphasises inclusion instead. The reason for this is that integration tends to imply that some people are more equal than others and that the former have a right to ‘integrate' others into their own systems.
Advantages and disadvantages of inclusive education
Advantages
Inclusive education is more beneficial than it is detrimental. Even criticisms labelled against inclusive education are simply based on the fact that the program was not implemented properly. If it is implemented in the right way, then inclusive education can change the lives of a special needs child, other children in the mainstream classroom, teachers and society in general. (Lieber et al, 1997)
First and foremost, inclusive education provides children with special needs the chance to participate in normal day to day activities. Once they attend mainstream classes, they are given the opportunity to interact with other members of society. They get to do some of the normal things and this enhances their socialisation skills. It gives them a platform for creating different relationships with their counterparts. Such an achievement was not possible in the past where children were placed in special schools. In such isolated locations, children rarely get the chance to interact with others who may be different from them. Inclusive schools allow children with different abilities to learn how society really operates.
Inclusive education is also beneficial to special needs children because statistics show that other approaches have failed in the past. Before introduction of inclusive education, children with special needs were taken to separate institutions (special schools).
Follow ups conducted in this area show that such an approach has not been very effective. Children who came from separated schools rarely had high self esteem; they lacked motivation and the confidence necessary to make it in life. It was also found that special schools were ineffective in equipping special needs children with the right kind of knowledge to enter high schools, universities and colleges. Since most of them could not make it this far in education, they also lacked the ability to penetrate into the job market. Special needs children who had been taken to segregated institutions also had very low forms of independence in their adult lives. Consequently, most of them relied on their relatives in order to survive in later life. Because of all these inadequacies in past systems, there is a need to take up better approaches which can be deemed more proactive i.e. inclusive education.
Inclusion is a fundamental right for all children with special needs. It is a big misunderstanding to think that giving children with special needs the opportunity to interact with and learn with other children is a special favour. As a matter of fact, the issue was long overdue. Society owes children with disabilities this fundamental right and inclusive education is one of the major platforms for providing meeting this obligation.
Additionally, children with special needs get the chance to feel like they are part of society. Alienating children with special needs only enhances the feelings of low self confidence among them. Such children will realise that they are indeed rejected by the rest of society and will never feel like they belong. However, those children placed in inclusive schools get a chance to meet some role models and this goes a long way in enhancing their learning abilities. Role models are a crucial part of any child's developmental phase. Finding role models is rather difficult for children in segregated schools since all the children found there have similar inefficiencies.
Inclusive education is not just important to a child with special needs; it is also quite helpful to children without them. First of all, it teaches these children leadership skills as most of them may need to show their counterparts a number of things. (Fletcher-Campbell, 1994) Through the process of interacting with special needs children, children without special needs acquire virtues such as patience. This is because the inclusive classroom may require that. For instance, a teacher may have to pay extra attention to a child with special needs while in class and this may necessitate some level of tolerance from the others. Children without special needs also learn how to be more helpful and shun away selfishness. An inclusive classroom requires those without special needs to help a child who may have difficulties in walking or writing something while in class.
Other qualities that children without special needs acquire from inclusive classrooms include an appreciation for all the differences that exist between members of society. (Jowett and Moses, 1988) Children who get accustomed to seeing different children may adjust to this and may eventually acquire more tolerance. This virtue is quite essential later in life because it may prevent issues such as hate crimes. When one analyses the issue of hate crimes, they realise that most of these crimes are usually perpetuated by individuals who had never been around others who were different from them. Therefore inclusive education could train most children without special needs to develop tolerance for others; a skill that will be instrumental in the future.
