Proposing a Holistic Inclusive Education Model for Policy, Curriculum and Classroom Development

Abstract

The notions of inclusion and diversity are increasingly used in a wide variety of areas in public debate and policy, as well as in educational curriculum and policy documents in New Zealand and internationally since the UNESCO Salamanca Statement in 1994. What is meant by inclusion and diversity in many of these contexts is often rather unclear, however. The discourse of inclusion could be described as often having been taken up uncritically and without reflection on the implications that the use of inclusive language implies. This applies to both educational settings and government policies that use inclusive language to promote inclusion, yet seemingly still operate under a mind-set reflective of mainstream, integration discourse. Although inclusion and inclusive education have been widely discussed in educational literature, the models and frameworks that capture the complexity of inclusive education in theory and practice require further attention. One such model that focuses on five aspects relevant to inclusive education will be introduced in this article, and I will discuss how this model could support policy, curriculum and classroom decision making.