Abstract
In the international context of a progress toward more inclusive educational systems and practices, the role of Special Education teachers is being transformed. From an inclusive perspective, these professionals increasingly support students and their teachers in the mainstream classroom, avoiding segregation. However, Special Education teachers often struggle to reach and support all students with special needs and their teachers to provide quality inclusive education. For this reason, more research is still needed on in-service training strategies for the inclusion of students with special needs that effectively translate into evidence-based school practices that improve the education of all students. This article analyses the impact of two evidence-based dialogic training programs of Special Education teachers working in mainstream schools carried out in Mexico during the 2018–2019 school year. Through in-depth interviews with participants, it was identified how, after the training, teachers increasingly grounded their actions on scientific evidence and promoted interactive learning environments that improved the educational inclusion of their students with special needs. This training also became the venue to make evidence-based educational actions available to other students without special needs, improving the quality of education provided to all students.
Highlights
In the current social scenario, it is increasingly important to promote a high-quality education as a key requirement to prepare all students—including those students with diverse needs—for the acquisition of the basic skills that are necessary to actively participate in society
The present study explored the transformative pathway undertaken by a group of in-service teachers working in the field of Special Education in Mexico
After engaging in two different dialogic teacher education programs, participants introduced changes in their educational practice with the aim of increasing the opportunities for learning and social participation of their students with Special Educational Needs enrolled in general classrooms
Summary
In the current social scenario, it is increasingly important to promote a high-quality education as a key requirement to prepare all students—including those students with diverse needs—for the acquisition of the basic skills that are necessary to actively participate in society. Despite the evidence supporting the creation of interactive learning environments that allow students with special needs to increase their opportunities for learning and socialization within the general classroom (Vetoniemi and Kärnä, 2019), the educational practice with these students in segregated classroom settings is still a persistent trend in many countries (Somma, 2020) This reveals the need to better align the educational practices carried out in schools with the evidencebased knowledge about the most effective ways to promote a more inclusive response to the learning and developmental needs of all students (Mitchell and Sutherland, 2020). Our study analyzed the impact of two dialogic teacher education initiatives developed in Mexico City (Mexico), aimed at preparing in-service teachers working in the field of Special Education to implement evidencebased educational actions to promote more interactive learning environments for all students, including students with Special Educational Needs enrolled in general classrooms
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