Teacher education for the changing demographics of schooling

inclusive education for each and every learner

Lani Florian

pp. 9-20

in: Lani Florian, Nataša Pantić (eds), Teacher education for the changing demographics of schooling, Berlin, Springer, 2017

Abstract

The demographic profile of students in schools today is more complex than ever before. Schools are more diverse and multicultural in terms of ethnicity, language, religion and disability status. This chapter considers how reforms of teacher education in support of inclusive education can respond to the challenges associated with the changing demographics of schooling. A key consideration is the idea that all learners are unique individuals and differences are to be expected as an ordinary aspect of human development. Therefore, all teachers, not just some, should be prepared in ways that support a view of difference as to be expected within the remit of classroom teaching and the term inclusive education is used deliberately to signify diversity issues as a central imperative of practice rather than a secondary consideration to be dealt with separately.