Co-teaching and inclusion in schools: opportunities and limits of a unique model for diverse contexts

Abstract

This article presents the results of an ethnographic approach carried out in six public schools in order to observe the way in which co-teaching is carried out in regular classrooms, as a fundamental part of the inclusion policy of students with Special Educational Needs. Through fragments of field notes and discussion groups, we reveal that each co-teacher pair puts inclusion into practice through multiple negotiations and subjective, creative and complex adjustments, in constant correlation with the priorities that each school establishes. This assemblage directly affects the results of school inclusion of functionaland cognitive diversity, also strained by financial and administrative factors. Finally, we propose reflections for the elaboration of public policies that respond to the diversity of contexts and actors that make up the School Integration Programs.