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Preparing Teachers

for Inclusive

Education

by CRS Vietnam


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How-to Guide Series

Preparing Teachersfor Inclusive

Education

by CRS Vietnam

Written by Dinh Thi Nguyet and Le Thu Ha


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2 Preparing Teachers or Inclusive Education

How-To Guides:

Child Participation in Education Initiatives, CRS Zimbabwe

Inclusive Education or Children with Disabilities, CRS Vietnam

Integrated Community Literacy or Development, CRS GuatemalaStudent Dropout Prevention and Response, CRS Kosovo

Child-led School Health Education Programs, CRS Ghana

How to Use the Cluster Approach or Capacity-Building in Schools, CRS India

School Improvement Plans, CRS Ecuador

A Guide to Values-Building Education, CRS JWBG

Preparing eachers or Inclusive Education, CRS Vietnam

2010 Catholic Relief ServicesAny reproduction, translation, derivation, distribution or otheruse o this work is prohibited without the express permission oCatholic Relie Services (CRS).


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Table of Contents

Letter from CRS Education Technical Advisors ........................................................................ 4

Letter from CRS Vietnam Country Representative ................................................................ 5

1. Introduction: What is this guide about and who is this guide for? ........................... 6

2. Inclusive Education in Developing Countries ...................................................................... 6

3. Three Essential Components for Capacity Building in Inclusive Education .......... 7

3.1 Attitudinal Changes and Awareness Raising ............................................................... 8

3.2 Pre-Service Training Programs ........................................................................................... 9

3.3 In-Service Training Programs............................................................................................ 10

4. Pre-Service Approaches: Working with Teacher Training Institutions ................. 11

4.1 Focusing on the Preschool and Primary School Levels......................................... 11

4.2 Targeting Local Needs .......................................................................................................... 12

4.3 Creating a Network of Key Training Institutions..................................................... 15

5. In-Service Approaches: School-Based Teacher Training ...............................................16

5.1 Developing a Network of Key Teachers ....................................................................... 16

5.2 Capacity Building for Key Teachers ............................................................................... 23

5.3 Using Observation and Reection as Critical

Tools for In-Service Capacity Building........................................................................... 27

5.4 Monitoring Teachers Learning and Progress ........................................................... 28

6. Inclusive Education as Systemic Change ............................................................................. 28

6.1 Educational Management and School Initiatives..................................................... 29

6.2 Role of Ministries in Curriculum Development and Policy Change ................ 29

7. Applying Lessons Learned: Inclusive Education in Laos ...............................................30

8. Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 31


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Letter from CRS Education Technical Advisors

Dear riends and colleagues,

We are pleased to present this latest edition in our CRS education How-to series,Preparing Teachers or Inclusive Education,created by CRS Vietnam.

Te How-to guide series was created as an opportunity or CRS country programsand their local implementing partners to highlight and share an aspect o their workthat has been particularly successul. Instead o presenting a detailed description otheir program history and accomplishments, however, the ocus o the guides is onthe practical steps that CRS country programs and partner organizations can take toadopt similar activities.

Te recommendations will need to be interpreted or each particular context, butthe topics addressed in each guide are ones that would strengthen and improve anyexisting program: how to establish child-led school health education programs; howto utilize a cluster approach or capacity-building in schools; how to develop eectiveschool improvement plans.

Tis guide rom CRS Vietnam addresses teacher preparation or inclusive education.It is the second guide produced by CRS Vietnam; the rst, Inclusive Education orChildren with Disabilities, provides background and a more general introduction to

inclusive education. Tis guide ocuses more specically on how to prepare teachersto work with children with disabilities. eachers are a critical component to creatinginclusive classrooms that allow children with disabilities to learn and thrive. Careulattention to teacher preparation is thereore a must i we are to continue to ensure thatthis marginalized group has access to quality education today.

Tis guide presents many useul suggestions or ways to do this. Some are simple andothers require extensive collaboration with national level policy makers. We hopethat the lessons provided here will assist you in improving the quality o teacherpreparation within your own context.

Best wishes,

Anne Sellers Michael Pozniak

CRS Education echnical Advisor Education Consultant


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Letter from CRS Vietnam Country Representative

Dear riends and colleagues,

CRS Vietnam is pleased to present the second Howto Guide on Inclusive Educationor Children with Disabilities, concentrating on preparing teachers and improvingtheir overall teaching skills and methods or inclusive education.

CRS Vietnam has been supporting children and youth with disabilities or morethan twelve years with continuous assistance rom the United States Agency orInternational Development (USAID) via the Leahy War Victims Fund and DisplacedChildren and Orphans Fund.

One o the key lessons learned rom our work on inclusive education in Vietnam

has been the importance o involving relevant ministries, universities and educationadministrators. Te involvement o these important actors has helped to ensure thatnational level policies are enacted which ultimately benet children with disabilitiesand their amilies and teachers. Working closely with local partners, CRS hascontributed to a series o Vietnamese government legal documents, includingtheNational Action Plan to Support People with Disabilities 2006-2010, the InclusiveEducation Strategy 2006-10 with a Vision to 2015, and a dra Law on Disability(2009), which was ocially passed by the National Assembly in 2010.

