• University of Glasgow

The Right to Education: Breaking Down the Barriers

How can we support those who are marginalised and excluded from education? Does education for all, mean all?

21,824 enrolled on this course

Inclusive education: a diverse group of children lie on grass completing school work
  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

Does Education for All, mean all? What are the barriers to participating in education? How do you include “all” in the classroom?

Over the next three weeks we will be exploring some answers to these and other questions with you. This is very timely as a new global universal sustainable development goal (SDG) has just been set. SDG 4 urges us to “Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning”.

Ensuring inclusion and equity in education

We will examine issues related to inclusion and equity in education, and think about how we can support the learning of those who are marginalised and excluded.

During the course, you will meet key individuals who work “on the ground” with young people who are or have been marginalised and excluded from their right to education. You will also meet academics involved in teacher education.

Together, we will reflect on the conundrum of why some young people are still marginalised and excluded from learning, thus requiring us to “break down the barriers,” so that they can participate in education.

Strengthening capacity within and through teachers and teacher education will in turn strengthen a country’s capacity to build an inclusive learning environment, so we will also look to the future and consider how educators can provide learning experiences that take account of all learners.

Breaking down the barriers to education

There will be plenty of opportunities for you to share your experiences, so we can learn from each other. By the end of the course you will be able to:

  1. Understand the international legislation relating to Education for All, children’s rights, inclusion and disability;
  2. Identify and discuss the barriers faced by groups of learners that are disenfranchised from educational opportunities;
  3. Describe different ways of breaking down the barriers that exist for some groups of learners;
  4. Discuss the complexity of inclusive education and understand why issues of social justice and equity along with attitudes and understanding are critical to the achievement of inclusive practices for learners.

You can follow the team behind this course on Twitter - @UofGInclusiveEd.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds In spite of great efforts between 2000 and 2015, we have not achieved education for all. It was a tall order. And advances were made. But there are still too many children and young people not in either formal or informal education. Together, we are going to spend the next three weeks looking at ideas around inclusion, equity, and participation in education. Hi. My name is Dr. Margaret Sutherland, and I work here in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. So, what can we do? What should we do? What needs to change if we are to meet the sustainable development goal where we are to ensure inclusive, quality, equitable, education and lifelong learning for all by 2030?

Skip to 0 minutes and 59 seconds Through activities, readings, videos, we’re going to think about how we might try to meet that goal. We’ve also included the voices of people, teachers, students, academics, who have experienced barriers to education or who have worked with young people who’ve experienced barriers. There are many reasons why young people will have barriers to education. And perhaps more than ever, we need to think about how we meet their needs, how we ensure that we are including them and valuing them in our education systems.

Skip to 1 minute and 32 seconds This free online course won’t answer all of these questions, but it will help us to think through what the issues are, and to think how we might make our education systems more inclusive, equitable, and of high quality, ensuring lifelong learning for all by 2030. I’m really looking forward to welcoming you to this course and to learning with you and from you as we progress through the weeks

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

There are no prior requirements to join this course

What do people say about this course?

"My sincere thanks fellow on-line learners and to the staff at the Unversity of Glasgow for a well focussed and enjoyable learning experience. I have found this course to be personally and professionally rewarding. I intend to keep in touch. "

"Thank you for providing this course. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the articles, watching the videos and taking part in discussion with people from all over the globe. It has been thought provoking and informative."

Who will you learn with?

I am a senior lecturer in inclusive education. I have 36 years teaching and research experience in schools, behaviour support and latterly in higher education.

Who developed the course?

The University of Glasgow

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities.

  • Established

    1451
  • Location

    Glasgow, Scotland, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 70Source: QS World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

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