Teachers' commitment to teach in inclusive classrooms, preparation of

Teaching in inclusive schools is complex. It requires that teachers are well prepared to create welcoming educational environments and facilitate the learning of all students irrespective of needs and abilities. A well-prepared teacher demonstrates his or her readiness to include all learners through three key aspects of ‘heart’ (i.e. the ethical and moral dimensions impinging on teaching in inclusive classrooms), ‘head’ (i.e. knowledge and skills to teach students with diverse characteristics and backgrounds), and ‘hands’ (i.e. application of inclusive pedagogy in real settings). Amongst the three key aspects of teacher preparation, the one that is given minimal attention in teacher education programs is the ‘heart’ which, however, directly impacts on the teachers’ commitment to teaching in inclusive classrooms. This article presents an overview of why it is important to enhance teacher commitment to inclusive education and how it could be achieved. It will identify the implications of not addressing this aspect amongst Initial Teacher Education (ITE) candidates as well as in-service teachers. It will also suggest practices informed by research across different country contexts that teacher educators could employ to enhance teacher commitment to implement inclusive education. The article has implications both for initial teacher education and in-service professional learning programs internationally.