Towards Inclusive Learning Environments in VET
| Lyhenne: | TILE |
| Toteutusaika: | 01.10.2011 - 30.09.2013 |
| Yksikkö: | Ammatillinen opettajakorkeakoulu |
| Projektin kotisivut: | http://www.tileinvet.net |
Tiivistelmä:
Within the European context, national development plans and the current legislation set inclusion of diverse learners as one of the main educational goals in VET. However, national policies do not currently correlate with educational practices of vocational education and training (VET) institutions. Nonetheless, many VET institutions are trying to work towards inclusive learning environments but they lack concrete tools that support the development process.
The main objective of the project is thus to develop and pilot a tool "A Roadmap to Inclusion of students with special educational needs for professionals in VET learning environments" that can be used to demonstrate concrete development needs of VET institutions in relation to the state of inclusion, and helps them in planning, focusing and scheduling their development work. The Roadmap is targeted primarily at VET institution management, administration as well as teaching staff.
The Roadmap is developed by transferring a development tool “Index for Inclusion” (Booth & Ainscow, 2002) from the compulsory education sector to the VET sector. It looks at inclusion from three perspectives - policy, culture and practices - and consists of the following: lists of indicators per dimension (policy, culture, practices) and an introduction to each of the dimensions; a report on the piloting experience of the tool; as well as a commentary from an external evaluator.
The project also produces a website and a network with a concrete plan of action on how to further develop inclusion in the VET learning environments in the participating countries, focusing on the use of the Roadmap as a tool in development processes. The project also organises national dissemination seminars.
As the transfer process of the tool pays special attention to inclusion from three perspectives - policy, culture and practices - it supports the involvement of different stakeholders in the development process: VET administrative and pedagogical staff, students and employers in liaison with VET institutions as well as relevant educational authorities. Thus, it will encourage a shift from the idea of inclusion in VET to a more concrete and achievable goal, and help to create a common understanding of the issue, through integrating all those levels that are important when developing inclusive VET learning environments.
The Roadmap is transferred in a consortium that consists of eight core partners that are experienced practitioners and developers of inclusive VET: a university teacher education unit and a VET college form Finland, Estonia, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. In addition, the consortium includes non-governmental organisations from Finland, UK and the Czech Republic as associated partners. The associated partners are expert organisations in the field of inclusive and special needs education in compulsory education sector or in vocational education and training.