Inclusive education also enhances communication skills for all children in the class. The environment is such that it requires children without special needs to come up with methods of communicating with special needs children. It should be noted that some members from the latter group may not have the ability to communicate using conventional techniques. This prompts some of their counterparts to think of creative ways to get their messages across. For instance, a child who may not have the ability to hear or speak may require the use of symbols or application of sign language. These communication strategies will go a long way in helping children without special needs to cope with their external environments in adult life.(Schwartz, 1998)Inclusive education is also beneficial to the teacher handling an inclusive classroom. First of all, she is required to always be ready for visits from inclusive education stakeholders such as local authorities, agencies and sponsors. This means that the teacher should always be at her best and this makes her better at her profession. Inclusive education also makes teachers better role models because they get to understand various types of students and how to deal with them. Eventually, they can teach their students these values too. Teachers also get a chance to interact with other inclusive educators through workshops and conferences. By doing so, they gain a better understanding of the teaching process in general. Teachers are also exposed to various situations in the classroom since special needs children always require different needs. Consequently teachers will need to think outside the box. They also need to engage in extra work in order to make them better equipped for this challenge. This will add to their value as teachers and they will be more professional.
Disadvantages and challenges
In order to effectively implement inclusive education, there is a need to adjust people's frame of mind. All stakeholders need to be informed about the benefits of education. There should be elimination of stereotypes and misconceptions yet this is a very difficult task. In the event that a school decides to encourage participation, they will have to deal with these negativities. Those individuals who hold traditional beliefs about education usually resist change and a lot of resources must be allocated in the process of changing this frame of mind. (Schwartz, 1998)However, changing people's perspectives may not be a hundred percent efficient.
For instance, a country like the US has been battling with the issue of racism for decades on end. Although it has come a long way from the days when segregation was still part of their law, there are still some people who will never accept racial differences. Similarly, the United Kingdom must be prepared to accept that some people will never change their stereotypes towards inclusion. (Lerner et al, 1998)
Another disadvantage of such an approach to education is the fact that inclusive education encourages more closure of special schools. This is an issue that has sparked a lot of controversy given the fact that the UK government still funds some special education schools. (Evans and Lund, 2002)Adoption of the inclusive education approach will involve providing an alternative for some of the stakeholders involved in the special schools programme. Special schools take up a large number of staff members, sponsors and agencies. As it can be seen presently, there are some special schools in the UK that are already closing down. Resources previously directed to these institutions are now going to mainstream schools. This has sparked off a lot of controversy and debate surrounding the issue. Some of the staff members may run out of jobs while others may have no other options.
There is also another related argument to the above; some groups believe that certain children cannot be fully included in mainstream schools. This is especially in relation to those who may be severely handicapped. They propose that these children need to remain in special schools. While some of these arguments are not necessarily true; there is an underlying fact. Some students may not have the ability to take part in certain physical activities. Also, some mental challenges may be quite difficult for some teachers.
It is therefore difficult to cope with these cases in the inclusive classroom. (Beckman et al, 1998)Inclusive education has also caused some ripples in the legal system. There are so many controversies in the current system. Most of them stem from the fact that majority of people still use the term children with disabilities. This term denotes separation of the special needs children. It also highlights the fact that there are still many differences between children who need support in education and those who do not. It indicates that the UK government is yet to come to terms with the fact that the medical model they have been using is outdated. Such reasoning presents a real problem in the education system because there is a need to change all these issues.How teachers help children with special needs adapt to mainstream classrooms (Mittler, 2000)
Analysis of advantages and disadvantages
A more comprehensive understanding of the disadvantages and advantages of inclusive education comes from addressing the root causes behind exclusion. (Pearpoint & Marsha, 2001) It should be noted that the greatest opponents to inclusive education are those individuals who feel threatened or insecure about the system. Inclusive education is something relatively new to them and they may have the fear of loosing their positions or jobs once this is instituted. Others may not be certain about the mode of implementing inclusive education.
It should be noted that opponents to inclusive education are not necessary ‘evil' people. These are people who have been influenced by society's misconception and negativity; they simply do not understand children with special needs. (Daniels, 2000) On the other hand, such persons may be afraid of facing the reality that children with special needs to exist as they have grown accustomed to ignoring them or leaving them out. There is an underlying issue behind some of these misconceptions and negative attitudes; most people are actually unaccustomed to change. Inclusive education will involve an adjustment of present teaching practices, methods and approaches and this is something that really frightens most people.