CRS Vietnam is committed to responding to traditional as well as emerging needs othe country, supporting education, health and HIV-AIDS care, and emergency reliein ten provinces in all three regions. Inclusive education will remain the priority orour education program as people with disabilities and their amilies comprise one othe largest groups in Vietnamese society who are not yet beneting signicantly romthe countrys economic growth.

We look orward to working with our partners towards innovative solutions, improvedsupport and ull social inclusion o children and youth with disabilities. We also lookorward to sharing more lessons learned and best practices with other CRS countryprograms with similar experiences. Most o all, we look orward to seeing a newgeneration o successul school graduates who work and study hard to overcome theirimpediments and bravely embrace new lie opportunities despite their disabilities. Asone o our students said at her graduation ceremony, I believe that when you try tolive a useul lie, happiness will smile with you.

Sincerely,

Sanda Richtmann


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1. Introduction: What is this guide about and who is thisguide for?

Inclusive education has been internationally recognized as a philosophy or attaining equity,justice and quality education or all children, especially those who have been traditionally

excluded rom mainstream education or reasons o disability, ethnicity, gender or othercharacteristics. While inclusive education has been implemented successully in manycountries, other countries are still in the process o achieving this goal. Tis How-to Guide isthe second produced by CRS Vietnam. Te rst guide, Inclusive Education or Children withDisabilities, provides background and a more general introduction to inclusive education.Tis guide aims to help CRS and partner education programs prepare teachers to implementsuccessul models o inclusive education at the school level. It builds upon the previouspublication while ocusing more specically on issues relating to teacher training and human

resource development. Tough the Vietnamese experience may not be universally applicablein all country contexts, it is hoped that the examples provided will serve as a reerence o corethemes that can be tailored to suit individual country needs.

2. Inclusive Education in Developing Countries

Inclusive education is dened by UNESCO as a process oaddressing and respondingto the diverse needs o all learners by increasing participation in learning and reducingexclusion within and rom education1. Tis means that all children have the right to a

quality education that caters, to the extent possible,to their individual needs. Some countries havebeen successul in promoting inclusive educationpractices and policies that remove barriers andcreate conditions which enable all children tolearn. However, in poorer developing countries,the process o creating an inclusive system is moredicult. Factors such as lack o available unding,administrative and policy level support, and trained

personnel pose challenges that can slow downprogress. As a result o these diculties, somecountries may choose to begin the process by rstocusing on one group o children with the long-termgoal o eventually including all excluded groups.

In Vietnam, or example, the inclusive educationmovement targets children with disabilities,

1 UNESCO. (2005). Guidelines or Inclusion: Ensuring access to education or all.

Inclusive education brings equal

opportunities for children with disabilities


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a group that has been traditionally excludedrom educational opportunities. his involvesmainstreaming children with disabilities intoregular classroom settings, allowing them tolearn together with their non-disabled peers.Ideally, this practice will lay the groundwork oran education o quality or allchildren, includingother excluded groups. However, inclusiveeducation in Vietnam and many other developingcountries is still a work in progress, and ornow, Vietnam continues to ocus on inclusion ochildren with disabilities.

In Vietnam, as well as in other developing countries,

the government has recognized the importance o Inclusive education brings joy andhappiness to the life of childrenwith disabilitiesinclusive education in promoting social justice and

equity. One major diculty that Vietnam and othercountries ace is ensuring that human resourcedevelopment can support these important initiatives. Tis guide provides suggestionsand best practices or how to create a work orce that can support these objectives.

3. Three Essential Components for Capacity Building

in Inclusive Education

Fundamentals for Capacity Building in InclusiveEducation

1. Increase Awareness and Attitudinal Change through Advocacy

2. Create a Future o rained Proessionals: Pre-Service raining

3. Build on Existing Human Resources: In-Service raining and ProessionalDevelopment

When developing human resources to support an inclusive education system three areasmust be considered: the attitudes o teachers and education sta, pre-service trainingprograms to help ensure that uture generations o teachers enter the proession with the skillsand knowledge to work in an inclusive environment, and in-service training to improve


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It is vitally

important that

teachers, principals

and other education

stakeholders

maintain a positive

attitude towards

inclusion.

the capacity o teachers already working in the eld.Tis section provides an overview o these threecomponents, with more detailed descriptions in theollowing sections.

3.1 Attitudinal Changes and AwarenessRaising

For inclusive education to succeed, it is vitallyimportant that teachers, principals and othereducation stakeholders maintain a positiveattitude towards inclusion. hey must be irmlyconvinced o the beneits that inclusive practicesbring to all children. Even i inclusive education is

mandated by law, it will never succeed without theenthusiastic support o its practitioners. Obtaining

such support involves behavior and attitudinal change which is not a quick or easyprocess. here are a number o ways to accomplish such change, and the ollowingare examples o activities and strategies that have been used successully in theCRS Vietnam program.

n Organize training workshops or educators and key community members ongeneral inclusive education techniques, especially those which highlight how such

techniques can benet allchildren by improving overall quality o teaching.

