'GUIDE: Supporting SEN in Secondary Schools - A European

Perspective'.Lead Presenter: Sharon Smith – University of

Worcester  

Co-presenters: Dr Ruth Hewston and Dr Richard Woolley– University of Worcester

3M24 Session lead: Liz SmithRoom: Conference Room 1a

This paper highlights the shared professional knowledge of educational professionals across EU partner countries in supporting learners with additional needs in mainstream secondary settings.

It discusses a collaborative research project to develop a training package of best practice which supports the long term professional development and education of teachers

Knowing about teaching:

To present the findings and outcomes of a research project into current provision of best practice, teacher professional development and challenges experienced in supporting learners with additional needs.

The paper aims to highlight some best practice to promote inclusion within mainstream settings.

Aim:

Research suggests that EU countries have different approaches to supporting learning for those within additional needs in the mainstream setting.

Furthermore, across the European Union, training approaches and professional development in areas of SEN vary greatly.

Approaches to Inclusion and SEN

The GUIDE project started in December 2012, running for 36 months.

The GUIDE project is a partnership with practitioners in Spain, Italy and Poland (and initially with Romania) funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme.

The GUIDE project

The project has been developing an eLearning training package to share Best Practice and enable teachers and educational professionals to support learners who: are on the autism spectrum have a moderate learning difficulty have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have dyslexia and/or dyscalculia have speech, language and communication needs

Project aims

The participants were from a range of Secondary schools and Post-16 provisions, some of which have a significant number of learners with additional needs.

The research required each partner to undertake 40 questionnaires, 10 interviews and 1 focus group.

Project Methodology

The research used a mixed methods approach to collect survey data from educational professionals working in mainstream secondary settings (N = 186).

The study also conducted semi-structured (N = 47) and focus group interviews (N = 5) with practitioners

Project Methodology

It is important to recognise the different approaches to supporting inclusion and in particular those identified within the project as having Medium-light Cognitive Impairment; a definition which is not shared by all the partners but recognised for the purpose of this project.

Defining inclusion – a case study of partnership working

Defining Inclusion

The terminology is outdated in some parts – ‘mental retardation’

DSM V 4 was predominately used by the partners, implying a “medical model” approach

Challenges within the Project

Medical model

He’s paralysed from the waist down. He can’t wash, dress or feed himself. He can’t go out alone and he’s a fire hazard in the cinema. He needs me to take him to the shops and do his shopping for him. Basically, he can’t do anything without my help

Social model

There is nothing wrong with my brain. I have a PHD in Computer Science. My house is design to support my living needs. I need support in some tasks but with help I can do most things.

Findings identified themes around the importance of support to enable learners to live and learn independence

Build self-esteem and self-advocacy and The value of education professionals working

in partnership together

Overview of Findings

Conclusion It is essential to understand each learner as an

individual, rather than a label or a child with a special educational need

It is important to help learners to live and learn with independence, building self-esteem, self-advocacy and self-direction

The use of Teaching Assistants, their roles and the training provided for them is a key area that needs to be considered by teachers working with young people with special educational needs

The National Picture

The project has highlighted that teachers across Europe face similar challenges in meeting the needs of a diverse range of learners in mainstream school settings.

Senior management also face challenges in identifying accessible training that enhances their teachers’ professional development and understanding of additional needs.

Conclusions form the Guide Project

Lack of resources, 67,5% of the teachers surveys highlighting this issue

Flexibility in the curriculum Differentiation in the classroom to meet a broad

range of individual needs Working in partnership with

parents/teachers/learners for positive outcomes Changes in educational policy Shortages in educational funding

Conclusions… Romania

“…the task of the teacher in today's mass school is not easy. Teacher has to perform a number of tasks such as: transfer of knowledge, building a class team, ensuring a sense of security among students, the inclusion to the entire educational, social and emotional process of students with MLCI or with other disorders, which requires the proper preparation. .. teacher education is not always sufficient, because teachers often face in their work with new situations, such as unexpected in their class students with disorder, which recently have been defined, and that is why teachers are continuously looking for new ways of working....”

Conclusions… Poland

Balance between qualification and experience Lack of funding Effective support for teachers CPD Teachers are “soaked with work”

Conclusions… Spain

“…actually the Italian schools suffer from serious inconveniences which reflect on the condition of all the students and even more on the ones with learning difficulties:

high number of students per class (an average number of 28, 30 or 35 students in each class);

to little hours dedicated to the coexistence of the ordinary teacher and the special needs teacher;

often the school buildings don’t respect the rules of construction;

lack of materials and resources (tools, support…).”

Conclusions… Italy

Understanding the needs of individual learners rather than the use of labelling language

Supporting the wider needs of learners Case studies of effective practice The use of Teaching Assistants, their roles and the

training provided for them is a key area that needs to be considered carefully by teachers working with young people with special educational needs.

Conclusions… England

the use of paraprofessionals in education may differ in the context of the education system; however, they play an important role in the education of learners with additional needs.

A final theme identified the need for professional’s to have flexibility in their approach to learning, particularly in relation to teaching strategies, policy and funding.

Themes from findings

Translation and interpretation of definitions Notion of inclusion Medical rather than social perspective Variable funding impacting on provision Partnership working and parental involvement Support within the classroom

Emerging aspects from the project

Partnership working Terminology used Being in touch with professional practice/values Different perspectives from project workers in

contrast to academic approach

Challenges of the project

http://www.project-guide.eu/project.php

Links