In common planning time (CPT), middle school educators have an opportunity to share their experience and expertise during a designated period. Common planning time is especially beneficial in the collaborative process in which special and general educators can address the needs of students with exceptionalities. This column provides an outline on…

Due to federal mandates, physical educators are now expected to teach a wide range of students, spanning the entirety of the learning continuum, in their classes. These mandates support and encourage students with disabilities to learn and grow in inclusive settings alongside their general education peers. Students diagnosed with Attention-Deficit…

This article considers the place of theory within education in two contexts -- Sweden and the UK -- and advances the argument that both governments and academics themselves have contributed to a 'theoryless' education. Examples are offered from the fate of education science in Sweden and, in the UK, from responses to the Research Excellence…

School failure and early school dropout particularly affect members of certain minority groups such as the gypsy population. The obstacles that must be overcome for the members of these groups appear to be related to the discontinuities between the values and goals of community family life and those of the school. This article presents an analysis…

This chapter delineates the development of special education in Switzerland from its early first special needs classes in the 19th century to today's integrated and inclusive educational system which is promoted via many ventures. Along this developmental path, research revealed not only that self-contained special needs classes were less…

This article reports on a study into university preservice teachers' perceptions of online video-recorded interviews as an alternative to the traditional lecture format in a course on inclusive education. With the aim of assisting preservice teachers to link theory and practice, the series of video-recorded interviews focused on key concepts…

The experiences of young people with disabilities of inclusive schooling are largely under researched. This paper reports recent findings of a small-scale Australian qualitative study, in which secondary students with vision impairment spoke about their experiences of receiving paraprofessional support. Two overarching themes emerged from this…

Historically viewed as a disruption by teachers, cell phones have been banned from 69% of classrooms (Common Sense Media, 2009). The increased ubiquity and instructional features of cell phones have prompted some teachers to re-evaluate the ban and consider the benefits associated with allowing cell phones in the classroom. This study surveyed 79…

This study examined the concerns of regular secondary school teachers in Delhi, India in order to work with students with disabilities in inclusive education settings. A total of 470 teachers responded to a two-part questionnaire. Part-one of the questionnaire collected information related to personal and professional characteristics of the…

With the advent of No Child Left Behind (2002), the academic expectations of students with disabilities have changed. Students with disabilities are now held to the same academic standards as their peers without disabilities. Furthermore, the 2004 provisions in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act state that students with…

I argue that enrollment of a diverse student body is but a pragmatic first step toward the broader social goal of inclusion and ask whether motives for campus diversification are aligned with pedagogic goals. I address this question by focusing on inclusion, namely, organizational strategies and practices that promote meaningful social and…

Notwithstanding the recent signing and ratification by Cyprus of another International Convention on the rights of students designated as having special educational needs and/or disabilities to attend mainstream schools on an equal basis with their peers, local policy and practice promote an "exclusionary inclusion" that draws a…

This design-based research study was conducted to identify what importance of a tangible user interface (TUI) can add to teaching and learning. Over a 2-year period, teachers ("n"?=?39) and students ("n"?=?145) participated in the study. The identified problem for investigation was how students, including those with low fine…

In the light of educational reforms aimed at promoting greater inclusive policies and practices, it is important to put a more pronounced emphasis on the needs of English language learners (ELLs) with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Simultaneously, a focus should also be placed on understanding and dealing with the disproportional…

The authors describe an intervention for 3 preschoolers with disabilities who had low peer-related social competence. The intervention taught academic skills tailored to the need of each target student in small groups (triads) with two typically developing peers, using a progressive time delay procedure. Prior to instruction and separate from the…