Supporting Special Education Needs Mooc

The Mooc took place last autumn and I was busy online while doing my course for preparing students who need to take Cambridge IGCSE exams in my school. I had to catch up but I chose to do it as more and more our schools are coping with Special Education Needs. The platform that provided the Mooc was   Schooleducationgateway, an important website where European educators can have access to free resources and  Professional Development.

The aim of the Mooc were  clear and I really wanted to learn together with other educators.


These ideas were specified in the  first Module :

• Understanding the need for inclusive classrooms
• Identifying some practical tips and tricks to make your classroom more inclusive
• Making connections to fellow educators who are in a similar situation to yourself
• Learning from the experiences of educators around Europe
• Understanding the variety of special educational needs
• Considering inclusion as a human right
• Developing a plan towards inclusive education in your own context

Key ideas were presented in the  Mooc:  acessibility and  inclusion

" Accessibility refers to providing systems and solutions to optimise access in content, methods and environment. In learning environments,accessibility means designing learning experiences without barriers that allow all students to achieve the main pedagogical objectives. Why is accessibility important? One of the main arguments is that accessibility benefits everyone and not just a single segment of society, providing easy and various ways to access information, materials and environments. Captions for audio and video, for instance, don’t just help hearing-impaired people. They can be beneficial for anyone who doesn’t speak or understand the language of the presenter being spoken. This is the premise on which you should approach many of the activities explored on this course. Whenever you improve the accessibility of your teaching, it is not only for the support of those students who have been identified to have a special need; rather, it is supporting the learning of all your students. That’s why, later on in the course, we explore the process of the “universal design”, which should be incorporated in every design process of creating products, services, environments or learning experiences for all people.

And what about inclusion? In education, inclusive education is defined by UNESCO as a process of addressing and responding to the diverse needs of all learners by increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, reducing exclusion within and from education. Inclusion is also a right and not a privilege. It is every person’s right to bring out their unique strengths by participating in our society and to appreciate the beauty of diversity. According to UNESCO (2017), inclusion is a mindset that involves valuing the presence, participation and achievement of all learners regardless of their contexts and personal characteristics and recognising the benefits of student diversity."

Definition of  Special Needs

In special education, there is a wide range of disability levels to consider and some of them are quite tricky to recognise and support. Furthermore, special education encompasses not only the individuals with learning disabilities but also the gifted and talented students.

INCLUSION AS  A HUMAN  RIGHT

For teachers and school administrators, this convention means that they have to be committed in respecting and accommodating diversity and, more practically, creating learning environments where all students can meaningfully participate, contribute, and learn.

INCLUSIVE  EDUCATION

The aim of inclusive education is to respond to the learning needs of all children, whatever their needs are. Inclusive education does not only have pedagogical benefits, by addressing the learning differences of all students and confronting them with various learning styles, but also social benefits, as it leads the children to become citizens who are open and tolerant and can live in peace and harmony with each other. Obviously, inclusive education requires teacher training..

EUROPE  : TAKE ACTION!

PROFILE INCLUSIVE TEACHER

Module 2  was focussed on teaching    SEN  children and we were given the  aims of the learning activities:

• Discover practical applications of universal design for learning
• Identify main characteristics of inclusive education
• Explore practical examples of how to make your classroom more inclusive
• Develop ways of making your learning material accessible by every student
• Discover innovative and inclusive teaching practices
• Learn from shared experiences in inclusive education

THE UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING

DEALING WITH LEARNING  DIFFERENCES

ACCESSIBILITY OF LEARNING MATERIALS

https://www.ict4ial.eu/download-guidelines

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LMyYLchxed5x4QWBsoZvR2ePyL9Lo_rn/view?usp=sharing




HOW TO MAKE YOUR  LEARNING RESOURCES MORE  ACCESSIBLE

USING   TABLETS

An Italian  experience  explained : 

TEACHERS' TIPS

MODULE  3 : TEACHING ........BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Objectives : 

