CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION Presented by: JENNYFER A. BULLECER Challenges of SPED in the Philippines ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Lack of participatory activities Involvement of parent and community Accountability Partnership Collaboration Lack of support Peer Rejection Labelling Characteristics of individual pupils Lack of access to the mainstream Lack of awareness and attitude Lack of trained teachers Large class size Lack of child-centered and relevant curriculum Lack of proper infrastructure Powell et al. , 2019, p. 321, in Schuelka, Johnstone, Thomas & Artiles, The Sage Handbook of Inclusion & Diversity in Education. London: Sage, pp. 321-337 “ Engaging pupil diversity to enhance learning remains a challenging task for teachers in schools everywhere, as education for all is extended to become universal. Yet successfully supporting diverse pupils in their learning processes has always been at the heart of outstanding pedagogy” How do we think about our craft? “ We have to proceed the way a good deal of the time, but there should be moments when we deliberately try to draw meaning out of particular incidents and experiences.” - Hannah Arendt Avoid the risks of “Automatic Pilot” Contemporary Issues in Special Education Issue 1: Placement Options Dilemmas Issue 2: Reconciling ‘special” & “inclusive” education Issue 3:”Bridging” policy & practice Issue 4: Utilizing SETs to “best effect” Issue 1: Placement Options Dilemmas ‘Continuum Provision’ Flexibility-range alternatives of Educational provision for children with special needs: 1. Special Education Schools of 2. Special Ed.‘units’/ special classes attached to mainstream classes 3. Integrated settings in mainstream classes Issue 1: Placement Options Dilemmas Negotiating issue of (appropriate )placement: “responsible “inclusion “pragmatic approach “ rather than “purist” model of inclusion -”cautious” forms of inclusion - According to Norwich( 2002), inclusion is about mainstream schools accommodating a full diversity, and in doing so leads inevitably to adopting dedicated or specialized support systems for some. Normalization - Means a philosophical belief in SPED that every individual, even the most disabled should have an educational and living environment as close to normal as possible Issue 2: Reconciling ‘special” & “inclusive” education -Special education - practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences , disabilities and special needs -Inclusive education -complexities, challenges, dilemmas, contradictions/ uncertainties -Special Educational Needs(SEN) -Additional Educational Needs ● Inclusive Educationprovides educational services for all students including those with special needs How can special educators work in support of inclusive education? Florian(2019), On the Necessary co-existence of special and inclusive education - Inclusive education has, can and should replace special education -Special education can work in support of inclusive education and the task of inclusive education which addresses the barriers to participation faced by members marginalized groups. From ‘Special’ to Inclusive Pedagogies ● ‘…requires a shift in teaching and learning from an approach that works for most learners existing alongside something’ additional’ or different for those (some) who experience difficulties, towards one that involves the development of a rich learning community characterized by learning opportunities that are sufficiently made available for everyone, so that all learners are able to participate in classroom life’ Inclusive Pedagogy “focus on extending what is ordinarily available in the community of the classroom as a way of reducing the need to mark some learners as different” (Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011,p. 814) “ All children can learn and their capacities can change” (Norwich, 2013, p.80) “See difficulties in learning as a challenge to teachers / teaching ” (Norwich, 2013, p.80) Issue 3:”Bridging” policy & practice Facilitating meaningful inclusion of students in mainstream classes Differentiation Collaborative Problem-solving activities Heterogeneous groupwork Utilizing station teaching approaches Schools are flexible to be innovative in developing new approaches… and in sharing successful practices. Inclusive Education (Finkestein, Sharma & Furlonger,2019) Common ● Extending mainstream education to all Individual Group ● Transformability: “idea that ability is not fixed but all students can develop and learn Issue 4: Utilizing SETs to “best effect” Resource Staffing: Special Education Teachers In class support Ensuring the success of in-class support endeavours: PracticalitiesQuestions for team teaching partners -How can we find time to liaise? ‘Team Teaching’ “Collaborative Teaching” “Co-operativeTeaching” “Co-teaching” Hargreaves, A.(2019) Teacher Collaboration -How often do we need to meet? -How can we support each other in planning and preparation? -What resources do we need? -Who will prepare what? -How will we manage class discipline? -How will we evaluate our joint effectiveness? *Looks bad when teachers always quit ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS FROM TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE By: Fely C. Allam & Matronillo M. Martin Department of Education, City Division of Ilagan, Philippines College of Education, Ifugao State University Received: April 26, 2020 Published : March 4, 2021 Southeast Asia Early Childhood Journal Vol. 10(1), 2021(37-49) ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS FROM TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ● The purpose of this study is to determine the issues and challenges of special education (SPED) teachers in teaching children with learning disabilities in the city Division of Ilagan, Isabela. ● 15 SPED teachers- participants CHALLENGES Five Distinct Themes 1. Choosing Appropriate Strategies & motivation 2. Identifying individual needs 3. Challenging but fulfilling 4.Acceptance & patience 5. Respect one’s right ● ● ● ● ● Most teachers teaching children learning with disabilities did not receive any special needs education training from the school They feel they are not qualified Lack of strategies Have poor learning environment Lack of fund - Placement of learners with special needs in an inclusive classroom with ordinary learners is not with no proper support References: ● Allam, F. & Martin, M.( 2021). Issues and Challenges in Special Education: A Qualitative Analysis from Teacher’s Perspective. Southeast Asia Early Childhood Journal.( 3749). ● Cahil, K. & O’Sullivan, D. (2022) . Contemporary Issues in Inclusive Education Norwich, B.(2022). Education, Inclusion and Individual Differences: recognizing and Resolving and Resolving Dilemmas. British Journal of Educational Studies. University of Exeter. Pp 482-502 ● “ A good education can change anyone. A good teacher can change everything” Thank you for listening!