Classroom teacher engages non-disabled student in group work with her disabled peer


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n Integrate awareness about inclusive educationinto schools regular proessional developmentactivities.

n Integrate knowledge about the benets o

inclusive education into initial training programsor student teachers in colleges and universities.

n Develop mass media activities and materialsthat emphasize the value o inclusive education.CRS Vietnam has developed several lmsthat demonstrate the success o children withdisabilities in inclusive settings, as well as eectiveinclusive lessons by teachers in dierent parts

o the country. CRS Vietnam has ound that Child with disability is helped by hisnon-disabled peerincreasing awareness about inclusive educationimproves the condence o teachers in their abilityto teach students with diverse learning needs.

n Increase awareness o the many benets o inclusive education through theinteraction o educators and key community members with people with disabilities.In Vietnam, CRS has utilized special events such as International Disability Dayand invited dierent members o the community to participate and gain awareness.Inviting members o existing disabled peoples organizations to discuss disabilityissues with teachers is also a good way to change attitudes and provide knowledge.CRS Vietnam has ound that increased interaction helps to bring about mutualunderstanding and respect. People with disabilities should also be encouraged andhelped to become trained teachers themselves.

3.2 Pre-Service Training Programs

In order to build human resources in the eld o education, training must be doneboth at the pre-service and in-service levels. Pre-service training reers to training

individuals beore they become teachers. Tis includes training at teacher trainingcolleges and universities at both the national and provincial levels.

Ideally, inclusive education should be a compulsory subject or all teacher candidatesand an integral part o teacher training curricula. Fundamental knowledge and skillso inclusive education, such as understanding needs and abilities o children withspecial needs and pedagogic skills such as instructional accommodation and activitydierentiation, should be provided widely to teacher candidates. Countries with strongtrack records o implementing inclusive education, such as the United States and


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particularly eective strategy to improve the quality o an entire educationalsystem or all children regardless o their needs. Inclusive education methodsare child-centered, employing active and participative learning techniques thatimprove teachers capacity to teach children both with and without disabilities.Collaborative and participative techniques not only enhance learning outcomes,but also reduce prejudice and discrimination among children.

Regardless o whether countries have adopted inclusive education as a nationalmandate or are still in the pilot stages, this type o training will have a positiveimpact on all teachers and children in participating schools. In-service training isurther discussed in Section 5 o this guide.

4. Pre-Service Approaches: Working with Teacher

Training Institutions

The earlier in life

that children with

special needs receive

educational support,

the more successful

their schooling will be

in later years.

4.1 Focusing on the Preschool and Primary

School Levels

While pre-service teacher training in inclusiveeducation should be available or all levels o education(preschool, primary and secondary), in developingcountries where that is not possible it is important toprioritize preschool and primary school levels.

Te earlier in lie that children with special needsreceive educational support, the more successul their

schooling will be in later years, and the higher theirquality o lie as adults. Early intervention or children,including linkages to early childhood health programsand preschool inclusive education programs, should be

a priority in any country context. In reality, however, in many countries these programsare underunded and poorly staed, especially where compulsory education in state

schools generally begins at the primary level. I possible, inclusive strategies should beginat the preschool level (age 3 to 6) in order to assist children earlier in lie. In countrieswhere intervention at the preschool level is not possible, primary schools may oer amore accessible alternative or systemic change towards inclusion.

In addition to the clear benets o early intervention, preschool and primary school arelogical starting points due to easibility o application and implementation in the eld.Usually, preschool and primary school teachers receive general training in the key subjectso language, mathematics, and natural and social sciences, while training or secondary


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teachers requires more in-depth specialized knowledgeo a variety o specic academic disciplines. Preschooland primary school children are usually taught by asingle teacher or a small group o teachers and teachingassistants. Students thereore spend more time withtheir teacher and have a greater number o interactionswith that one instructor. Children at junior and seniorsecondary levels receive instruction rom a muchgreater variety o teachers. Tereore, in order to havea wider reach, pre-service teacher training programsor inclusive education should target preschool andprimary school teachers rst beore expanding tohigher educational levels.

A primary student with hearing

difficulties receives extra support from

his teacher

4.2 Targeting Local Needs

When creating teacher training programs or developing curriculum adaptations it isvery important to nd out about existing national educational guidelines. Tis allows

University and college lecturers enjoy doing group work in an inclusive education training


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or the creation o inclusive education modules that complement and integrate intothe pre-service curriculum. Tis can be done by understanding the local context andconsidering the ollowing questions.

Questions to Consider When Creating an InclusiveEducation Curriculumn What is the current sta structure o your countrys education system?

n Are there built-in supports or teachers integrating children with diverseneeds in the classroom?

n Do classroom teachers in your country have the skills and training to teachchildren with special needs in regular classes?

n Is there a cadre o teachers who are experts in special needs education?n Who regulates the job requirements o teachers?

n Are teachers required to teach all children regardless o their special needs?

n Do the regular pre-service teacher training curricula provide essentialknowledge and skills or student teachers to teach children with diverse needs?

n Are training institutions willing and able to integrate inclusive educationinto their education programs regardless o government requirements?

n What are the current policies in your country to support both educationsta and children with disabilities?

With this inormation, development practitioners, educators and policy makers canwork together to decide on appropriate ways to prepare teachers to teach children withspecial needs. Dierent steps can be taken based on the local context and the situationo the national educational legislation.

Countries with Strong Educational Support:

In some countries, the educational system supports inclusive education byproviding specialist teachers and/or aides to assist within the regular classroom.hese individuals provide support either by working alongside teachers in theclassroom, as is the case with teacher assistants, or during pull out sessionswhere the children spend some time out o the classroom to receive specializedservices. In these cases, it may be appropriate to develop a separate coursein special education at teacher training colleges or these specialist teachers.


