ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author addresses the question of what forms of teacher education are needed in order to prepare and support teachers in developing more inclusive practices. Drawing on the experience of an international research and development project which has included initiatives in over fifty countries. He argues that if this goal is to be achieved there is a need to rethink what is involved. The author uses experiences from other parts of the world in order to reflect on what might be desirable in own country. He offers an anecdote from the People's Republic of China. Before explaining the nature of this reconceptualisation, however, it will be helpful to consider the place of teacher education with respect to special needs within the context of the education system as a whole. Yet another illustrates schooling as a long narrow bridge leading to the university, with lots of students falling off into a deep valley below.