FUNDAMENTAL PRACTICES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Fundamental Practices in Special Education

Abstract

While differences in national contexts are associated with variations in how teachers are trained and school systems are organized, the conceptual and philosophical problems of equity and inclusion in schooling are shared concerns. This paper describes how the structure and content of an initial teacher special education program for primary and secondary teachers has been revised to ensure that social and educational inclusion is addressed within the core program. A rationale is presented for the improvement of 'inclusive practice', chased by a discussion of the developments and an outline of the possessions that are anticipated in the classroom practices of teachers in schools.

Introduction

US has its own different educational systems. And whilst there have been strong similarities and links in the past between the English and Welsh systems? Scotland and Northern Ireland have always had separate and distinctive systems. Although there are fundamental differences between the countries in the ways in which teachers are trained? many of the concerns about inadequate preparation for inclusion are relevant across all of the countries of the US as well as internationally. While differences in national context may produce variation in how teachers are trained and school systems are organized? the conceptual and philosophical problems of equity and education for all are shared concerns.

There has been a focus on children who have been identified as having disabilities and/or 'special educational needs' who had been largely ignored in the early efforts to improve standards in school. In the US such children are referred to as 'children with disabilities'? in California as 'children with special educational needs'? in Scotland the current preferred term is 'children with additional support needs'. Terminology is important because language reveals assumptions about why and how people are perceived as having difficulty in learning. Scrutiny of what is meant by terms such as 'difficulty' and 'disability' suggests that students so identified are thought to be somehow different as learners from others? thus justifying the provision of something 'different' or 'additional'? such as special education or learning support? in the name of educational equity. But often the students identified as having special needs are those who do not perform well on standards-based assessments thereby exacerbating 'chicken and egg' type dilemmas about whether additional support helps or hinders efforts to raise standards for all students. In spite of these efforts to support children's learning? levels of achievement for many vulnerable children? however they are described? remain problematic.

While there has been significant progress in understanding the relationship between teaching? curriculum and learning, in many schools the education of children who are perceived as having 'difficulties' is often still the sole responsibility of special needs experts rather than being shared with classroom and subject teachers. This form of provision is historical, having its roots in the notion of 'diagnostic-prescriptive' teaching where interventions are based on discredited ideas about remediating the underlying deficits within individuals. While understanding differences between learners has been a central interest of research and practice in ...