DEVELOPING AN INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM:

“EVERY TEACHER MATTERS”

Keith A. Humphreys

Centre for Advancement in Special Education

University of Hong Kong

The development of inclusive education practices have led to worldwide discussion of how best to deliver a more equal education opportunity for all. In Hong Kong this has led to the development of the concept of an inclusive curriculum for special schools. This paper looks at the implications of writing an inclusive curriculum that has common curriculum content for all pupils that is based on the State curriculum. Over a four year period, nine special schools for pupils of different designated disability collectively pooled their resources to work for one common curriculum goal. In doing so they discovered that the biggest challenge was to the teacher’s hearts and minds. Over 130 teachers were involved in the project. It required a significant paradigm shift in the way the teachers thought both about what they taught and how they taught. It required a common team effort within and across each school. It was apparent that providing equal opportunity to raise standards of education for the all the pupils required the recognition that every teacher had to change their way of thinking, every teacher matters.

Introduction

Four years ago, nine special schools embarked on a development program to work out an inclusive curriculum. When they met the schools were all designated with different disability responsibilities and each of them had their own separate curriculum. They decided to work to one common curriculum based on the central curriculum for all of the mainstream schools in Hong Kong. The project was coordinated by staff at the University of Hong Kong and led by a consultant from the United Kingdom. An action research approach was taken progressively focusing on the teacher’s changing understanding