A world where everyone has access to quality education, regardless of intellectual, physical, religious, social, emotional, language or other abilities, is no longer a utopia – it has become a steady trend in recent years across all developed countries.
Today we will talk about inclusive education (from English inclusion – inclusion, involvement, integration) in Spain – a country that has made significant progress in this area and can serve as an example for many states that are only at the beginning of this challenging, yet crucial path for social well-being. In Spain’s education system, accessible education for all has become one of the Sustainable Development Goals (los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible) that should be achieved by 2030.
In this article, we will explain what inclusive education is, what goals it pursues, and how it is implemented in Spanish schools.
According to UNESCO, there are currently more than 260 million children and young people worldwide who do not attend educational institutions, and 6 out of 10 representatives of vulnerable groups, after several years of schooling, still have not acquired basic reading, writing and numeracy skills, which only worsens social inequality in the long run.
What does inclusive education in Spain offer?
Inclusive education is an educational model capable of meeting the educational needs of all children, adolescents, young people and adults in cases where, due to individual characteristics, there is a risk of social exclusion.
Often, in a narrow sense, inclusive education is understood as integrating children with disabilities into the learning process. In reality, however, this concept is much broader: it covers all learners who, for various reasons, fall out of the general education system and face discrimination due to their race, social status, religious beliefs, culture, etc.
What are the differences between inclusive education and the traditional approach to learning?
- In the traditional approach, students adapt to the existing curriculum, whereas in inclusive education the curriculum takes into account the individual needs of each student.
- In the traditional approach, general criteria are established to assess academic performance for each group of students, while in inclusive education the characteristics of each learner are analyzed in order to provide the necessary support.
- In the traditional approach, students with special needs attend specialized or remedial educational institutions, whereas inclusive education предполагает access for these individuals to regular educational institutions that are properly adapted with appropriate teaching strategies.
What are the goals of inclusive education?
Based on the differences from the traditional education system listed above, inclusive learning sets the following goals:
- Achieving social and academic integration of students into the overall educational process.
- Paying attention to all students, regardless of their personal characteristics.
- Encouraging equal opportunities through solidarity and support in the classroom.
- Collaboration among all parties involved in education: teachers, classmates, parents, mass media, etc.
- Promoting the principle of inclusion both in social and in professional life.
What are the barriers to inclusive education?
Despite its positive goal, inclusive education faces a number of issues and implementation challenges, including the following:
- Persistent misconceptions that hinder the integration of people with disabilities or people from different cultures.
- Special equipment and learning materials: some schools do not have sufficient resources to accommodate students with disabilities.
- Curricula that are overly rigid and do not fit a flexible learning system.
- Teachers’ level of training may not match the diversity represented in a single classroom.
- A lack of proper funding can affect a school’s ability to adapt to the needs of students from different groups.
How does inclusive learning work in the classroom?
Inclusive education requires special work from teachers in the classroom, and its principles are based on the following:
- Getting to know pupils or students should not be formal. A teacher should be able to manage their time to get to know each learner as an individual with their own characteristics. Various games, live questions and written questionnaires, as well as observation, are key ways to obtain this information.
- Using active methods of work by organizing activities that broaden horizons and develop critical thinking so that students can better understand the diversity of the world around them.
- Different assessment criteria. If each person’s learning has its own specific features, then assessment methods should also account for each child’s individuality.
- Involving children in building the educational process. Inclusive education should focus on enabling students to manage their own learning – its pace and volume.
- Challenging but achievable goals. Teachers should set goals that are interesting and difficult to reach, but not impossible.
- Applying Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. According to this theory, intelligence should be considered in various specific contexts rather than as the dominance of one general ability. Therefore, in a classroom where an inclusive approach is used, it is necessary to value each type of intelligence in order to successfully expand its potential.
The education system should strive to ensure that all boys and girls go to school and can receive at least primary education. In addition, it is important that this education is high-quality and inclusive.
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Currently in Spain, access for persons with disabilities to inclusive and equitable school education is provided with the necessary support and in the very same classrooms as other students. This is confirmed by the right закрепленным in the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (CDPD)). This document was signed and ratified in Spain in 2008.
According to statistics, in 2007 only about 4% of university students in Spain were students with disabilities; by 2012 this number had already reached 14.7% of the total. By 2014, the share of persons with disabilities receiving education in Spanish universities reached 17.3%, among whom 6.2% became postgraduate students. The last academic year 2019–2020 showed that during this period 19,919 students with some form of disability studied at Spanish universities.
Spanish universities also train primary, secondary and higher education teachers who implement inclusive principles in education.
Overall, Spain can be called an excellent place to receive an education regardless of social status, and inclusive education has very harmoniously fit into the value system of this developed European country. But not only for Spaniards – for all of us today it is important to understand that inclusive education is an opportunity for any child to build a successful future and enjoy a full and happy life, regardless of their current status.
Do you still have questions about inclusive education in Spain? You can ask them to our specialists in education in Spain by contacting us via the phone numbers listed on the website or by submitting a request – we will definitely call you back.
