Nastava i Vaspitanje (Jan 2019)
The development of inclusive school practice: Characteristics and requirements
Abstract
Reform processes in contemporary education systems taking place over the last few decades have aimed to implement a model of inclusive education in schools. Since the development of inclusive school practice is determined by a country's political, economic, cultural and historical context, school system reform in line with the ideology of inclusive education is one of the greatest challenges in the functioning of contemporary school systems. It is therefore important to consider the key characteristics of inclusive school practice, and the requirements that need to be met for the practice to be successful. The paper begins with an overview of the theoretical foundations, policies and practice of inclusive education, and then goes on to analyze the question of instruction differentiation and individualization in an inclusive educational context. Starting from the position that instruction is the central segment of school education, the characteristics of instruction in an inclusive context are considered and interpreted as the key characteristics of inclusive school practice. In addition to the quality of teaching, other requirements for the development of inclusive school practice that are singled out and analyzed are inclusive policy of school work and inclusive school culture. The concluding section emphasizes that the orientation of the school system and social orientation towards the philosophy of inclusive education are the basic requirements for the development of inclusive school practice and the determinants of its quality.
