Building a Common Language for Inclusion

Abstract

Continued teacher education is one of the levers that support schools in transforming into inclusive educational institutions and in developing a common language for inclusion. The current paper presents a collaborative effort between a mainstream public school in Kazakhstan and a local non-governmental organisation in designing and implementing a professional development programme (PDP) for primary school teachers and special education support personnel to strengthen their inclusive education awareness and preparedness for using individual education plans (IEPs) in teaching students with special educational needs. This study is a practice-oriented case report on a school-NGO partnership that draws on insights from 13 class teachers, nine subject teachers, and 11 special education support staff; 33 participants in total. Data presented in this article were collected from the inception of the partnership and through the PDP, drawing on participant reflections and feedback to explore their learning experiences and perceptions of the programme’s impact on their professional practices. Results revealed that the programme helped to establish a common understanding of inclusive education principles and their legal underpinning, which participants viewed as crucial for adopting more specialised inclusive teaching strategies. Additionally, participants noted improved cooperation among teachers, support staff, and parents, along with enhanced confidence in conducting assessments and developing IEPs. The programme’s school-based, collaborative format facilitated the development of a professional learning community centred on inclusion. However, participants also noted that the programme’s intensive schedule limited deeper exploration of certain topics and reduced collaborative project activities. The study indicates that school-based collaborative professional development can effectively build inclusive education capacity and nurture professional communities in mainstream educational settings. These findings add to the scarce research on inclusive education professional development for in-service teachers in Central Asia and emphasise the promising role of partnerships between schools and NGOs in driving inclusive school reforms.