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However, even when teachers choose to ocus on special education training,inclusive education strategies can improve their teaching skills and provideincreased opportunities or them to work in a variety o educational settings.

Countries where Classroom Teachers are Responsible or Children with Varying Levels o Needs:

In countries that lack resources to pay or specialized support sta, regularclassroom teachers are responsible or all children with and without disabilities. Inthis case, promoting inclusive education training modules that can be integrated intothe regular teacher training college curriculum would be more appropriate.

Inclusive Education Teacher Training in Vietnam

In Vietnam, there are two options or teacher training at the pre-service level.

Individuals who wish to become teachers can study either at our-year universitiesor at three-year teacher training colleges. Both types o institutions exist at both thenational and provincial level. University teacher training programs tend to ocusmore on theories o education and prepare teachers or education managementpositions as well as classroom teaching. Tese programs have a more selectiveapplication process. eacher training colleges ocus more on the technical skills oteaching. Te dierent programs or pre-service training in Vietnam vary in termso whether or not inclusive education is included as a required core course. Someuniversities and colleges have managed to include inclusive education as a requiredcore course, while others simply oer the course as an optional elective. Te coursesin inclusive education all include the ollowing components:

n Fundamentals o inclusive education (denition o inclusive education, keyconcepts, and the history o the inclusive education movement)

n Overview o children with special needs

n How to create an Individual Education Plan

n How to design and adapt activities or children with special needs

n How to assess learning outcomes o children with special needs

While inclusive education is still not a compulsory component o pre-servicetraining or all colleges and universities in Vietnam, there have been greatimprovements in the number o institutions that do oer some type o inclusiveeducation training. CRS Vietnam, partners and stakeholders continue toadvocate or its inclusion as a compulsory subject at all levels.


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CRS Vietnam: Success at the Pre-Service Level

As a result o CRS advocacy with program partners and education stakeholders,inclusive education is now included as a core required course or all students

specically majoring in Preschool Education at three-year teacher training collegesin Vietnam.Recognizing the importance o early intervention, these institutionsensure that uture preschool teachers will be well equipped with skills andstrategies to be eective teachers or children with diverse needs. CRS Vietnamand all involved parties continue to advocate or compulsory inclusive educationcurriculum at all levels o teacher training.

4.3 Creating a Network of Key Training Institutions

Create Change through Partnerships with Teacher Training Colleges:

In countries where inclusive education has not become a compulsory subject in pre-service programs, the development o teacher training modules in inclusive educationis best achieved by working in partnership with local teacher training universities andcolleges. CRS Vietnam worked with provincial teacher training colleges to modiythe existing curriculum to include teacher training modules on early intervention.Trough collaboration with these colleges, CRS Vietnam was able to providepreschool teachers with knowledge regarding how to screen and identiy children with

disabilities rom an early age. Tis, in turn, allowed teachers to provide students witheducational support rom a very early age.

Working with local training institutions is an eective way o disseminatinginormation both at the pre-service and in-service levels. Schools in Vietnam usuallyhave a close relationship with their provincial teacher training colleges. In Vietnam,as well as many other countries, aculty rom teacher training colleges are responsibleor training teachers both at the pre-service and in-service level. In Vietnam, teachertrainers at these colleges were able to use inclusive education modules or both teacher

trainees and teachers already employed by local schools. Tis partnership allowedor practical application o inclusive education modules and allowed or subsequentadjustment and adaptations when the need arose.

Identiy Key Networks:

In addition to partnering with local provincial teacher training institutes, in countrieswhere inclusive education is a new idea and not yet an established policy, it ishelpul to develop a network o key training institutions which can act as experts on


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inclusive education at the national level. Te chosen institutions should ideally havesome expertise in special education. In Vietnam, seven national level pedagogicalinstitutions (our universities and three colleges) make up the key network orinclusive education pre-service training. Tese institutions have identied interestedaculty members who received intensive training in inclusive techniques, eitherthrough CRS or the national government. With this specialized training, the acultymembers ormed a network o key lecturers/trainers who unctioned as expertconsultants or other teacher training institutions. Tis key network has become anational resource or training and support o teachers at the local level.

Provide Inclusive Education Knowledge and Skills:

Key lecturers/trainers can receive their inclusive education training in a numbero ways. In Vietnam, some key lecturers attended a series o in-service training

courses oered by international consultants locally as well as overseas. CRS Vietnamprovided this key network with several trainings run by experts in inclusiveeducation rom Australia and the United States. Other key lecturers obtained ormalpre-service training in special education practice locally or overseas. It is importantto note that key lecturers receive training with the obligation to share the benets byreplicating their training or their colleagues and students.

5. In-Service Approaches: School-Based Teacher Training

5.1 Developing a Network of Key Teachers

Students with disabilities need strong support

Students with rom their teachers in order to ully participate in

disabilities need strong class activities with non-disabled peers. Inclusiveeducation requires that teachers have additional skills

support from their to be able to design inclusive lessons with a varietyteachers in order to o activities that cater to diverse student needs. In

some countries, classroom teachers are supportedfully participate in classby a network o inclusive education coordinators,activities with non-

or specialist teachers, whose only job is to provide

disabled peers. special support to both classroom teachers andstudents with disabilities. Tey collaborate withregular school sta to provide technical counseling in

lesson planning and provide direct support to students and teachers as well.

