Transcript Teacher development for working with children with special

Teacher development for working with
children with special needs & strategies
for community involvement
Dr. Shanti Auluck
Director (hon.)/President
Muskaan: Parents Association for the empowerment
of persons with intellectual disability & families
Outline
• The term Special education needs to be dropped
• Challenges of inclusive schools & class rooms:
what does it demand?
• Preparations of teachers to meet the needs of
inclusive class rooms
• present situation : an evaluation
• What needs to be done
• Strategies For community involvement
What is special about special
education?
• Special about special education is that we do
not understand the needs of certain children
and our usual ways do not seem to work.
• Onus is placed on the child rather than us. A
sincere examination of the situation reveals
that it is lack of our own understanding of a
child’s education/growth needs that becomes
a barrier in the learning process
What is Inclusive Education
• Ideally it means attending to diverse needs of
every child ( differing in ability, ethnicity,
socio-economic background etc.) in the same
class room or school setting.
• Respect and acceptance of diversity can
happen by inclusion in all aspects of life
starting from inclusion in schools.
Demands of Inclusive Education
• Attitude change of policy makers, school management and
most importantly of teachers.
• Enough knowledge base about various impairments e.g.
locomotor, visual, hearing, intellectual and how it affects
the learning process. It also demands deepening of our
understanding of mind functions including cognition,
emotions and motivation.
• Devising teaching strategies including learning material to
reach out the children with diverse (dis)abilities,
• It demands systemic change rather than huge finances,
child-centric approach rather than information-centric
approach
Teacher development for Inclusive
education
• Sensitization of all the teachers about the
educational needs of children with diverse
impairments and how environmental &
attitudinal barriers prevent them from learning
and living a fuller life,
• Broadening the meaning of education beyond
curriculum transaction,
• Orientation programs for in-service teachers to
deepen the understanding of mind including
cognition, emotions and motivation and their
impact on our learning process
• Abolition of separate systems of training of
teachers for mainstream children and children
with impairments of locomotor, sensory and
cognitive impairments.
• Teacher training courses must have 1or 2 core
courses on understanding the educational and
learning needs of children with diverse
disabilities. It will enrich their knowledge
base.
Teachers are the key to success of
education
• Teaching is an organic system, it should not be
equated with industry.
• Incentive systems should be there so that
teachers feel motivated to enhance their
understanding and knowledge base,
• Academic leadership is very important and
good deal of attention should be given to it.
• Stress on implementation and accountability
Preparations required for
implementing Inclusive Education
• Important to recognize that India has no option other
than mainstreaming of education for all children having
diverse needs and backgrounds, including children with
disability
• Models of inclusive education need to be evolved
through pilot projects and NGOs working with persons
with disability need to be involved in this process.
• Implementation can not happen in one go; it has to be
a phase wise plan
• NGOs working in the field of disability need to be
supported to function as resource centres
Contd….
• Orientation programs for school management,
teachers, parents and other staff members are
necessary for a successful implementation,
• Parents/families involvement is important. It will
serve twin purpose of parents capacity building
as well as support system to the school.
• Other students of the school can become a huge
resource if they are properly informed and
oriented.
• NGOs can contribute through their knowledge
and experience.
Evaluation of existing situation
• Lack of preparation and understanding about
responding to the learning needs of children
with diverse impairments
• Lack of preparation at all levels, school
management, teachers, parents and
community and also perhaps at the level of
policy makers,
It is very much doable. It needs conviction and
courage to take bold steps. Openness to
experiment with new ideas, determination to
evolve implementation strategies and
accountability are important for bringing
necessary changes in the system. It is worth
doing as it is a matter of preparing future
generations for an inclusive society where
diversities are accepted and respected.