Pre-service teachers experience of inclusion

Internationally, the concept of "inclusion" has been much promoted (UNESCO, 1994; Pijl, Meijer & Hegarty, 1997) and there is a growing conversation amongst educators in Australia about how best to provide for children with differing developmental abilities and needs in our care and education institutions. A major part of this debate is the training needs of teachers who will work with these children and their families. The present paper addresses some of the tensions that exist among training, divisions within the literature and practical experience by analysing pre-service teachers' assignments that were collected during a semester course on inclusive practices.