Teachers’ Readiness to Work in Inclusive Education

Abstract

We are witnessing changes in education aimed at popularising the education of students in the inclusive education system. This process is ongoing across Europe and is irreversible. Inclusive education has already become a reality in some schools yet in others it is rather a far-fetched idea. The aim of the article is to characterize the process of developing readiness of teachers to work in the inclusive education system in the light of changes in education over the past decade.

The article will present the image, profile of an ideal teacher of inclusive education taking into account his personality traits, predisposition to the profession, then qualifications and competences, and finally practical skills. In the second part, the author will present an excerpt from a co-author’s research conducted in 2019 on more than 700 teachers of different types of schools and levels of education in comparison with other Polish and international studies related to teachers. The research pertains to teachers' opinions on inclusive education and the difficulties and needs they experience on the way to effective inclusion. The summary will outline the directions of changes and good practices in preparing teachers for competent and effective work in the inclusive education.