The Role of Teachers in the Organization of Inclusive Education of Primary School Pupils

Abstract

The article highlights the models of inclusive education of Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Great Britain. Inclusion models can be classified into three basic ones, according to the ratio of the number of primary school-aged children at general and specialized schools, namely: full inclusion, partial inclusion with a predominance of pupils at general schools, partial inclusion with a predominance of pupils at specialized schools. Full inclusion is present in Italy and Norway, partial inclusion with a predominance of students at specialized schools is observed in Sweden (88.40%), partial inclusion with a predominance of students at general schools is present in Germany and the UK.

Models of inclusion differ on the following aspects: legal regulation, funding and amounts of financing for teachers’ trainings, initial and ongoing teachers’ training, an approach to the organization of inclusive education (partnership, peer-to-peer approach, centralized, decentralized), the practice of exchanging experiences of inclusion’s organization within the country, the ratio of the number of primary school-aged children at general and specialized schools. The factors specified determine the role of teachers in the organization of inclusive education of primary school pupils. In countries, support and assistance of teachers is provided at different institutional levels: in Germany – through the center for psychological and pedagogical support, inclusion support services; in Great Britain – by assistants; in Italy – by consultants, healthcare service professionals; in Sweden – through resource centers; in Norway – through state centers. Support of teachers’ professional development throughout life and teachers’ financial motivation have been introduced in the countries; thus, these measures have a positive effect on the integration of primary school pupils in the society.