Conference Agenda

Inclusive education requires schools to respond to student diversity and to create conditions that foster meaningful learning and social participation for all. Collaboration among teachers and other members of the educational community is increasingly recognized as a key lever for achieving this goal (UNESCO, 2020). This symposium brings together four research contributions that examine collaborative educational practices from different perspectives and explore their potential and challenges in promoting inclusive education, following a progression from macro- to micro-level analyses.

The first contribution investigates Learning Communities in Portugal. A key dimension of Learning Communities is that members of the educational community are willing to collaborate with each other and to develop egalitarian interactions with a view to promoting the success of all students (Flecha, 2009). However, developing collaborative processes is not an easy process. Drawing on large-scale quantitative and qualitative data, the goal of this communication is to explore the practices, potentials and challenges for developing collaboration processes. Results will be discussed in light of ways of organizing the schools and conditions that favour willingness to engage in egalitarian interactions with each other and in joint reflection and learning individual.

The second contribution focuses on team teaching as a goal-oriented form of collaboration (Baeten & Simons, 2014), synthesizing findings from the large-scale ESTAFETT research project in Flanders (Belgium). Results indicate that teachers perceive team teaching as more effective than individual teaching, particularly regarding differentiation and activating teaching methods. Team teaching is also associated with strong practices in creating a safe and stimulating learning environment, classroom management, and clarity of instruction. Considerable variation is observed within teams, especially for more complex dimensions of effective teaching behavior. From the students’ perspective, team teaching offers increased support and a greater variety of explanations, with small positive effects on academic achievement and students’ feeling of competence. These outcomes underscore the importance of clear goals, thoughtful role distribution, and strong school-level support for successful implementation.

The third contribution examines co-teaching from the students’ perspective, a relatively underexplored dimension. Based on semi-structured interviews with primary and secondary school students in Spain, the study explores how students perceive co-teaching practices, the tensions they experience, and their preferences regarding different forms of support. Students value co-teaching for increased availability of help and diverse explanations but report tensions related to classroom climate, monitoring, and supervision. In particular, an excessive emphasis on discipline and control is perceived as conflicting with core principles of inclusive education, such as respect for diversity and the shared construction of norms (Wagner et al., 2024).

The final contribution adopts a micro-level didactic perspective on co-teaching between general and special education teachers in French primary schools. Using video-based analysis and interviews, the study explores how interactions between the main didactic system of the regular classroom and an auxiliary system led by the special education teacher shape students’ access to knowledge. While shared techniques across systems can enhance didactic accessibility, insufficient coordination and partial mastery of techniques may also create barriers to learning, highlighting the complexity of co-teaching practices (Toullec-Théry, 2019).

The four contributions highlight collaboration as a powerful yet complex condition for inclusive education. Collaborative approaches such as Learning Communities, team teaching, and co-teaching can improve teaching quality, student engagement, and access to learning, but their effectiveness depends on supportive school structures, shared professional expertise, and commitment to egalitarian interaction, joint reflection, and continuous professional learning. By advancing the global discourse on how educational research and practices can address contemporary challenges, such as fostering inclusive education, this symposium aims to provide insights to guide future research and practice in an evolving educational landscape.

