SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION)

18.12.2018 

SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION)

Topic 1 PP: As a vocational/professional teacher, how can you support a student with special needs? (Miten ammatillisena opettajana voit tukea erityisen tuen tarpeessa olevaa opiskelijaa?) Mention various school levels.

Topic 2 DOM: What does the concept of inclusion mean in practise? What does the concept of accessibility mean in an educational context? What is a pedagogically accessible learning environment? Give examples.

Topic 3 EW: What do the student welfare services (in Finnish: opiskeluhuolto) mean in vocational schools and in higher education?

Report also in your personal blog. What were the key findings in your group’s discussion? What observations did you make comparing your results to the other groups’ discussion?

TOPIC 2

ABOUT INCLUSION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

“Vocational education developed out of the requirement to integrate large parts of society into a broader or more extended education and, consequently, into an economic and social process” (Stolz & Gonon 2012). 

Inclusion in education is rooted in social justice and “…inclusive education [is] where all, regardless of individual circumstance, preferred learning style or ability can and should be educated together.” (Gibson & Haynes 2009: 2). 

> Bear in mind gender, status, generation and access to education (European Agency 2018).

DEVELOPMENT OF INCLUSION IN FINNISH EDUCATION

The learner welfare services are included in the curriculum, and municipalities and schools are obliged to include the services they offer in the curriculum. 

• Development of inclusion and production of models regarding municipality, school and learner-level planning, organisation and implementation of inclusive special needs education in co-operation with various interest groups. 

• The statistics on provision, resources and costs of special needs education will be drawn upon to obtain a continuous view on the state of special needs education nationwide, as well as to acquire comparative data on the effects of regional and municipal differences. 

• Several projects are developing the virtual school for SEN according to the national strategy. The actors in these projects represent private and public sector, state, municipalities, universities and research centers, both in the humanities and technical areas. 

• There are several projects for preventing exclusion of learners by developing productive learning models and models to teach and support learners with mental illnesses 

(European Agency 2018)

INCLUSION IN PRACTICE

“It is [in Finland] the duty of the municipality and the individual school to include learners with special educational needs (SEN) in the mainstream education system. The first alternative for providing special needs support is to include learners with SEN in mainstream classes and, when necessary, provide special needs education in small teaching groups. Only when this is not feasible is the second alternative considered: the provision of special needs education in a special group, class or school.” (European Agency 2018) 

► focus on less specialised schools, more inclusive mainstream schools

“Inclusion is a principle that calls for developing both system and operational structures, while also requiring the development of an operational culture and pedagogical methodology that will promote all learners’ success in their studies and their positive growth and development.” (European Agency 2018)

► system: legal and regulation framework

► operational structure: someone making it happen (OKM, schools)

► pedagogical methodology: teachers’ job! (for examples see: https://www.inclusive-education-in-action.org/iea/index.php?menuid=46&reporeid=92)

ROLE OF THE EDUCATIONAL ORGANISATIONS IN PROVIDING ACCESSIBILITY IN EDUCATION

Higher education organisations should establish guidelines that encourage the access and successful development of students who are under-represented in universities. (access4allproject, 2018) 

Organisations should co-create strategies and measures promoting the access and continuation of vulnerable students and non-traditional learners at university. (access4allproject, 2018)

WHAT CAN AN A TEACHER DO TO ESTABLISH AND PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY?

In terms of accessibility, the role of the individual teacher is to provide accessible education in his or her courses and lessons through: 

designing courses and developing a teaching style that meets the needs of people from a variety of backgrounds, abilities and learning styles. 

By making sure that the course is accessible for everyone regardless of his or her financial situation, family responsibilities and/or other disadvantages. 

A pedagogically accessible environment enables people from underprivileged backgrounds to access this environment: 

They could/should be free of charge. 

E.g. MOOC = Massive Open Online Course (free online courses that provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills).

These kinds of virtual and online learning environments provide access to those who cannot physically be there. e.g. mobility problems, health issues, geographical location, family responsibilities.

REFERENCES 

European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education; https://www.european-agency.org/country-information/finland/systems-of-support-and-specialist-provision; retrieved 16 December 2018 

Gibson, S., & Haynes, J. (Eds.). (2009). Perspectives on Participation and Inclusion: Engaging Education. A&C Black. 

Stolz, S., & Gonon, P. (2012). Challenges and Reforms in Vocational Education: Aspects of Inclusion and Exclusion. Studies in Vocational and Continuing Education, Volume 11. Peter Lang, Pieterlen (CH); https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED528745; retrieved 16 December 2018 

Access4AllProject 2018 https://access4allproject.eu/objectives