The management of inclusive education in the classroom

Abstract

The provisioning of learners with special educational needs has changed not only internationally but also specifically in South Africa. Inclusion has recently gained prominence on the education agenda. With the move towards inclusive education, the concept disability has been revisited and this has propagated further debate on disability. A new paradigm has come to the fore, namely the human rights model that secures the rights of learners with disabilities to have access to quality education. Inclusion should not be seen as a mere physical presence or the social inclusion of learners with disabilities in regular classrooms; it encompasses active modification of content, instruction, assessment practices and classroom management so that all learners can successfully engage in core academic experiences and learning (Richard, Thousand,&Thousand, 2003:19). The problem is how to cultivate a culture and climate of support for and participation of each learner and educator in order to address all educational needs. The South African Constitution and the South African Schools Act offer enormous possibilities for quality education for all learners. The Education White Paper no. 6 (July 2001) acknowledges that all children can learn and they need support for learning. It also stresses that curriculum is one of the significant barriers for learners in special and ordinary public schools. This study draws a distinction between mainstreaming and inclusion. Mainstreaming is about getting learners with special educational needs to fit into a particular kind of system or integrating them into an existing system. Inclusion means providing all children with equal opportunities regardless of ability, gender, language and cultural origin, and being valued equally as well as being treated with respect within regular education provision. Finally, leadership and management models for building an inclusive school should be applied in the classroom to accommodate the needs of learners with learning difficulties in mainstream education.