Mapping the landscape of teacher education for inclusive education in Scotland

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that maps how teacher educators in Scotland are engaging with the ongoing global challenge of preparing classroom teachers to support diverse learner groups. Scotland’s National Framework for Inclusion, a principled approach to inclusion supported by the General Teaching Council to ensure a consistent approach based on common values and national standards for teacher education and professional development, was interrogated using a tool developed by the Council of Europe to map teacher education practices. A collaborative seven-step process of data analysis led to the use of a metaphorical landscape to reveal how different providers are able to develop distinctive programmes while adhering to common values and national standards of inclusive education. The emergent landscape addresses a gap in the literature on teacher education that shows how a theoretical perspective on inclusion is embedded in teacher education and surfaces important insights for teacher education and professional learning.