Noticing inclusive teaching practices in tandems–results from cross-national video clubs at two different school levels

Abstract

Inclusive teaching practices are increasingly encouraged in many countries, but there are still some difficulties with respect to the professional development of co-working general and special-needs teachers. We used video clubs as a promising tool to enhance Austrian and Swiss teachers’ competencies in noticing core features of their own inclusive teaching. Eight general and special-needs teachers met three times locally and once in a cross-national setting. Our research analysed the frequencies and differences in the perception of inclusive education by teachers across two different school levels. The focus was on the actors in the classroom and the design of inclusive teaching. The participants’ reflections on their perceptions were of further interest. The results showed a strong focus on classroom organisation; however, unexpectedly, teamwork was barely noticed. It was further encouraging in relation to professional development that teachers already noticed quite often the students’ learning and less their own actions.