However, in many developing countries, this support model is not in place due tolack o unding and appropriately trained personnel. Tereore, it is necessary to


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Key teachers participate in group discussion in thematic training for primary teachers

explore local adaptations and devise more easible ways o providing support to

classroom teachers and students with disabilities. CRS has piloted a successul andmore cost-eective alternative in Vietnam: the development o key teachers.

The development

of a network of key

teachers is cost-

effective because

they are already part

of the educational

system

Who are key teachers?

Te term key teachers is used to reer to groups oeducators, usually school vice-principals or districteducation ocers, who are selected based on theiroverall competence and interest in inclusive education.In Vietnam, key teachers were selected by districtand provincial education authorities. Although theymaintain their regular positions, key teachers gainadditional training to provide strong technical support

to classroom teachers regarding inclusive educationissues. Tey provide this support in addition to theirregular duties. In a ew cases exceptional classroomteachers have become key teachers as well; however, in

Vietnam it has proven more eective to use district education ocers or school leaders


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such as vice-principals. Tis is because classroom teachers respect their authority, andthey are better able to disseminate ocial regulations regarding inclusive education as

well as good practices.

Why key teachers?

Te development o a network o key teachers is cost-eective because they are alreadypart o the educational system and not a new set o specialists requiring additionalunding. Key teachers are mostly school-based and oen part o the local community,making this system more sustainable.

How are key teachers selected?

Criteria or selection can vary depending on the expected role and tasks o the keyteachers. Te CRS Vietnam program uses the ollowing criteria:

Criteria for Selection of Key Teachers

Prospective key teachers must:

n Have positive attitudes towards children with disabilities

n Hold good qualications and pedagogical perormance records

n Be conrmed as long-term resources or schools and districts by local

education authorities

n Demonstrate good collaboration and communication skills

n Have good skills as a trainer and acilitator

n Have a sound proessional reputation

n Possess good counseling skills

What do key teachers do?

Key teachers are the core human resource or inclusive education implementation inthe eld. Once trained, key teachers are usually assigned to a group o three to veneighboring schools, which they visit on a rotational basis. Teir visits usually coincidewith the schools regularly scheduled meetings. Tese meetings take place in the school


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Key teacher facilitates group discussion in an awareness raising training

once a week, usually or one or two hours. Duties o key teachers may vary accordingto country context and local needs, but all into the ollowing general categories:

Planning

n Assist in development o annual plans or inclusive education implementationat school, district and provincial levels.

n Provide guidance to teachers and school leaders on the implementation oinclusive education plans, especially Individual Education Plans.

Monitoring and Reporting

n Conduct eld visits to monitor the implementation o inclusive education atthe school level, including tracking the progress o students with disabilities,observing lessons and providing eedback to teachers.

n Write reports summarizing the results o eld visits, which are then sent to theproject oce as well as to district and provincial oces o education.

n Make prompt recommendations to improve the learning results o childrenwith disabilities.


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Capacity Building

n Replicate training received rom externalexperts on inclusive education knowledgeand skills or the benet o classroom

teachers.n Organize thematic workshops or classroom

teachers on teaching children with specicdisabilities.

n Create opportunities or teachers to sharetheir experiences in teaching inclusiveclasses.

n Coach classroom teachers on an individualTeacher applies what she learned fromtraining in workshop with a student with

learning difculties

or group basis when needed on specictopics or skills.

Technical Advice and Counseling

n Provide technical advice to school principals or inclusive education implementation.

n Provide counseling and advice to teachers on the progress o children withdisabilities in their classes.

n

Provide counseling and advice to parents o children with disabilities.As mentioned previously, in Vietnam there are key teachers with both provincial anddistrict level responsibilities. Provincial key teachers are mainly responsible or planning,supervising and capacity building on a large scale, while those at the district level ocuson school-based activities by conducting eld visits and coaching classroom teachers on aregular basis.

In addition to possessing general knowledge about inclusive education, each keyteacher may specialize in a particular disability, such as vision or hearing impairments,

learning diculties, or speech disorders. District education departments, togetherwith schools, usually assignkey teachers an area o specialty based on the number ochildren with disabilities identied in the particular area.


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A Key Teacher Network in Quang Nam Province

Aer the start o the Inclusion o Vietnamese with Disabilities project in QuangNam province, a network o 60 key teachers was established: 15 teachers with

responsibility or educational activities in the whole province, and 45 withresponsibilities in a single district. Tis group included education ocials, school

vice-principals, and experienced classroom teachers. Te inclusive educationresponsibilities they took on when joining the project were in addition to theirdaily work.

Te main tasks o these key teachers included:

n Developing Inclusive Education Plans or the schools or districts undertheir responsibility. Usually, these plans are developed at the beginning o

the school year, and cover two semesters with monthly activities in eachsemester. Te plan should be the result o discussions between key teachersand school leaders about students with disabilities in the area and thecapacity building needs o the classroom teachers.

n Making regular monitoring trips to schools. Each key teacher is required tomake one monitoring trip per week, visiting a dierent school each week.Tus, a key teacher with our schools would visit each school once per month.During these trips, key teachers observe lessons then give comments and

recommendations to classroom teachers. A monitoring report is produced aereach visit which is sent aerwards to the district education department andCRS together with other related documents to help CRS ollow up on urthercapacity building needs.

n Facilitating thematic workshops or classroom teachers to gain knowledgeand share teaching experiences.


