Collaborative didactic development in teaching for students with ID

This presentation shares key findings from a three-year research and development program (2022-2025) focused on teaching practices in Swedish schools for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). The project involved over 160 educators across seven municipalities and was based on participant-initiated professional development supported by researchers. Through structured reflection, documentation, and iterative research circles, the program sought to enhance teachers’ didactic awareness and foster systematic improvements in classroom practice.Using a mixed-methods design, including analysis of 90 reflective teaching logs and nine focus group interviews, the study explored how local contextual factors influence the development of inclusive, goal-oriented teaching practices. Theoretical frameworks from Kansanen (didactic triangle), Biesta (three functions of education), and Ball (policy enactment) guided the analysis. Findings indicate that sustainable teaching development is facilitated by collegial collaboration, structured reflection tools, and organizational support. Teachers reported a shift from task-based instruction to purposeful, learner-centered strategies emphasizing communication, independence, and academic skills.By framing care and knowledge not as competing but interdependent components of education, the project contributes to rethinking didactics in teaching for students with ID. This presentation will provide concrete examples of didactic strategies that integrate functional and academic goals, highlight tensions between policy and practice, and present implications for professional development models in inclusive education systems.