Inclusive education aims to address the diverse needs of the students in order to create conditions for their engagement in meaningful learning experiences and in rich social relationships. Learning communities have been identified for their potential to promoting it (Flecha, 2009). Learning Communities are based on the idea that the diverse members of the educational community have distinct knowledge and life experiences that are valid and can be mobilized for promoting learning and social cohesion. Accordingly, these schools actively seek to create conditions for involving students, teachers and non-teacher adults (e.g., family) in dialogic processes (Morlà-Folch et al., 2022). A key dimension of Learning Communities is that members of the educational community are willing to collaborate with each other and to develop egalitarian interactions, with a view to promoting the success of all students (Flecha, 2020). However, literature shows that developing collaborative processes in schools and with the educational community is not an easy process. Thus, the goal of this communication is to explore the potential of Learning Communities for developing collaboration processes as well as the challenges associated with it. The study focusses on schools working as Learning Communities and the analysis is based on data collected within the LC4Inclusion Project (Tinoca & Caetano, 2025), which involved an extensive study with 637 students and 154 teachers, and eight case studies involving students, teachers, non-teacher volunteers and principals. Participants reported students’ enjoyment with new ways of organizing classroom and learning processes and improved engagement with learning and academic performance; some teachers also mentioned the importance of a sense of community for promoting shared reflection and learning. Alongside the benefits, two main difficulties were noted. Some teachers showed resistance to open up their classrooms to the community and many do not recognize collaboration as a key dimension of inclusive education. In addition, family participation in classrooms’ action was often reduced (Freire et al., 2025). Results will be discussed in light of ways of organizing schools to foster collaborative processes and conditions that favour individual willingness to engage in egalitarian interactions with each other, as well as on joint reflection and learning.

Flecha, R. G. (2009). Cambio, inclusión y calidad en las comunidades de aprendizaje. Cultura y Educación, 21(2), 157–169. Flecha, R. (2020). Exploring the impact of interactive groups. In N. Mercer, R. Wegerif & L. Major (eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Research on Dialogic Education (pp. 660-671). Routledge. Freire, S., Sousa, O. & Mogarro, M. J. (2025). Comunidades de Aprendizagem como caminho para a educação inclusiva. In L. Tinoca & A. P. Caetano (Coords), Comunidades de Aprendizagem para a Inclusão Educativa (pp. 206-221). IEULisboa. Morlà-Folch, T., Renta, A., Parós, M. & Valls-Carol, R. (2022). A research synthesis of the impacts of successful educational actions on student outcomes. Educational Research Review, 37, 100482. Tinoca, L. & Caetano, A. P. (2025), Comunidades de Aprendizagem para a Inclusão Educativa. IEULisboa.

This contribution consolidates insights from the large-scale research project 'ESTAFETT', funded by the Research Foundation Flanders, on the effects of team teaching on both teachers and students. We focus on the relationship between team teaching, effective teaching behavior, and student outcomes. Team teaching refers to a practice where two or more teachers collaborate to a certain extent and share responsibility in the preparation, execution, and evaluation of a lesson or series of lessons (Baeten & Simons, 2014). In the project, various research methods were combined in four studies: a large questionnaire survey (with 479 respondents who are team teaching) (S1), multiple case studies with video observations (involving 27 teachers from 12 team teaching teams) (S2), an experimental study (with 267 students and 16 teachers participating) (S3), and an intervention study (with 16 starting team teaching teams) (S4). Teachers report more effective teaching with team teaching than with individual teaching, especially in differentiation and activating teaching methods, but the perceived added value depends on the education level (S1, S4). Next, we observed a significant amount of effective teaching behavior regarding creating a safe and stimulating learning environment, classroom management, and clear instructions. However, there is considerable variation within teams on more complex dimensions (S2, S4). Patterns of growth, stagnation, regression, fluctuation, or struggle are observed throughout the school year, particularly for the more complex dimensions of effective teaching behavior (S4) (Decuyper et al., 2024; De Weerdt et al., 2024; Mariën et al., 2023). Students see as main advantages increased support (S3, S4) and the variety of explanations (S4). We also observe slightly positive effects on academic outcomes (S4): students in team teaching settings achieve slightly better results than those taught by individual teachers, especially with fewer students per teacher. Additionally, team teaching has a positive effect on students' feelings of competence but does not significantly impact other non-cognitive outcomes (autonomy, belonging, and engagement) (S4) (De Weerdt et al., 2024). To conclude, team teaching can be considered as a goal-oriented form of collaboration that promotes quality education for all students. It provides opportunities to enhance teachers' effective teaching behavior, provided that a variety of models, roles, and grouping forms are employed, aligned with the goals and needs of both students and teachers. The school is responsible for ensuring the conditions necessary for a successful implementation: a clear vision on the goals of team teaching, school-wide support, regular consultation meetings, and practical conditions.