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Teacher encourages disabled child to join a singing activity

Encouraging Key Teachers: Non-Financial IncentivesIn Vietnam, teachers who work in specialized schools or children with disabilitiesreceive an extra 70% o their salary. However, there are no nancial incentives orteachers who work with students with disabilities in regular schools and key teachersare no exception. It is the governments policy that inclusive education shouldbecome part o the regular education system, not a special service that requires extraincentives or teachers to do the job. Tis poses a challenge as it can be dicult tomotivate regular classroom teachers to take on additional tasks. Acknowledging

the diculties that key teachers ace when taking on inclusive education tasks, theproject in Vietnam provides a very small travel allowance or each monitoring trip.Another strategy is to provide creative ways to reward key teachers or their timeand eort. Sometimes schools show their gratitude by giving special (non-nancial)awards to key teachers, such as a certicate o recognition or their commitment. Inaddition, becoming a successul key teacher is looked upon avorably by educationalauthorities and can lead to promotion.


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5.2 Capacity Building for Key Teachers

Most o the initial training courses or key teachers in Vietnam, such as the networkdescribed above in Quang Nam, are conducted by lecturers and trainers rom national-level colleges and universities. In order to build capacity, all key teachers receive

training in three areas: awareness raising, thematic issues, and the coaching process.Each type o training is described below.

Awareness Raising

For awareness raising training, key teachers are provided background inormationand general knowledge about inclusive education and disability issues. Expectedoutcomes include:

Knowledge Skills

n Different approaches for educating n Advocacy skills to promote thechildren with disabilities, such as inclusion of children with disabilitiesinclusive education and special

n Communication skills to mobilizeeducation, to highlight the needs out-of-school children to attendof children with disabilities and the schoolbenets of inclusion

n Assessment skills to monitor childrensn

Rights, abilities and potential of

performance and progresschildren with disabilities

n Theories, rationales and current trendsof inclusive education

n Disability related issues such as: thedenition and identication of majordisability types, the general impact ofdisabilities on physical and intellectualdevelopment of a child, disability laws

and rights of people with disabilities(including the right to education)

n Necessary support for the inclusion ofchildren with disabilities at schools andin communities


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Thematic Issues

hematic training on speciic types o disabilities should be provided to keyteachers ater the general awareness raising training. Ideally, key teachers shouldlearn about all major types o disabilities so that they can assist teachers in schools

where there are children with a variety o disabilities. In reality, however, it canbe diicult to mobilize all key teachers to attend all thematic trainings due tobudgetary constraints and busy work schedules. A practical solution is that keyteachers choose one particular disability so that they become the resource personor their chosen area o ocus. For example, within CRS Inclusion o Vietnamesewith Disabilities project, ater the awareness raising training, key teachers wereasked to choose their area o specialization. heir decision was based on variousactors: the prevalence o a particular disability in their schools, the lack ospecialists or a certain disability in their region, or personal interest.

For thematic training, expected outcomes include:

Knowledge Skills

n Needs and abilities of students with n Assess abilities and identify needsspecic disabilities of children with disabilities

n Different teaching methods to support n Develop lesson plans withstudents with specic disabilities specic objectives for children

n How to plan a lesson to include children with disabilities

with disabilities n Choose and deliver appropriate

n How to create Individual Education Plans teaching methods to helpchildren with disabilities achieve

n Strategies to assess progress of children learning objectiveswith disabilities

n Write Individual Education Plans

The Coaching ProcessTe third and nal aspect o training is the coaching process. Tis component o thetraining was provided in response to an expressed need by key teachers themselves.Key teachers receive training as coaches in order to successully support andmentor classroom teachers. o be an eective mentor, a key teacher must possessgood counseling and interpersonal skills. For these types o skills, learning is bestimparted through practical hands-on sessions.


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To be an effective

mentor, a key teacher

must possess good

counseling and

interpersonal skills.

Te coaching process or key teachers can bedescribed in several steps:

Step 1: Key teacher and inclusive education

expert observe lessons by classroom teachers

In this initial step, the key teacher and an inclusiveeducation expert observe an inclusive lesson taughtby a classroom teacher. Tese experts are hired by theproject to provide training or key teachers. Expertsare usually rom national universities or colleges oeducation with which CRS collaborates.

Step 2: Key teacher observes the coaching process demonstrated by the expert

Aer the lesson, the expert coaches the classroom teacher, discussing the lesson plan

and appropriateness o the teaching methods used. In addition, the expert helpsthe classroom teacher to evaluate the students with disabilities using the IndividualEducation Plan. Te key teacher observes the entire process: the lesson and theinteraction between the expert and the classroom teacher.

Step 3: Key teacher observes classroom teacher and practices coaching skills

Applying what was learned rom observing the expert in Step 2, the key teacherobserves a lesson delivered by a classroom teacher. Te key teacher then oers similarcoaching and advice based on the model provided by the expert. Te key teachercontinues this process o observation and coaching over a period o one or twomonths, allowing the key teacher to conduct several working sessions with the sameclassroom teachers and students. Tis way, both key and classroom teachers can assessstudents progress together and evaluate the eectiveness o teaching methods usedor adjustments made. Te expert observes the key teachers coaching and provideseedback, pointing out strengths and areas or improvement.

