Preparing trainee teachers to negotiate the tension between disciplinary excellence and inclusion

This article outlines some of the ways in which teacher educators can prepare trainee teachers to understand and respond to the perceived discrepancy between inclusion of diverse learners and the aspirations expressed in policy of promoting rigorous science education and assessment. It looks at evidence from the views of trainee teachers on the difficulties that they experience in reconciling the two aims. It then suggests approaches, based on my own experience, that may help to 'bridge the (apparent) gap'.