Baeten, M., & Simons, M. (2014). Student teachers’ team teaching: Models, effects, and conditions for implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 41, 92–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.03.010 Decuyper, A., Mariën, D., Simons, M., Vanblaere, B., Tack, H., De Weerdt, D., Meirsschaut, M., Vanderlinde, R., & Struyf, E. (2024). Teamteaching in Vlaanderen: De implementatie, beweegredenen en effecten voor leerlingen. (Team teaching in Flanders: Implementation, motivations, and effects on students.) Tijdschrift Voor Onderwijsrecht En Onderwijsbeleid. 2024-2025(1-2). 79-91. De Weerdt, D., Simons, M., & Struyf, E. (2024). Teachers’ attitudes toward team teaching explained by teachers’ self-efficacy, perceived collaboration, and team similarity. Social Psychology of Education, 27, 2479–2502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09916-0 Mariën, D., Vanderlinde, R., & Struyf, E. (2023). Teaching in a shared classroom: Unveiling the effective teaching behavior of beginning team teaching teams using a qualitative approach. Education Sciences, 13(11), 1075. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13111075

Co-teaching has become one of the most widely implemented pedagogical strategies for promoting students inclusion (Fluijt et al., 2016). Despite the growing body of research, relatively few studies have focused explicitly on students’ own perceptions of this practice (Johnson & King-Sears, 2020). Incorporating student voice is essential, as it provides valuable information for improving co-teaching, strengthens student participation, and fosters reflection on learning processes (Wagner et al., 2024). Previous studies show that students, particularly those with educational needs, tend to value co-teaching positively, highlighting the opportunity to receive diverse explanations and access immediate support in mainstream classrooms (Connor & Cavendish, 2020; Wagner et al., 2024). In Spain, empirical evidence remains limited. Although Olmos et al. (2018) reported positive student assessments of co-teaching in secondary education, further research is needed to explore classroom dynamics, tensions, and opportunities. The aim of this study was to examine Spanish students’ perceptions of co-teaching in order to identify factors that facilitate or constrain its implementation and inform improvements adapted to classroom realities. Eighty semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary and secondary students from different Spanish schools. Data analysis followed the stages of transcription, coding, categorization, analysis of relationships between categories and interpretive analysis, supported by Atlas.ti 25 software. Two main analytical categories emerged: descriptions of co-teaching practices and student preferences. Findings were organized into three blocks. First, students commonly described a model in which one teacher assumes primary responsibility for whole-class instruction, while the second teacher provides targeted support to students requiring individualized assistance. Second, students identified tensions associated with the presence of two teachers, particularly regarding classroom climate and supervision. Increased monitoring was sometimes perceived as restrictive; however, students also recognized that it contributed to a calmer and more focused learning environment. Third, students’ evaluations and preferences differed depending on whether they received educational support. Those receiving support expressed positive attitudes toward co-teaching but often preferred receiving this support outside the classroom to enhance concentration. Students who did not receive support viewed the presence of two teachers as beneficial for peers with greater educational needs. Overall, the findings suggest that students perceive co-teaching as having strong potential to advance inclusive educational responses adapted to classroom diversity (Shogren et al., 2015; Wagner et al., 2024). From an inclusive perspective, an excessive emphasis on discipline understood as constant surveillance may conflict with principles of participation, recognition of diversity, and shared construction of norms.

Connor, D.J., & Cavendish, W. (2020). ‘Sit in my seat’: perspectives of students with learning disabilities about teacher effectiveness in high school inclusive classroom. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(3), 288-309. https:/doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1459888 Fluijt, D., Bakker, C., & Struyf, E. (2016). Team-reflection: the missing link in co-teaching teams. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 31(2), 187–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2015.1125690 Johnson T. M., & King-Sears M. E. (2020). Eliciting students’ perspectives about their co-teaching experiences. Intervention in School and Clinic, 56(1), 51–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451220910732 Olmos Rueda, P., Sanahuja Gavaldà, J., & Mas Torelló, O. (2018). El alumnado de educación secundaria obligatoria ante la inclusión educativa y la docencia compartida. REOP - Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 29(3), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.5944/reop.vol.29.num.3.2018.23318 Shogren, K.A., Gross, J.M.S., Forber-Pratt, A.J., Francis, G.L., Satter, A.L., Blue-Banning, M., & Hill, C. (2015). The Perspectives of Students With and Without Disabilities on Inclusive Schools. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 40(4) 243 –260. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796915583493 Wagner, M., Cosand, K., Zagona, A.L. & Malone, B. (2024). Student's perception of instruction in co-teaching classrooms: A systematic literature review and thematic analysis. Excepcional children, 90(3), 313-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029231220303