Step 4: Key teachers and classroom teachers discuss learning

Aer key teachers and classroom teachers have worked together on several occasions,a workshop is organized or all participants (key and classroom teachers) within aspecic district to share their experiences, identiy common problems, and brainstormpotential solutions. Tis is a orum or key teachers to refect on what they havelearned and to modiy approaches i necessary. Te coaching process allows keyteachers and classroom teachers to be active learners and to have a voice in the type otraining they receive.


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Capacity Building for Key Teachers in Vietnam

Ater conducting a needs assessment, CRS Inclusion o Vietnamese withDisabilities project provided provincial and district key teachers with the

ollowing training courses:n raining to raise awareness o inclusive education

n raining on identication and classication o disability types

n raining on inclusive education or children with learning diculties,children with hearing impairment, children with vision impairment, andchildren with speech disorders

n raining on sign language

n raining on Individual Education Plans, monitoring and counseling

Key teachers reported remarkable improvements in implementing inclusiveeducation as a result o the knowledge gained rom the above training courses.However, they still lacked necessary skills to deliver what they learned romtraining courses to classroom teachers in dierent contexts. Based on the resultso the needs assessment, the project designed a coaching process model to providekey teachers with hands-on experience to support classroom teachers. o prepareor the coaching process, the project coordinated with district education bureaus

to select specic cases o children with disabilities at two levels (preschool andprimary) with dierent disability types to pilot this coaching process. Documentsrelated to these children, such as Individual Education Plans, lesson plans, andmonitoring reports by key teachers were sent in advance to expert trainersbeore the coaching process started. From these documents, trainers were able topinpoint both strengths and areas or improvement in the key teachers work.

A thematic workshop was organized or each type o disability, in which experttrainers worked with classroom teachers aer observing a lesson delivered by

the classroom teacher in an inclusive class. Key teachers observed this process,watching how expert trainers worked with classroom teachers. Aer observingthe expert trainers, key teachers worked directly with classroom teachers over aperiod o two months to monitor both the students progress and the teachersinterventions. Aer this period, another workshop was organized at the districtlevel or key teachers and classroom teachers to share and exchange experiencesand ideas.


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Teacher supports a student with hearing impairment to join group work

5.3 Using Observation and Reection as Critical Tools for In-Service

Capacity Building

In countries where inclusive education curriculum has not yet become a part oteacher training programs, on-the-job training is essential or human resource

development. Key teachers need to be able to transer knowledge to classroomteachers as well as provide on-site observation and support. During thematictraining sessions and coaching sessions, it is important to emphasize tools such aslesson observation and critical relection so that key teachers become comortableusing these tools with classroom teachers. Observations are a critical componento what key teachers do, and relecting on the eedback o experts will help keyteachers to improve their own perormance, and thereore the perormance oclassroom teachers as well.


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Teachers in

inclusive classes must

be adept at adjusting

lessons so that children

with special needs can

participate.

5.4 Monitoring Teachers Learning

and Progress

One o the main responsibilities o key teachersis monitoring the implementation o inclusive

education by classroom teachers. Key teachers mustpay special attention to the ollowing:

n Tailoring content and teaching methods to suit

students with special needs. eachers in inclusiveclasses must be adept at adjusting lessons so thatchildren with special needs can participate. Teteacher must set out specic objectives or each

child according to his/her abilities and needs. Tis is a delicate process, since

adjusting a learning objective too high or too low can hinder learning, andhence inclusion into the class. Key teachers assess this mostly throughclassroom observation.

n Ensuring the quality o Individual Education Plans. Classroom teachers areresponsible or developing and keeping education plans o children withdisabilities in their classes up to date. Key teachers check the Individual EducationPlans to see i appropriate objectives have been entered and to check the progresso the children. In addition, key teachers speak with and observe individualchildren to veriy that the contents o the plans are appropriate and accurate.

Tough on-site observations are the primary means o monitoring and mentoringclassroom teachers, assessments can also be done through thematic workshops.Facilitated by key teachers, these workshops provide classroom teachers in a speciclocale a orum or sharing challenges and nding solutions related to a specicdisability. Tis kind o sharing also allows key teachers to assess the major challengesaced by classroom teachers and how to strategically plan or urther mentoring.

6. Inclusive Education as

Systemic ChangeInclusive education is a child-ocused approach to

inclusion

requires reforms

and innovations at

different levels of the

education system.

education that takes into account childrens abilities,potential and diverse needs. Tis approach to educationcalls or teachers to develop creative strategies thatcater to the needs o their students. Because it is aholistic approach to teaching and learning, inclusionrequires reorms and innovations at dierent levels o


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the education system. From planning lessons andobjectives to dierentiating activities that cater todiverse needs, inclusive education supports childrenin their school environment. It involves accurateassessments o children and the creation o riendlyand collaborative environments or all children. Asmentioned previously, inclusive education not onlyimproves learning opportunities or children withdisabilities, it also contributes to the acilitationo educational reorm or better quality teaching,learning and management. Collaborative learningand task dierentiation are two important aspects oinclusive education that should be considered as key

tools or achieving educational quality or all children. Mother of child with disability happilybrings her child to school everydayHowever, in order or inclusion to be both successul

and sustainable, it must be addressed at all levels o thesystem, rom education ministries to local teachers.

