Module 25-MIS-B2 Practices in the Field of Inclusive Education

Students in the module “Practices in the Field of Inclusive Education” deepen and broaden their understanding of Inclusive Education by engaging with diverse perspectives on its key concepts and practices. Through the exploration of internationally comparative viewpoints at various levels, students develop a multifaceted and critical understanding of the field of Inclusive Education. They also learn to identify and analyse interdependencies and areas of tension within this field.

Students are able to

• critically reflect on their future professional practice in relation to social expectations and consequences.
• to recognize different professional courses of action, while reflecting on the situational and institutional conditions that shape their field of work.
• Show knowledge of national and international models of inclusive education systems and are able to critically assess the conditions influencing educational system development, particularly in relation to inclusion and exclusion processes.
• to critically engage with media content and structures, analysing the extent to which digital media and their technological infrastructures shape social and digital inequalities. Within this framework, the significance of cooperative structures and processes for inclusive education is examined.
• are familiar with out-of-school support systems from an international comparative perspective and with related professional roles.
• To engage with different models and forms of cooperation, developing their own collaborative competencies.
• to apply concepts of institutional and interprofessional cooperation, and to reflect on their practical use, potential, and limitations in the context of inclusive education systems.

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the module, students will be able to:

• analyse interdisciplinary and internationally comparative perspectives on inclusive education, developing a nuanced and critically reflective understanding of its research and practice contexts;
• identify and assess interdependencies, tensions, and structural dynamics within inclusive education systems, in order to critically reflect on processes of inclusion and exclusion;
• critically reflect on social expectations, institutional frameworks, digital media and their technological infrastructures and their own professional options for action, thereby forming a well-grounded professional self-concept in the context of inclusive education;
• compare models and processes of inclusive education system development and evaluate their transferability and impact, drawing informed conclusions for both theory and practice;
• design, implement, and critically evaluate cooperative structures and processes in inclusive educational contexts with reference to specific cases.

The module consists of two elements offering together an internationally comparative yet case-based and practice-oriented approach to the study of inclusive education.

Within element E1 – Comparative Practices of Inclusive Education in the Educational System, students examine governmental and non-governmental institutions, organizations, and actors engaged in inclusive education within regional, national, and international contexts, while building on the theoretical, interdisciplinary and methodical perspectives previously acquired. Particular attention is given to educational policy developments and the shifting balance between segregating and integrative models of educational support in societies. Students explore the institutional options and processes arising from these developments, comparing different approaches to inclusive education and critically reflecting on them in connection with relevant interdisciplinary theories.

Within element E2 – Practices of Inclusive Education at the Intersection of Educational Actors, Institutions and Other Support Services students engage with selected professional situations – for example, case work, inclusive practices within institutions and organizations, digital arenas, and their intersections. They also address challenges such as specific individual conditions and their government within institutional or organizational settings, as well as constellations of inclusive and exclusive action. This may take the form of case studies, institutional and policy analyses or analysing data practices and algorithmic systems. The focus lies on two main aspects: professional development in the context of inclusive education, and models and practices of professional cooperation within school and out-of-school environments. The element explores structural and personal prerequisites for successful collaboration, different forms of teamwork and cooperation models, and initiatives that promote effective collaboration. Stereotypical assumptions are critically examined. These analyses culminate in a critical reflection on the demands and necessity of cooperation, addressing key tensions within inclusive education and making them comprehensible through the inclusion of multiple perspectives and professional standpoints in the framework of orders of difference.

Successful completion of the first Master’s semester in Ostrava.

—