ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to examine barriers to inclusion from our own perspectives as teacher educators or, to put it another way, to scrutinize the structures that exist which perpetuate exclusion from regular schooling as we have experienced them in teacher education. Further, this chapter in part represents an introspective examination of how our own practices as teacher educators contribute to some of the barriers described. A significant amount of literature now exists on the topic of inclusive education, covering varied topics in pedagogical, philosophical, theoretical and other areas (see Loreman, 2011; Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2010). This literature, where it supports inclusive education, has mainly been directed at trying to find ways to improve the educational experience for the full range of learners through adaptations to traditional techniques used in schooling. The guiding questions for this chapter are:
What are some of the critical experiences and lessons learned from our work as teacher educators that may inform work in teacher education for inclusion?
How have we gathered insider perspectives?
What are some of the barriers/challenges for teacher educators who may wish to use insider perspectives in their inclusive education experiences?
