Intercultural teacher training for an inclusive school: A balancing act between theory and reality in South Tyrol

Abstract

More than 40 years ago, special education schools and classes were abolished in Italy. Measures of external differentiation for students with special needs have since been taboo. They were replaced by a comprehensive school system in which the children and adolescents from kindergarten to university are enrolled in an inclusive manner. Within Italy, South Tyrol as a trilingual autonomous province is a special case. The “Finland of the South” is often cited as an example of successful (inter)cultural inclusion. The present paper focuses on the situation of South Tyrol to summarize policy developments in education and teacher training in the process from integration to full inclusion. As an example, the curricular implementation of inclusionoriented teacher education for all school levels at the Faculty of Education of the Free University of Bolzano is critically examined. Consequences of a broader understanding of inclusion are discussed.