On the issue of teacher’s preparedness to inclusive education

The article reviews one of actual and debatable problems in modern education – inclusive education of children with special educational needs. Timeliness and relevance of the study at the moment of writing the scientific article has been justified. The purpose of the study is to reveal the separate issues of potential readiness of teachers of institutions of general secondary education of Chernihiv region for the introduction of inclusive education. Analysis was conducted for achievements of scientists, who studied different aspects of teachers’ readiness for professional activity and forming the professional competence within the inclusive education. Potential professional readiness of teachers at general secondary educational institutions was demonstrated via two main indicators: professional readiness and psychological readiness. It was found that level of emotional perception is higher than level of theoretical readiness to include children with special needs in educational process – not to mention the practical experience of work with such categories of students. The emphasis is on avoiding the risks during introduction of inclusive education in Ukraine (formal inclusion, «strong-willed inclination», «spontaneous», uncontrolled inclusion). Analysis was conducted for results of studying the teachers at general secondary educational institutions of Chernihiv region. Recommendations were provided on training and retraining of teachers at general secondary educational institutions – for their adequate preparation within realities of Ukrainian school. This is development and implementation of training discipline for students of higher pedagogical education, as part of their work with children having special educational needs. It also includes advanced training courses for teachers, regarding the peculiarities of work with children having special educational needs – within the framework of inclusive education.