Teaching Contexts

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Teaching Contexts Learners with Special Needs

• Bridging the Gap
• Lecture 2 TEA4202/TEA3206
• Prepared Presented by Michelle Aniftos, 29/7/02
  aniftos_at_usq.edu.au

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References for this lecture

• Dept.Ed. (1994). COGS Curriculum, Options, Goals
  Strategies. LIUBrisbane
• http//education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/c
  urriculum-framework/qsrls/
• Allan, J. (2002). Productive Pedagogies and the
  responsibilities of inclusion. Unpublished paper,
  presented to Education Queensland Inclusion
  Seminar, 9-10th July.
• Purkey, W.W. Schmidt, J.J. (1990). Invitational
  Learning for Counselling and Development.
  Creensboro NC ERIC Clearinghouse
• http//www.education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/cur
  ristu/cs-15000/sections/preface_.htm
• Walther-Thomas et al. (2000). Collaboration for
  Inclusive Education. Boston Allyn Bacon.
• Friend,M W.Bursuck. (2002). Including Students
  with Special Needs.Boston AllynBacon.
• Ashman Elkins eds.(2002). Educating Children
  with Diverse Abilities.SydneyPrentice-Hall.
• http//www.education.qld.gov.au/corporate/doem/cur
  ristu/cs-15000/sections/preface_.htm
• Godwin Wutzburg (1992). Educating Peter
  video. US State of the Art

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Look Back, Plan Forward

• Last week we glanced back at the history of
  special educationIn the Western world, we have
  evolved as a species in relation to how we treat
  minority groupsWe recognise oppression and
  exclusion our legislation exhorts us to stop the
  destruction, the segregation, the lack of
  tolerance that threatens the rights of some
  people to participate as active members of
  societyEducators are charged with
  responsibility
• to value diversity to nurture it and
• to enable difference to enrich the learning
  experiences and life outcomes of our selves and
  
• our students.

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DemocracyShared Leadership by the people

• Through advocacy and awareness raising by
  civilians, the social justice agenda has become a
  political agenda and has given rise to a myriad
  of legislation for equity, enabling the rights of
  (for example)
• Young people to access an education beyond age
  12
• Women to join the workforce
• Equal pay for women and men in like positions
• Children and spouses to be protected from
  domestic violence
• People with disabilities to live in the
  community access an education and join the
  workforce.

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Education Citizenship

• Education is pivotal to ones success as an
  active and informed citizen, enabling our
  successful participation in society.
• As educators, you hold the key for your students
  the learning experiences you provide are pivotal
  in shaping life long outcomes for the young
  people with whom you work. (insert COGS video
  clip)
• Do these educators recognise and value their
  responsibilities?

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Bridging the Gapwith Inclusivity
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Barriers to Inclusivity

• Challenges to an Inclusive Curriculum will appear
  in many forms
• Philosophies Policies
• Processes Practices
• Programs Pedagogies
• People Places
• Schools seeking to improve outcomes need
  alignment throughout these domains.
• (see Allan, J. p.2)

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Philosophies Policies

• Legislation
• National State Policies/Guidelines
• e.g. D.O.E.M.s Allen, P. p.5
• Systemic Strategic Planning
• School Vision Mission Statements
• Educators need to participate in review and
  improvement of statements which frame their
  practices

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Processes Practices

• Annual Operation Plans Budgets
• Curriculum Frameworks
• e.g. KLAs vs New Basics IEPs etc
• School Procedures
• e.g. staffing, resourcing, assessing, reporting,
  etc
• Ascertainment/Appraisement (Lavoie on
  labelling)
• Parents and educators need to work together to
  review improve methods to operationalise their
  expectations of schooling

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Live Chat by Rick Lavoie on March 28, 2002, _at_
http//www.schwablearning.org/chat/mm.asp

• It is my great hope that the field will continue
  to explore strategies and methods that make the
  label unnecessary1) The label-in and of itself-
  does not guarantee services.2) This broad label
  has no diagnostic value.3) The label denotes a
  homogeneity (sameness) that simply does not
  exist.4) The label can be damaging to a child's
  self esteem.
• Levine's work believes in "enabling without
  labeling."

