IDDC

IDDC seminars at the Salamanca Conference on Inclusive Education

IDDC's Inclusive Education Task Group organised two seminars at the International Conference on Inclusive Education entitled Confronting The Gap: Rhetoric, Rights And Reality?, which took place from 21 - 23 October 2009 in Salamanca. One seminar looked at the meaning of quality in education; the other one considered how  this quality should be measured.

The first seminar looked at what we mean by quality in education. A short video was shown of Evariste Karangwa, from the Institute of Education in Rwanda, speaking about quality in education. Evariste highlighted issues of teacher skills, pedagogical approaches, teaching resources, school administration and policy (and how this is translated into practice), and the school environment. The seminar participants – over 100 people – then worked very energetically and enthusiastically in groups of Spanish, Portuguese and English speakers  to share their thoughts on important characteristics of quality. The groups identified many issues, including feelings of being valued and included among children, collaboration  among teachers, and community involvement.

The second seminar considered how to measure quality, thinking about how to really measure what we value - rather than being forced to value what we measure. Presentations from IDDC members VSO and NAD gave insights into approaches for understanding and measuring quality in Ghana and East Africa. The participants then used group work to   think about how to assess changes at different levels - children, communities, teachers    and policy. 

IDDC prepared a poster about quality inclusive education for the conference. The poster provides an overview of key characteristics of quality, linking this to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We hope it can be a useful resource for education policy makers and programme managers – let us know what you think!