Support among Teachers to Advance Inclusion: Khelidôn Cooperative Learning Network

Abstract

A recent research points to the importance of collaborative professional development for innovation and improvement of educational practice. This support among teachers becomes more necessary, perhaps, in processes as complex and deep as inclusive education. It seems particularly appropriate that these collaborative processes focus on the improvement of cooperative learning as a strategy for inclusion. This article presents a collaborative support network among teachers, the Khelidôn Network, used for cooperative learning and inclusion. It reviews the theoretical references of collaboration among teachers, which serve as a reference for the Network. The cooperative learning strategy “Cooperate to Learn / Learn to Cooperate”, is the shared reference for the inclusion of the members of the Network. The principles and spaces of the collaborative participation structure of the Network are presented. Special attention is given to the description of the tasks carried out by the 7 Khelidôn cooperative learning groups, which represent seven dimensions for promoting inclusion through cooperative learning in the educational projects of the centers.