6.1 Educational Management and School Initiatives

Te success o inclusive education will be limited i investment is only in classroomteachers. It is important to involve school leadership rom the beginning so that theyunderstand the basic concepts o inclusive education and give its implementation theirull support. School principals and other management sta should be trained in inclusiveeducation principles and techniques so that they are qualied to develop inclusiveeducation strategies at their schools, and lend support to teachers. School principals havethe authority to call regular meetings on the topic and to encourage learning amongthe teaching sta. However, i they have no background in inclusive techniques andphilosophy they could prevent rather than promote successul inclusion.

6.2 Role of Ministries in Curriculum Development and Policy Change

For any countries where policies on inclusive education are new, or have not yet beenully developed, it is very important to involve educational authorities at the highestlevel. In most countries this would mean the national Ministry o Education. Tere area number o ways to involve these ocials in inclusive education. CRS Vietnam hashad success with the ollowing strategies:

n Providing key policy makers and sta exposure to successul programs andinvolving them in dialogue with both international and national proessionalsand experts on inclusive education.


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n Involving key Ministry o Education sta in direct activities such as curriculumdevelopment and teacher training.

n Increasing the role o policy makers in piloted programs by development agenciessuch as CRS. Tis enhances the ownership o the Ministry in acilitating the

implementation o inclusive programs and strategies in the long run.n Exposing ocials to inclusive programs in other countries through study

tours to observe successul inclusive teacher training models and to promoteinteraction with international peers.

CRS Vietnam has ound that part o its success in inclusive education is due tostrong collaboration with the Ministry o Education and raining. Policies on humanresource development or inclusive education as well as curriculum developmentshould be acilitated by the Ministry with technical support rom CRS.

7. Applying Lessons Learned: Inclusive Education in Laos

Having supported education in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR orLaos) or more than ten years with support rom the CRS Vietnam oce, CRS setup an oce in Laos in 2006 and began a project on inclusive education. Funded byUSAID and CRS, the Strengthening Community and School Support or Children withDisabilities in Lao PDR project builds on the experiences and lessons learned romthe Vietnam inclusive education program while adapting to t the Lao context. Tis

demonstrates that quality programming can have an impact beyond the geographicarea in which it is implemented.

Te project in Laos can be divided into three main components:

1. Developing institutional capacity to implement inclusive education in Laos.Developing capacity within the Ministry o Education, Provincial and DistrictEducation Oces and the National Rehabilitation Center.

2. Training and supporting school staf and managers. Improving the skills o

teachers and school principals to implement inclusive education at school andcommunity levels.

3. Working with communities. Strengthening the capacity o communities tosupport children with special needs, both in and out o school.

CRS Lao PDR has trained every teacher in all 132 primary schools in project locationsin three provinces. Te project benets more than 200 children with disabilities and15,000 students overall.


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Preparing

teachers with essential

knowledge and

skills for inclusive

educationrequires

the commitment of

all actors.

8. Summary

Te success o inclusive education in any contextdepends upon many actors. eachers themselvesare an essential component to ensure the quality

o students inclusion in the school environment.eachers have direct interaction with students and playa critical role in determining students experiences inthe classroom on a daily basis. Special attention mustbe paid to ensure that classroom teachers have theskills and support needed to provide quality educationto children with diverse learning needs. Tis requiresthe collaboration o classroom teachers, key teachers,school principals, education ocers and policy makers.

Preparing teachers with essential knowledge and skills or inclusive education alsorequires the commitment o all actors. When desired policies are not yet in place ina country, these actors should explore dierent and alternative approaches to achievethe ultimate goal o providing quality education or all children. Preparing teachersdoes not simply mean providing prospective teachers with inclusive education skills;it is important to provide training and support or existing teachers as well. Buildingthe capacity or inclusive education must include awareness raising activities as well asintegrated pre-service and in-service teacher training programs to ensure that teachers

are aware, ready and willing to bring inclusive education into action.

CRS Vietnam has had over ten years experience working with inclusive education andhas improved access to education or many children and amilies. Troughout thisprocess, CRS Vietnam has learned valuable lessons that can be helpul when supportinginclusion in other country contexts. Our hope is that this guide has provided useulinormation on how to develop human resources to help schools create environmentsthat are accessible to all children. While CRS Vietnam has experienced many successes inthe eld o inclusive education, there is still much work to be done. CRS will continue to

push or change at the policy and local levels to ensure that all children have access to aquality education.


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Acknowledgments

CRS Vietnam wishes to thank the ollowing people or their direct and indirectsupport o this guide:

Dinh Ti Nguyet, Inclusive Education Program Manager and Le Tu Ha, CRS Vietnamormer Education Program Ocer, authors o this guide

Devon Dunsmore, ormer Social Work Advisor, CRS Vietnam or rst editing o this guide

Nguyen Hong Giang, CRS Vietnam or administrative support

Proessor Chris Forlin, inclusive teacher education consultant, Head o Department oSpecial Education & Counseling, Hong Kong Institute o Education

Dr. Le Van ac, special and inclusive education specialist, Vietnam National Instituteo Educational Sciences

Andrew Wells Dang, ormer Chie o Party, Inclusion o Vietnamese with Disabilitiesproject and ormer CRS Vietnam Representative


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