The Alignment of Innovative Learning Environments and Inclusive Education: How Effective is the New Learning Environment in Meeting the Needs of Special Education Learners?

Abstract

This article examines Innovative Learning Environments (ILE’s) in terms of its promise to deliver an inclusive environment. While ILE’s underpinning philosophy is to be inclusive for all, it appears that inclusion serves the needs of a wider mainstream audience. The article considers the research in this area critically, with a focus on the inclusive needs of students with disabilities and asks - whose inclusive needs are best served in an ILE context? This article argues that inclusion in an ILE which addresses the needs of students with disabilities has yet to be fully realised, and that an alternative inclusive education (IE) paradigm is required that aligns itself with the new ILE pedagogical environment.