DAVID MITCHELL

For services to education Dr David Mitchell is a world leader in the field of inclusive education and has held a wide range of international appointments, including various visiting professor and research fellow appointments, speaker at a range of international conferences, and various UNESCO consultancies.

Dr Mitchell’s UNESCO consultancies have primarily focused on inclusive education and the development of education for children with special needs in countries such as India, China, Thailand, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan among others. His book ‘What Really Works in Special Education: Using Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies’ (2008 and 2014) has been published in six languages and is in high demand. He has published more than 200 works across books, book chapters, journal articles and reports and has delivered more than 130 papers at conferences in New Zealand and internationally. He has been a long-standing member of the editorial boards of six international special education/disability journals. Within New Zealand he was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Special Education, which steered the development and implementation of the foundation special education policy ‘Special Education 2000’. Dr Mitchell is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Canterbury’s College of Education, Health and Human Development, and previously held various roles with the University of Waikato’s Educational Studies Department between 1969 and 2001.

Keynote: Evidence-based practices in inclusive education: An ecological perspective
This presentation is based on two interlocking principles. Firstly, there is a recognition that evidence-based policies and practices are increasingly being required in the design of programmes and strategies for educating learners with special educational needs. Secondly, there is a a growing commitment around the globe to the philosophy that all learners, including those with special educational needs, should be educated together. To achieve this goal, education systems, schools and classrooms will need to be transformed to cater for all learners, as reflected in an ecological model, which will underpin this presentation. David will draw upon his recent book, The Ecology of Inclusive Education (Routledge, 2018).