Inclusive further education - CSIE

1 Inclusive FE. The report of the further education Funding Council Learning Difficulties CSIE. and/or Disabilities Committee chaired by Professor John Tomlinson We believe that learning can only be fully effective if it is Inclusive '. A new vision of inclusion, based on a It does not incorporate human rights better match between learning considerations and covers both discrete requirements and provision, is at the and separate specialist provision. heart of far-reaching proposals for Decisions about whether the greatest improving further education following degree of match or fit is obtained in the first national inquiry in England into mainstream or segregated settings FE provision for students with remain under the control of education disabilities and/or difficulties in and training professionals (as did the learning.)

2 Membership of the Tomlinson Committee). As the Committee itself The Tomlinson Committee's Report points out, legislation governing further Inclusive Learning is based on evidence education does not explicitly establish from providers, parents, carers, rights for disabled students or outlaw organisations and services and is discrimination. strongly influenced by the views and experiences of students. It finds that However, the report does contain major while some colleges have made great proposals to improve colleges' capacity strides towards an Inclusive approach, to respond to different approaches to overall the quality of learning for learning and to take student's views students with disabilities and/or seriously which will hopefully lead to difficulties is poorer than for other rapidly increasing opportunities for students, and many disabled people are placements in the mainstream.

3 Not receiving any further education at all. This free CSIE summary focuses on the report's approach to inclusion and The definition of inclusion used in the identifies the committee's key report is based on obtaining what the recommendations towards developing committee describes as the greatest its new concept of Inclusive learning. degree of match or fit between individual learning requirements and provision. 2. requirements and the provision that is A New Approach to Learning made for them. According to the report the old approach Learning Environment to learning, which focuses on making students with learning difficulties and/or The report sees an individually-designed disabilities different from or more learning environment or 'learning eco- special than other learners, has not system' as the best way of securing this worked.

4 Match between provision and individual learning styles and goals. An individual The Inclusive approach adopted by the learning environment would have the committee avoids a viewpoint which following components: locates difficulty or deficit within the student and focuses instead on the an individual learning programme capacity of the educational institution to a curriculum which promotes progress understand and respond to individual in learning learners' requirements. It moves away effective teaching from labelling students towards creating counselling, guidance and initial an appropriate educational environment.

5 Assessment opportunities for students to discuss Re-designing learning, assessment and and manage their own learning organisation to fit objectives and support for learning learning styles of students may mean support for learners such as creche introducing new content to courses, facilities adapting access or both. This approach procedures for assessing, recording and is quite different from offering courses accrediting achievement and then giving students with difficulties learning materials and resources some additional human or physical aids technical aids and equipment to participate. learning technology trained staff 'The aim is not for students to simply physical surroundings, for example take part in further education but to be teaching rooms, canteen and library actively included and fully engaged in their learning.

6 At the heart of our Implications of Inclusive Learning thinking lies the idea of match or fit between how the learner learns best, To bring about the match between what they need and want to learn and student's requirements and learning what is required from the FE sector, the environments, some learners might have college and teachers for successful more time or resources allocated than other learning to take place. learners. By Inclusive learning therefore we Inclusive learning places a new mean the greatest degree of match or responsibility on teachers for close fit between the individual learners individual observation and skilled 3.

7 Assessment as a basis for devising learning central concern is the way individuals environments which match learners' learn and how they can be requirements. The challenge for colleges accommodated. will be to pursue a corporate approach to learning and to develop their capacity to The report also stresses that Inclusive respond to different approaches to learning learning is not synonymous with and to identify individual learning goals. integration. The best environment to match students' requirements will often It will be important for the FEFC to be an integrated environment - and strengthen necessary safeguards for increasingly so as the capacities of the students with disabilities or difficulties FE system grow - but it will sometimes in learning without labelling at the same be a mixture of integrated and discrete time as promoting Inclusive learning.

8 Provision or totally discrete provision as All students will gain from the focus on in specialist colleges. Inclusive learning. However students with disabilities and/or difficulties will A Shared Vision probably gain most because provision for them generally tends to be of poorer The Committee recognises that its thinking quality. about Inclusive learning owes much to the pioneering work already underway in some Meeting the particular requirements of colleges and in other services. Colleges students with learning disabilities and/or understood readily that the concept of difficulties would be part of the college's Inclusive learning was the logical next step usual arrangements rather than an in the evolution of further education additional or different activity.

9 The provision for students with disabilities college would be expected to and/or difficulties. demonstrate that the learning it provides is Inclusive rather than students being The concept of inclusion is used expected to make a case for the right to increasingly both here and in the USA by learn alongside other learners. other services working with people with learning difficulties. These services often Recognising Disability share the committee's vision of bringing about a pluralistic society, Inclusive of all The report stresses that an Inclusive people. Health and social services and approach to learning does not involve voluntary organisations face the same glossing over disability or learning challenge as further education - that is how difficulty or pretending disabilities or to individualise the planning of housing, difficulties do not matter provided employment, supported living and training teaching methods are changed.

10 Rather in order to provide tailor-made personal Inclusive learning means teachers focus services. The aim of all provision must be not on the disability itself but on what it inclusion in our communities. means for the way people learn or are helped to learn more effectively. Their Inclusion, meaning full and active participation in society, is also part of 4. academic and legal debate on issues of gender and race. We have used the term Inclusive learning to signal a change in thinking about further education students with learning difficulties or disabilities. As this new thinking is refined and developed by colleges and others, we expect the language used will change.