• Identify the support infrastructures available at your school
• Discover ways to collaborate with general and special education teachers
• Realise the value of family involvement for schooling
• Connect with other course participants
• Reflect on own practice and beliefs

Collaboration between general and special education teachers

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

Resources  Week 1

1. Legislation Updates, European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2017
2. Education and Disability/Special Needs – policies and practices in education, training and employment for students with disabilities and special educational needs in the EU, NESSE, 2012
3. Talent Education Toolkit for Teachers –TETT, TALENT education project, 2015-2018

Resources  Week   2

1. A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education, UNESCO, 2017
2. Towards Inclusive Education - Examples of Good Practices of Inclusive Education, Inclusion Europe
3. Inclusive Education and Disability – Good Practices from around Europe, incluD-ed, 2012
4. Language Education and Speech Therapy for People with Special Education Needs project
5. Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All Children

Resources   Week   3

1. Are today’s general education teachers prepared to face inclusion in the classroom? ScienceDirect, 2014
2. Towards Inclusive Education - Examples of Good Practices of Inclusive Education, Inclusion Europe
3. Towards more inclusive learning environments in Europe, EASPD

MODULE 4:  CASE STUDIES AND FINAL ACTIVITY

The aim of the  module 

• Learn different strategies for accommodating the learning of students with special needs
• Reflect about own practice and beliefs
• Identify main elements of the inclusive classroom
• Prepare an inclusive classroom design
• Review inclusive classroom designs of other course peers
• Make connections to other course participants

DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia is more common than many people think, considering that almost 10% of the world's population has dyslexia traits.



MEMORY TECHNIQUES

Multi-sensory approach

A  student's perspective 

AUTISM


Autism spectrum disorders are characterised by social-interaction difficulties, communication challenges and a tendency to repetitive behaviours. Symptoms vary widely across these core areas.



ADHD


Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental condition characterized by problems related to paying attention, excessive activity or difficulty controlling behaviour which is not appropriate for a person’s age.



GIFTEDNESS

The definition of giftedness has not been universally decided. According to Heller (2000), giftedness is an individual potential of abilities for excellent performance.

However, there are also some students who are exceptional in two ways: they are gifted and they have special needs. That is why they are called “twice-exceptional” learners.

"I am gifted" 

OUR FINAL  ACTIVITY- TO BE  ASSESSED BY PEERS

In this final peer-to-peer activity, you have the opportunity to imagine the inclusive classroom of your dreams. You can either find a colleague to work with for the final task, or do it by yourself. You are free to choose who you would like to work with. You can have a look at the forum posts in Module 1, to see who shares similarities with you (similar kind of students,  teaching the same subject) or from whom you would like to learn in particular. You can use the forum to contact each other and to set up a new thread to collaborate. If you prefer, you can also decide to collaborate outside the platform, e.g. via Facebook, Skype or a shared online document.

The inclusive classroom of your dreams can be a graphical representation or described in text format (15-20 lines) or even better, both. You are highly encouraged to use visual elements. Hand sketches, cardboard models or 3D design models are all available options and you can use LEGO, SketchUp, Minecraft, HomeByMe or just pen and paper.

Use the following questions as a guide on what to address and then unleash your creativity!

Guiding questions:

1. What could the learning space look like?
2. What needs do my students have?
3. How can I facilitate the learning of all my students?
4. What are the important physical features?
5. What support would you place in your learning environment for SEN students?
6. What digital technologies would you use?
7. How adaptable and flexible is my learning space?
8. How accessible will learning be in my learning environment?
9. Will it facilitate various types of teaching methodologies?
10. What is your vision for the inclusive classroom of your dreams? When you have designed and described your classroom, please submit your work in the next section. Make sure to read the instructions carefully.

As I am a secondary school teacher in Italy and I am not working with young students I had to focus on what my students need to spend their time well while they are at school. Some have problems with dislexia or have difficulties in spending hours sitting at their desks. My ideal school is a school where  everybody finds a place which is interesting and they can have fun. In my next post you will find my activity.
Here is the place I have created online by using the tool HOMEBYME.