Inclusive Education in Canada

Challenges With IE

One of the most commonly investigated challenges in IE is teacher willingness and preparedness to adopt the tenets of IE in the classroom. Research has indicated that female teachers are generally more accepting of students with exceptional learning needs than are male teachers (Avramidis, Bayliss, & Burden, 2000). The degree and severity of a child’s disability has also been reported to influence acceptance of inclusive practices (Hastings & Oakford, 2003). As well, length of time on the job has been found to influence attitudes toward inclusion, with newly graduated teachers being more open to and accepting of inclusion than experienced teachers (de Boer, Pijl, & Minnaert, 2011). Overarching these barriers to the implementation of an inclusive framework in classrooms is teachers’ personal expectations of effectiveness when working with students with exceptional learning needs (Palmer, 2006). Indeed, research has indicated that number of years of training is positively related to improved attitudes toward inclusion (Avramidis & Kalyva, 2007) and that teacher knowledge and experience with childhood disabilities has been shown to dramatically enhance teacher self-efficacy and effectiveness in inclusive classrooms (Batsiou, Bebetos, Panteli, & Antoniou, 2008).

Despite the awareness that teacher knowledge and experience have a dramatic facilitative effect on inclusive classrooms, the majority of teacher preparation programs in Canadian universities fail to provide such experience as part of their bachelor of education (BEd) or equivalent undergraduate degrees. Indeed, a review of the required courses as posted on the websites of the faculties of education of the four largest Canadian universities, including a review of the individual course descriptions and/or outlines, indicated a paucity of required courses on the topic of IE within their BEd programs. Specifically, the University of Alberta (2013) has a single course on the topic of the application of psychological principles to the classroom, including an aspect of individual and group differences in student abilities (EDPY 200), and a single course on the broad topic of IE curriculum and practices (EDPY 301). The University of British Columbia (2013) has only a single course on diverse learners, with no focus on IE (EPSE 308). The University of Toronto (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 2013) requires a single course on the broad topic of IE curriculum and practices (EDU320). Finally, McGill University (2011) requires students to complete a course on teachers’ roles in IE classrooms (EDPI341). However, none of these programs appears to require teachers in training to be systematically exposed to definitions and/or descriptions of childhood disabilities in conjunction with mentored experience with research-informed effective classroom-based intervention practices, a process that would seem to best meet the needs of future teachers working in inclusive classroom environments.

Given teachers’ reported lack of training and understanding of childhood disabilities, including how to modify or adapt the classroom and/or curriculum to meet students’ learning needs (Jacquet, 2008), it is surprising that Canadian BEd programs lack effective preparatory coursework for inclusive classrooms. Indeed, current Canadian BEd programs focus more on preparing future teachers to work with typically developing students, resulting in a discrepancy between current policies and practices regarding IE and teacher performance within this environment. Although many academic institutions do house academic faculty members with expertise in children with exceptional learning needs (e.g., special education), Canadian BEd programs do not appear to use this expertise in the required coursework for teachers in training, with the result being that the majority of nascent teachers are underprepared for teaching in modern classrooms containing diverse learners without additional training or experience.

Within the Canadian context, recent research indicates that teachers do not feel that they possess the required expertise to effectively instruct students in an inclusive environment, and professional training and development opportunities are seen as fundamental to ensuring that students with exceptional learning needs in IE classrooms receive appropriate instruction (Loreman, 2010; Loreman, Sharma, & Forlin, 2013). Indeed, underpreparation of teachers to work in IE classrooms has been shown to be an indicator of teacher stress and burnout, which can negatively affect student outcome (Forlin, 2001).

A Potential Solution: Specialized Certificate Courses

One potential solution to this issue would be to alter or augment the BEd curriculum to include curricula on childhood disabilities. However, Canadian BEd programs are typically either “concurrent,” whereby students complete the BEd program simultaneously with an undergraduate degree in another discipline, or “consecutive,” whereby the BEd coursework is completed in an abbreviated 2-year time frame subsequent to the completion of an undergraduate degree. In either circumstance, the quantity of BEd coursework is substantial, and additional classes would likely prove too challenging for many students. Alternatively, specialized programs can be developed that would serve to provide the precise training necessary for teachers to effectively operate in an inclusive environment. Specifically, programs that provide teachers with targeted knowledge and training regarding the primary features of childhood disorders, the impact of those features on children’s learning, and best practices regarding educating children with specific exceptional learning needs would be beneficial.

Currently, only one Canadian university provides such specialized programming in the form of postgraduate certificate programs. Included in the many options for graduate certificates in education at this institution are programs specifically designed to develop teacher expertise regarding education of children with special education needs, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), within an IE classroom. Designed with a developmental framework, this program provides targeted instruction on the primary and associated features of these clinical conditions, the developmental challenges of these conditions across childhood and adolescence, exposure to “best-practice” intervention approaches for children with ASD, and application of all of these topics to the classroom environment to enhance teachers’ capacity to work with and educate students with ASD. Instructors are experts from the field with specialized knowledge and experience in each topic area. Similar certificate programs for working with children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or mental health concerns are also available.

Although these programs are graduate certificates, meaning that students must have completed BEd or equivalent degrees to apply to the programs, they are a step toward ensuring that Canadian teachers receive specific and specialized training in working with a diverse student population within an IE environment. Furthermore, they are offered in an online format, meaning that students from around the world are able to apply for and complete the courses from their own locales. Operated in conjunction with current “live” on-campus coursework, the online format follows the same structure and format of typical on-campus course offerings through a web-based virtual classroom program whereby students at a distance can view and interact with the course instructor and other students to achieve the learning goals of each course. Rigorous standards of instruction and student evaluation are adhered to, ensuring the quality of the online (compared with the on-campus) format. As such, these certificate programs provide a pivotal source of training for teachers wanting to enhance their ability to educate children with exceptional learning needs.