How teachers can help special needs children adapt to mainstream classes
Teachers need to understand that as soon as they have decided to take up inclusive classrooms as part of their responsibility, then they need to be ready for a lot of work. Teachers should equip themselves with all the necessary information needed to cope with these changes. There are certain skills and knowledge that will help them teach children with special needs. (Reynolds and Fletcher-Jansen, 2007) For instance, some of them may have mental disabilities thus making it very difficult to comprehend simple instructions. Such teachers need to know what to do in order to enhance the learning process. First of all teachers need to take their time. Some children may take painstakingly long periods of time before understanding any piece of information. A simple exercise like adding numbers may require weeks of practice for children with such challenges. This means that teachers need to give these children special attention. They must realise that learning for such students will only take place if they deal with it one step at a time.
Additionally, teachers can also help students with special needs adapt to the mainstream classroom environment through equipping themselves with all the necessary technology available in the world today. There are always new devices and methods that are being created in order to help children with special needs live better lives. For instance, there are computer programs for visually impaired persons. If teachers regularly attend workshops, read journals, books and other sources on technological advancements in the field of special education, then they can familiarise themselves with it and this will go a long way in stimulating the learning process.
Additionally, teachers also have to develop customised teaching techniques in order to make each learning technique specific to a particular child. This means that they should take the time to understand what different children need. For instance, there was once a teacher who was trying to control a child with learning disabilities but found it rather difficult. The child would speak when he was not supposed to and rarely listened to what he was told. If the rest of his classmates were required to do some painting, this child would demolish all the tools that he had been given. But after immense tolerance and patience, the child's teacher understood that the child could only concentrate for a period of sixty minutes. His teacher would maximise the sixty minutes available to her every day and by the end of the year, the special needs child made considerable progress.
Teachers can try their best to implement some of the above strategies but if they lack support from the administration and other stakeholders, then very little can be achieved. There is a need to implement policies and procedures that enhance inclusion. (Armstrong et al, 2000) Teachers need numerous resources to deal with different kinds of scenario. Administrators need to change the curriculum as traditional curricula may not have the ability to cope with all the requirements that come with inclusive education. Besides this, there should be a lot of changes in the structures and systems of the school. (Odom et al, 1999)
There is no doubt that the United Kingdom has definitely come a long way in the process of implementing inclusive education. However, there are numerous challenges that still lie ahead. There is need for better legislations that discourage funding of segregated schools, parents need not deny their children access to inclusive education and there should be greater funding in this area. Teachers and school administrators need to desist from stereotypes as these stereotypes only stem from ignorance and they also impede the proceeds of inclusion. Because all these issues are still at the table, then inclusive education still has a long way to go in the UK.
Extent of parental involvement
Inclusive education has also brought about some controversial issues; how far should parents be involved in the process? Some people argue that parents need to reserve the right to decide for their children whether they should attend inclusive schools or whether they should be taken to separate special schools. However, others believe that all children have the right to enjoy attending inclusive classrooms and parents should not interfere with this choice. Upon analysing this issue critically, one cannot undermine the benefits that come with inclusive education. Such thinking is what impedes development of inclusive education. If all parents understood the benefits that come with inclusive education, then there would be greater support and development in this sector. Parents need not allow their own fears and misconceptions interfere with the benefits that their children stand to gain if they attended mainstream classrooms. (Pearpoint & Marsha, 2001)
Conclusions
Inclusive education is all encompassing education regardless of disabilities. (Florian et al, 2006) It is beneficial to the special needs child because it allows them to socialise and develop psychologically. It also raises their self confidence because they can feel like part of society. Parents who deny their children access to mainstream classes will only be preventing them from accessing all the above mentioned benefits. Lastly, teachers, administrators and other stakeholders need to adjust structures and school curricula in order to make it more favourable for special needs children's learning processes. The UK has been one of the pioneers of inclusive education but much still has to be done. Laws governing inclusive education is incompatible with modern concepts, funding has also not reached its peak and there is a need to regulate parental involvement.
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