Engelbrecht (2006) suggests that successful implementation of Inclusive Education policy programme is contingent upon several key factors including among others, positive teacher attitude towards and adequate teacher knowledge of Inclusion. The SMTs need to play a leading role in the implementation of Inclusive Education policy. The policy needs to be implemented in a planned manner (Van Wyk & Marumoloa, 2012). These scholars have identified three stages to effective implementation of this policy, and these stages are as follows:
The development of particular guidelines that need to be followed.
The translation of the original policy into practical measures that should involve issues like human resource provision, work procedures and organisational arrangement.
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The third stage is that of leadership that will ensure that corrective action and review may come about during implementation. This sends a message that SMTs and school governing bodies (SGB) need to have implementation details available in writing.
It is the responsibility of the SMTs to train teachers in the implementation of Inclusive Education policy (Van Wyk, 2012). The SMTs have to ensure that learners experiencing barriers to learning as a result of disabilities are welcomed in ordinary schools environments, provided with necessary support to achieve their full potential (Thurlow & Elliot, 2006). The SMTs should establish the nature and extent of support needed by the learner (Tshifura, 2012). The following are some of examples that the SMTs could modify or change to meet different kinds of support that individual learners may require (Department of Education, 2005). The SMTs are expected to ensure that modified access to building, for example, ramps, adapted toilets and a speaker system where applicable are available. They also have to ensure that applicable assistive devices such as braille, hearing aids, tape recorders, wheelchairs and standing frames are available in the schools and lastly, that learner-based and learner paced teaching are adopted in their respective schools.
Watkinson (2003) has highlighted the problem that inclusive teams face, and that includes the need for additional classroom; personnel because learners with diverse educational needs learn at different speeds and in different ways. With this in mind, the SMTs should encourage teachers to provide useful and enjoyable tasks instead of setting predetermined goals to be met by the end of the term (Foskett & Lumby, 2003). It is important that learners should not be bored and teachers need to acknowledge that learners with disabilities are like all other learners regardless of family background, ethnics groups and other socio-economic factors (Stakes & Hornby, 2000). Very often, teachers may be working with learners who might speak a different language or might not be literate in their first language who might or might not have been exposed to written language and who might or might not have been in an educational setting before (Tshifura, 2012). To deal with all these dynamics require highly skilled teaching team, and that is why the issue of training is of importance.
Teaching inclusive classes requires ongoing evaluation and problem-solving. This requires teachers to collaborate to design units of instruction and daily lessons that are suitable for learners with wide range of interests and learning styles (Janney & Snell, 2000). Armstrong,
43 Armstrong and Spandagou (2010) emphasise that educators in the mainstream are required to modify their teaching strategies and to tackle the diverse needs of learners, whereas Rose and Howley (2007) underline the need for dedicated teachers to empower and equip themselves professionally so that they could deliver quality education. On such situations, it is the responsibility of the SMTs to ensure that the activity-based lesson is designed to provide instruction or practice within the context of an authentic, hand -on activity. This approach stands in contrast with lessons that use lectures, worksheets and other more passive instructional formats to teach an isolated skill or concept (Thurlow & Elliot, 2006).
Walther-Thomas, Korinek, McLaughlin and Williams (2000) argue that appropriate and effective inclusion demands adequate resources. The SMTs needed to work closely with teachers and specialists to cultivate inclusive communities. The SMTs should recognise and appreciate the value of team-work, understand the professional development needs of all learners regardless of their differences. The SMTs should also create a classroom roster that reflects an appropriate balance of learner needs (Early & Coleman, 2005). Walther-Thomas et al (2000) emphasised the need for providing adequate resources. They further mention that appropriate and effective inclusion demands adequate resources and that assigning learners with diverse abilities to general education programmes without adequate support is not inclusion. A number of recommendations have been made which are aimed at facilitating effective policy implementation. These recommendations focus on human resources development in the form of preparatory Inclusive Training for initial pre-service teachers; in- service training for teachers and empowerment of School Management Teams.
2.11.1 Preparatory Inclusive Training for initial student teachers
The first recommendation focuses on pre-service training for teachers. Kgothule and Hay (2013) argue that teacher education during training should include relevant Inclusive Education policy knowledge and implementation skills to ensure that confident, competent, skillful and qualified teachers enter the inclusive classroom. This calls for curriculum adjustments that have to be undertaken at higher education institutions that train educators.
2.11.2 Regular workshops on inclusive classroom practices for In-service Training for teachers.
44 The second strategy shifts the focus away from pre-service training to in-service training for teachers. Kgothule and Hay (2013) argue that current teachers were real implementers of Inclusive Education policy and as such, they were to be supported and trained on continuous basis. Kalenga (2010) sees this continuous training as the way to enable schools to have strong leaders in inclusive school settings. It was advisable to utilise the three dimensions of the index for Inclusion as a starting point; namely: Creating Inclusive ecology and cultures, producing Inclusive policies and evolving Inclusive practices. This framework should, if conveyed correctly, ensure ownership of the process of Inclusive Education policy by teachers (Kgothule & Hay, 2013).
2.11.3 Empowerment of School Management Teams
Previous strategies focused on the teachers (pre-service and in-service). Such a strategy and recommendation cannot work if people who are mandated with leadership and monitoring of the policy implementation are left out. Therefore, it is argued that members of the SMT must be exposed to empowerment programmes that would build capacities to ensure effective policy implementation. In this regard, Kgothule and Hay (2013) argue that the implementation of Inclusive Education policy would most likely succeed or fail depending on the management of the process. Therefore, Kgothule and Hay (2013) argue further that the school leadership probably was the crucial management link in the bigger chain of management processes. Therefore, the SMTs need to be empowered to create inclusive cultures in their schools and will have to manage the evolving inclusive practices as efficiently as possible (Kgothule & Hay, 2013). Workshops held for the SMTs should not only emphasise theory, but practical skills as well. From the empirical research, it was clear that inadequate communication explained the gap between the perceptions of SMT members and teachers which will have to be improved (Kgothule & Hay, 2013).