According to Tremblay (2012), co-teaching refers to the joint pedagogical work conducted by two or more teachers within the same space and at the same time. It has increasingly been described in the literature as a pedagogical approach with the potential to foster inclusive practices in schools, such as facilitating students’ access to learning (Toullec-Théry, 2019). This paper presents the analysis of two co-teaching sessions conducted by two general primary school teachers and two special education teachers from networks of specialized support for students with learning difficulties (known in French as RASED). The study was guided by the following research question: In these co-teaching sessions, what factors support or hinder didactic accessibility—understood as the set of conditions (resources, support, etc.) that enable students to engage with the knowledge being taught (Assude et al., 2014)? The co-teaching sessions were recorded using a multi-source video system capturing teacher–student interactions from multiple perspectives, following methods employed in previous didactic research (Dupré, 2020). The study also included pre- and post-session interviews, along with self- and cross-analyzed interviews with both teachers. The analysis is grounded in the French Anthropological Theory of Didactics (Chevallard, 1999), drawing in particular on the concepts of the main didactic system—the regular classroom—and the auxiliary system, led by the special education teacher within the same classroom to support students with learning difficulties. This presentation focuses on the mesogenetic articulation between these two systems, that is, on how objects of knowledge are introduced and circulated through specific content, techniques, and tools. The analysis of the two sessions yields convergent findings, revealing both facilitators and barriers to didactic accessibility. The main and auxiliary didactic systems were not fully aligned in terms of techniques. Although similar techniques were mobilized in both systems, they were not always sufficiently mastered within one system or the other. As a result, while the use of shared techniques can, in some cases, support didactic accessibility, their incomplete mastery across the two systems may also constitute a barrier. Overall, these results highlight the challenges of co-teaching, a pedagogical and collaborative approach that remains largely unexplored in French primary schools. By examining co-teaching dynamics, this presentation contributes to broader discussions on inclusive education, with particular attention to teacher collaboration and its implications for students’ access to learning.

Assude, T., Perez, J.-M., Suau, G., Tambone, J., & Vérillon, A. (2014). Accessibilité didactique et dynamique topogénétique: une étude de cas. [Didactic accessibility and topogenetic dynamics: A case study] Recherches en didactique des mathématiques, 34(1), 33–57. Chevallard, Y. (1999). L’analyse des pratiques enseignantes en théorie anthropologique du didactique [Analysis of teaching practices in the Anthropological Theory of Didactics]. Recherches en didactique des mathématiques, 19(2), 221–266. Dupré, F. (2020). Analyse didactique d’une séance de coenseignement entre un enseignant spécialisé et un enseignant régulier dans le cadre de pratiques inclusives au collège. [Didactic analysis of a co-teaching session between a special education teacher and a regular teacher in the context of inclusive practices in middle school]. Éducation et francophonie, 48(2), 158–177. https://doi.org/10.7202/1075040ar Toullec-Théry, M. (2019). Le co-enseignement modifierait-il l’articulation générique/spécifique des savoirs en jeu lors de pratiques inclusives? [Does co- teaching modify the generic/specific articulation of knowledge in use during inclusive practices?] [Paper presentation]. First international conference of the Théorie de l'Action Conjointe en Didactique (TACD). https://hal.science/hal-04198195 Tremblay, P. (2012). Inclusion scolaire: dispositifs et pratiques pédagogiques. [Inclusive schooling: Educational arrangements and pedagogical practices] De Boeck.