Inclusion as a cross-curricular topic in teacher education – (inter)national insights and perspectives

This paper examines how inclusion is implemented as a cross-curricular responsibility in teacher education, moving beyond the study of formal curricular requirements to explore how inclusion is actually understood and enacted by teacher educators. Drawing on empirical cases from Brazil, Japan, Norway, and Germany, it identifies tensions between subject-specific and educational-science approaches. Particular attention is given to the way responsibility for inclusion is often assigned to individual courses, departments, or designated professorships rather than being shared across teacher education programs.

The paper highlights how institutional structures, professional beliefs, and national contexts shape teacher educators’ opportunities to develop inclusive practices. It argues that meaningful inclusion requires collaborative spaces, greater coherence across disciplines, and a shift from focusing on individual learner deficits toward identifying and addressing structural barriers to participation.

For teacher educators, the paper offers valuable opportunities for reflection: it provides perspectives on how their own institutional roles, disciplinary cultures, and practices can either support or constrain inclusion, and invites them to consider how inclusion can become a genuinely shared responsibility across teacher education.

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