Teacher Education Programmes Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms: A North India Context

Abstract

Background: With the complex and heterogeneous educational environments, the challenges faced by the teaching profession are increasing day by day. Teachers need to have not only theoretical and practical knowledge but also the capacity to bring about optimal levels of learning for all students. Objective: The present paper reflects the extent to which teacher education programme prepares their teacher education candidates to identify the specific needs of each individual learner, and respond to them by deploying a wide range of teaching strategies in inclusive classrooms. Method: Reviews related to the teacher education curriculum from the perspective of learners with special educational needs and the existing two year B.Ed. curriculum framework of Universities of North India (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi) were studied and compared. Results: It has been found that there are no in-service training programmes for teacher educators to teach about inclusive education. Teachers remain heavily biased towards learning the theory of inclusive education without opportunities to practice and gain confidence with teaching methods needed to support diverse learners. Further, after critically analyzing the 2 year B.Ed. curriculum, it has been found that in the last semester (IVth) theory of inclusive schools trainees are taught for a 50 mark course for 1-2 hours per week on an average including internal and external evaluation and no credit is given for practical part. They are provided with the understanding of the theory of inclusion schools, however their understanding this limited or almost nil. Another point that has been noticed that the theory of inclusive schools has been taught after the school internship programme of 16 weeks, which raises a question- Understanding the inclusive Schools/classrooms, should be after or before the Internship programme? Conclusion: After reviewing the existing literature and curriculum framework, it can be substantiated that there are obvious gaps in teacher preparation program. Stakeholders should view these gaps as a major roadblock to the actualization of inclusion at the very basic level (the General Teacher Education Programmes). To ensure a better match between teacher preparation and the realities of inclusive classrooms, changes to the current approaches are necessary and critical. Keywords: Teacher Education Programme, Inclusive Education, Children with Special Needs, Curriculum Framework.