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In this article, we present the first results of the project OPEN-MATH. The research project aims at acknowledging the need for learning environments with differentiation strategies for all. We developed a model for inclusive mathematics learning, based on the Theory of Objectification and a broad idea of differentiation realized through Open Learning. It poses an interdisciplinary research issue that requires the collaboration of two sub-disciplines pertaining to the area of educational studies: Inclusive Education and Mathematics Education. The results we present here are related to the dialogue between theory and practice, whose outcome is a teaching and learning model for inclusion in mathematics. The construction of the teaching and learning model moves along two complementary paths: (1) concerning the theoretical point of view, we implemented connecting theory strategies to network Open Education and the Theory of Objectification; and (2) concerning the methodological point of view, we implemented Educational Design Research. The new teaching-learning model is the result of theoretical and methodological validation in real contexts according to an interdisciplinary approach. This study shows the strengths of interdisciplinary research for the pursuit of inclusive mathematics and high standards of learning.

Former literature found that various 'different' students experience exclusion and rejection by their peers in schools. This may be linked with the attitudes that their school and classmates hold towards them. Identifying someone as 'Other' may indeed result in prejudicial attitudes which, in turn, can lead to his/her marginalisation and exclusion. From an inclusive perspective, it is thus pivotal to explore student attitudes towards the conceived different ones and how they are linked with exclusionary patterns among peers in schools. To contribute to the understanding of the link between peer attitudes, diversity and exclusion, the present paper reports on the stages of development of an instrument aimed to measure adolescents' attitudes towards otherness which combines a qualitative and a quantitative approach. Beside measuring their attitudes, the instrument also investigates students' representations and definitions of otherness. Such representations -- as emerged from the pilot study of the instrument -- will be presented here. The findings confirmed the importance of adopting a wider and non-categorical approach to otherness in the study of peer attitudes and exclusionary processes in schools.

The research described in this paper focused on the issue of describing and understanding how mathematical discussion develops in a hybrid learning environment, and how students participate in it. The experimental plan involved several classes working in parallel, with pupils and teachers interacting both in their real classrooms and in a digital environment with other pupils and teachers. The research was based on a rich set of data collected from the M@t.abel 2020 project, which was developed in Italy during the COVID health crisis. Based on Complementary Accounts Methodology, the data analysis presented in this paper involved specialists from the fields of mathematics education and inclusive education. In the study we considered the complexity of learning and the different elements that have an impact on students' activity and participation, when they are engaged in mathematical discussions within the multilevel-digital environment that emerged due to the pandemic. These parallel analyses showed that 'mathematical discussion in the classroom' is a complex (and sometimes chaotic) phenomenon wherein different factors interweave. A complementary approach assists in developing a global vision for this dynamic phenomenon and in highlighting local episodes that are crucial in this interplay of factors. It is precisely in these episodes that the role of the teacher is fundamental: these episodes appear as catalysts for the different variables, with the teacher acting as mediator.

The Italian school system has a long tradition of inclusive education, starting in the 1970s with the first experiences of integrating students with disabilities into regular schools. Since then, legislation has developed to guarantee students with disabilities and other special educational needs the right to individualization and personalization. This article presents the main developments in Italian inclusive education, documenting both positive outcomes and ongoing challenges, especially those which could be of interest for international readers. The article is structured around three relevant themes: the persistent influence of an individual-medical model of disability on school practices; support opportunities and additional resources for inclusion; and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and their role in the improvement of the quality of inclusion.

The main objective of this article is to explore and compare research data on pull-out and push-out phenomena within inclusive school systems, discussing if and how they represent a risk for inclusion. The terms pull-out and push-out refer to situations in which some groups of students in regular schools learn in settings apart from their peers. Typically, the terms push out and pull out refer to students with disabilities or other special-education needs, but the phenomenon does not refer to these groups exclusively. Italy and Norway are among the European countries that first established inclusive school systems through laws that explicitly refer to what later was to become global inclusive education ideas. Both countries have a reputation for inclusive education and a history of addressing segregation of students with disabilities. However, in both countries, recent data have shown an increase in the removal of students with disabilities and other SEN from regular classrooms. Our aim is to describe and analyse these phenomena through national statistics and data from different independent research projects. Results indicate that, contrary to intentions, special-education-school-type solutions persist along with flexible adaptations within whole-class and group settings for all children.

The research aim of the project presented in this paper is to contribute to an understanding of the meaning of push- and pull-out in inclusive school systems. We ask: How do Italian and Norwegian teachers regard the fact that it is sometimes seen as necessary for some students to spend time out of class? A vignette with short scenarios to stimulate responses was used for teacher interviews in lower secondary schools in Italy and Norway. Situations in two different contexts were designed for the vignette, including a description of some students, their class and the available resources. The main funding is that most teachers' opinions were sensitive to the context, here the way teaching and learning activities were organised. When presented for a traditional teacher-centred class situation (context 1), most of the respondents thought pull-out was a good solution for some students under certain conditions. Presented with the more differentiated and pupil-centred context 2, a clear majority found that the described learning environment would meet the educational and social needs of all learners within class, regardless of disabilities or learning challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy is famous for having the highest percentage of students with disabilities attending "the school for all" (integration). However, in recent studies, the reality of integration seems to be more complex. Integration has reached some important goals (e.g. longer school careers), but while the Italian school system envisages the full participation of all students in normal class activities, there are various problems with the way in which integration is managed day-to-day. This study has two aims: to ascertain the extent to which the Italian legislation on integration is applied in practice and to assess the effectiveness of integration in terms of reaching the learning and social development objectives for students with disabilities and the class as a whole. The article describes the data collected though an online questionnaire compiled by 3230 Italian school staff members, mostly teachers. First, it shows that the integration experience of most of the students with disabilities takes the form of partial participation in class activities. Reasons for it are hypothesised. Second, the teachers' level of satisfaction with the learning and social skills of both students with disabilities and the class is generally positive. A although by no means outstandingly so.

Over the course of the last 30 years, inclusive education has emerged as a key aim of education policies around the world. Also in Europe, most countries took efforts to make their education systems more inclusive—which led to growing numbers of children and young persons with disabilities in general education in Europe. The implementation processes of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) fuelled these efforts. However, as some authors have argued, not all students with disabilities seem to have benefited in the same way from these developments—such as children and young persons with intellectual disability (ID). This paper aims to explore this phenomenon in more depth by comparing some measures in relation to the implementation processes of the UNCRPD of seven European countries. Doing so, we analyze trends in placements (mainstream and special schools) of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in general and of students with intellectual disability specifically. As we show, an increase of students identified as having SEN in mainstream schools can be observed in all countries during the implementation process of the UNCRPD. However, in comparison to this rather broad group of learners, the percentage of students with intellectual disability in mainstream settings did not increase as much. Furthermore, the calculation of the "exclusion rate" revealed that this group of learners remains a key population of special schools. These results need to be understood as effects of specific shortcomings in the implementation of the UNCRPD, as we discuss in a further section. We conclude our paper with recommendations on future research and policies on inclusive education regarding students with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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