INCLUSION 2.0
Policies, practices, and cultures of schools for everyone
TRAINING ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
"ACHIEVING INCLUSION"
Training courses to implement inclusive education in school
“Achieving inclusion" are a set of training activities directed to develop inclusive education in schools. Courses are addressd to teachers, headteachers, and parents of pre-primary, primary, and secundary schools.
Courses are based on the methodology developed by th "Index for Inclusion” (CSIE, 2011). They aim:
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to develop reflection about what means being an inclusive school, and the new challanges it implies in educational, dydactic, organisational, and professional terms;
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to promote systematic analysis of barriers and resources to learning and participation existing within schools attending the training course;
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to identify specific areas and objectives of possible interventions adressed to expand inclusion in school through a process of participated planning founded on values;
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to implement educational proposals which allow stakeholders to produce good inclusive practices starting from the resources provided by the schools and their communities.
Some of the topics selected by participants to previous editions of the course as a starting point for inclusive education planning are, for example:
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School welcoming;
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Ensuring the transition from one school level to another;
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Competency-based learning;
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Vertical curriculum;
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Pedagogical innovation;
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Cooperative learning;
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Collaboration among school professionals;
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Empathy and active listening;
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Cultivating relationships with families;
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Working with disadvantaged students;
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New educational technologies for inclusion;
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Educational evaluation in school;
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…
These topics are built up through an interactive method based on small group work and plenary sessions aimed to discuss and implement activities in schools. During the meetings we use tools as questionnaires, case analysis, indicators, role-playing and simulations. This way participants can develop reflection about the meaning of the planned activities, e their ability to favour inclusion witin the educational environment they work in.
We put special attention to the subject of developing documentation about inclusive activities promoted in schools, as to elaborate and disseminate inclusive projects through a network approach.
The course will use an interactive on-line platform to further the exchange of materials and good practices emerging from the projects managed by participants, with the support of trainers as “critical friends”.
Besides inclusive education as a whole, training courses are also designed to delve into specific topics such as:
- Inclusion and competences development
- Inclusion and evaluation
- Inclusion and networking
- Inclusion and cooperative learning
- Inclusione and pedagogical innovation
This is a list of the schools where the training course has been already held or is currently ongoing:
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IC Calolziocorte
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School Network Alta Valle Seriana
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School Network Bassa Valle Seriana
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Municipal Pre-Schools Brescia
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IC Gromo
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IC Nichelino
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IC Candiolo
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IC Vinovo
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IC Carvico
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IC Bonate Sotto
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Lasalle Institute Grugliasco
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IC Afragola
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ISIS “Romero” Albino
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High School "Mascheroni" Bergamo
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High School "Belotti" Bergamo
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IC Cisano B.sco
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IC Chiavari
The course is generally developed following this schedule:
- three meetings devoted to introducing the course and designing specific objectives and activities of inclusive education in schools through full immersion sessions (3+3+3 hours);
- an intermediate meeting addressed to supervising and monitoring participants activities aimed to build good inclusive practices within their schools (3 hours);
- a final meeting (3 hours) focused on assessing achieved activities and evaluating their potential strenghtening within the school organization.
This course structure can be reshaped according to the specific training needs of the school.