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People Places

• Facilities and amenities must be designed and
  managed to promote our inclusive values
• Classrooms Play areas Sports equipment
• Libraries Tuckshops Transport etc
• Participants in schooling need to be skilled and
  rehearsed in collaborative, inclusive practices
• Parents Students Staff
• Visitors Volunteers Service Providers etc

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Bridges to Inclusion

• Knowledge
• Ourselves our pedagogy (Allan. p.1 QSRLS
  study)
• Learners their learning needs
• Effective teaching learning practices
• Skills
• Communication collaboration
• Learning management
• Processes
• Problem identification resolution
• Attitudes (psychological foundations of
  perception and self-concept)
• Respect Optimism Trust Intentionality
• Purkey Schmidt

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Establishing an Inclusive Context
(Walther-Thomas)

• collaborative culture (our challenges)
• shared leadership (our responsibility) Allan. p.5
• coherent vision (our goals)
• comprehensive planning
• adequate resources
• sustained implementation and
• continuous evaluation for improvement
• (make informed, proactive decisions
  reflexivity Allen, p.7)

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EQ Principles of Inclusive Curriculum CS-15

• Curriculum is inclusive when participants in
  learning
• (a) identify and address barriers that limit
  students' opportunities, participation and
  benefits from schooling
• (b) include, value, and use as a basis for
  learning, the perspectives, contributions and
  experiences of the full range of social and
  cultural groups, by acknowledging diversity both
  within and among these groups
• (c) develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and
  processes necessary to(i) question how
  disadvantage has developed and exists within
  social structures(ii) challenge rather than
  accept social injustice(iii) empower people to
  participate as equals.

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Professional Standards for Teachers Standard 5
Inclusive Practices

• Descriptor
• This standard covers the requirements for
  designing and implementing learning experiences
  that are inclusive, acknowledge and value
  difference, and enable students to demonstrate
  personal, group and community responsibility.
• Statements
• 5.1 - Design and implement learning experiences
  that acknowledge, and cater for, individual
  learning differences.
• 5.2 - Design and implement learning experiences
  that are inclusive and recognise and celebrate
  difference.
• 5.3 - Design and implement learning experiences
  in which students participate in decision making
  and active citizenship.

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Inclusive Practices (Walther-Thomas)

• Individual learning profile
• formal and informal data
• Consultative Processes
• Accommodations/Assistance
• Instructional Design/Strategies
• IEP-based (behavioural objectives)
• Diagnostic Teaching Intervention
• Life Skills priorities
• Specialist supports

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INCLUDE strategy (Friend Bursuck)

• Assumes that performance in school is a result of
  an interaction between the learner and the
  context
• 1 Identify environmental, curricula
  instructional demands
• 2 Note student learning strengths needs
• 3 Check for potential areas of student success
• 4 Look for potential problem areas
• 5 Use information gathered to brainstorm
  adaptations
• 6 Decide which adaptations to implement
• 7 Evaluate student progress.

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Assessment, Curriculum Development Intervention
(Ashman Elkins p.485)
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Divergent Obligations

• Much of what takes place in schools is at present
  destructive rather than productive. Ask a group
  of learners What did you learn today? Have
  you had a good day at school today? and sadly a
  significant number of replies will be negative.
• The task of educators is not easy but quality
  education that is inclusive of all learners is an
  essential task.

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• Allen (2002) identifies 5 double-edged
  responsibilities to contemplate
• 1 How can teachers be helped to acquire and
  demonstrate the necessary competences to qualify
  as a teacher and to understand themselves as in
  an inconclusive process of learning about others?
  (Gregouriou, 2001).
• 2 How can teachers develop as autonomous
  professionals and learn to depend on others for
  support and collaboration?
• 3 How can teachers be supported in maximising
  student achievement and ensuring inclusivity?
• 4 How can teachers be helped to understand the
  features of particular impairments and avoid
  disabling individual students with that
  knowledge?
• 5 What assistance can be given to teachers to
  enable them to deal with the exclusionary
  pressures they encounter and avoid becoming
  embittered or closed to possibilities for
  inclusivity in the future?

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Educating Peter

• View this video and record your observations of
• Bridges to Inclusion
• Barriers to Inclusion.
• Use these observations for reflection
  discussion in your tutorials this week.