The Developing Role of the Special Education Needs Coordinater: an Evaluation Study on the Effects of an RTLB Project, which Provided a Wrap around Special Education Needs Coordinator Service to All of the Schools within Its Region

Special Education Needs ◽

<p>The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the systems level intervention which was initiated by an RTLB (Resource Teachers’ of Learning and Behaviour) cluster, through EPF (enhancing programming funding) and with local Principals’ Association support in order to improve the SENCo (special education needs coordinator) service (outcomes for students) within the region. This intervention based on an inclusive paradigm involved creating dedicated SENCo positions within each of 19 schools involved and assisting in setting up special need’s committees, gaining release time for SENCos, negotiating and arranging professional development, developing a reporting system for SENCos, developing interagency collaboration and fostering a community of practise among the SENCos. This study found that the RTLB cluster, working collaboratively with the local principals, successfully initiated the EPF application in order to aid in the creation of the SENCo positions within all of the schools in the region, along with leading the project of professional development and supporting SENCos in schools in order to provide a better service for special education students within the region. New Zealand’s education system historically either ignored students with special education needs or placed them into special settings. Special education and the Tomorrow Schools policy provided the next step toward inclusive practices. However, the tools to implement shifts in paradigm are found through; professional development, communities of practice, collaborative-consultative approaches, teacher/school change and the management and facilitation of the transfer of learning. The research clearly indicates that further investigation is needed to understand the role of the SENCo within New Zealand schools. Is there a place for SENCos in our post Special Education 2000 schools? Do; release time, PD, professional support and role development affect the SENCo role and does a SENCo service impact on the service provided to students with special educational needs? There is much scope for future research within this area. It would be interesting to follow what happens with this group of SENCos in the long term. A longitudinal study of this kind would be able to answer questions about the long term implications and outcomes that may arise. Do the systems put in place lead to more inclusive classroom practices within the region and better outcomes of the students? Is this fledgling community of practice maintained and do the SENCos take up the mantle of change agents within their schools? It would also be worthwhile to look at the other two clusters who have initiated their own versions of this project. Undertaking case studies for schools which create SENCo positions would shed further light on what works and what doesn’t at the school level and the outcomes for students with special educational needs.</p>

The Developing Role of the Special Education Needs Coordinater: an Evaluation Study on the Effects of an RTLB Project, which Provided a Wrap around Special Education Needs Coordinator Service to All of the Schools within Its Region

10.26686/wgtn.16992925 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Lisa Collinson

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Special Education ◽

Educational Needs ◽

School Level ◽

Release Time ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusive Education in Kazakhstan

Integration of Education ◽

10.15507/1991-9468.098.024.202001.008-019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 8-19

Author(s):

Ruben O. Agavelyan ◽

Saule D. Aubakirova ◽

Aisulu D. Zhomartova ◽

Elena I. Burdina

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Educational Needs ◽

Special Training ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Education Needs ◽

The Republic ◽

The Impact

Introduction. The inclusion of students with special educational needs in regular schools is currently one of the most important issues on the agenda of national and international education communities. A positive attitude of teachers to inclusive education is a factor of its effective implementation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude of teachers to inclusive education in the Republic of Kazakhstan and to determine the factors influencing their positive attitude to wards inclusion. Materials and Methods. The sample consisted of 416 teachers of general secondary schools in the Pavlodar region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education Revised scale feedback form was used. For the processing of the results of the survey, nonparametric statistics (Spearman’s correlation coefficient) and multiple regression analysis were used. Results. A general neutral attitude of teachers towards inclusion was revealed. The experience of interaction between teachers and people with special educational needs does not contribute to the formation of their positive attitude towards inclusion. Educators – people who work in rural schools and are confident in teaching children with special education needs – have the most positive attitude toward inclusion. Discussion and Conclusion. A more detailed analysis of the respondents’ answers indicates the disinclination of teachers to implement inclusive education and the need for special training of teachers to work with children with special education needs that will increase their confidence in teaching children with special educational needs and create a positive attitude towards inclusion. Prospects for the study are to further explore attitudes of subject teachers, special education teachers, and providers of psychological and pedagogical support to inclusion in Kazakhstan and the impact of special training on the attitude of teachers to inclusion. The materials of the article will be useful to researchers interested in the problem of inclusive education, especially its condition in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Niepełnosprawność i specjalne potrzeby edukacyjne w świetle polskiej i brytyjskiej poprawności politycznej

Neofilolog ◽

10.14746/n.2009.33.4 ◽

1970 ◽

pp. 29-40

Author(s):

Iwona Dronia Iwona Dronia

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Political Correctness ◽

Legal Status ◽

European Countries ◽

Physical Impairment ◽

Educational Context ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Education Needs ◽

The Uk

The main goal of this article is to describe the legal status and situation of disabled learners in Poland, the UK and in other European countries. The author wishes to analyze whether the trends advocated by the principles of Political Correctness (PC) have influenced the language used in the educational context, and, in particular, towards students of special education needs (SEN). The article attempts to demonstrate that neither English nor Polish are sufficiently polite in terms of describing, categorizing, evaluating or naming all the learners, who, owing to their mental or physical impairment, have Special Educational Needs.

Key Drivers of Optimal Special Education Needs Provision: An English Study

Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1515/jser-2015-0009 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (3-4) ◽

Author(s):

Saneeya Qureshi

Keyword(s):

Primary Schools ◽

Educational Needs ◽

Target Setting ◽

Head Teachers ◽

Doctoral Research ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Key Drivers ◽

Education Needs ◽

Change Target

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to argue that there are a number of key drivers for Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision that have to be met by Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and teaching professionals so as to ensure optimal provision and inclusion for children with SEN in mainstream primary schools. Although the research has been carried out in England, there is a significant European Dimension to the issue, as a similar role to that of SENCOs in respect of SEN management already exists in countries such as Finland and Ireland, and is being considered in Italy.This paper focuses on the data gathered for the purpose of the author’s doctoral research in England, through questionnaires and interviews with SENCOs, head teachers and teachers. Thematic analysis was used to explore key drivers of SEN provision by practitioners who support children with SEN.Data illustrate that the key drivers of SEN provision include time; teacher openness to change; target setting; evidence of tried interventions; empowerment; decision-making and approachability. The implementation of such drivers depend largely on practitioner skills and competencies.The main conclusion within this paper is to develop points of reference for planning and practice, with illustrations of optimal provision by all practitioners who work with children with SEN.

Literacy, literature and nechnologies in favour of special education

Comunicar ◽

10.3916/c27-2006-34 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 14 (27) ◽

pp. 225-231

Author(s):

Antonio García-Guzmán

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Computer Science ◽

New Technologies ◽

The Internet ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Nuevas Tecnologías ◽

In this paper some contributions that new technologies have made to the literacy world are analyzed and special emphasis is given to show how new technologies can facilita te the access and the process of learning literacy and literature to people who have some special education needs. This paper will focus on the benefits of computer science and particulary on the role of the Internet to make literature available to everybody. En este texto se analizan algunas de las aportaciones que las tecnologías han introducido en el mundo literario, y sobretodo se hace especial hincapié en mostrar cómo las nuevas tecnologías pueden facilitar el acceso y aprendizaje de la lengua y la literatura a aquellas personas que poseen alguna necesidad educativa especial. De este modo, este estudio se centra en las posibilidades de la informática y más concretamente de Internet, para hacer más accesible la literatura a todos los colectivos.

Professional Development to Meet Special Educational Needs: The Role of the Special Educational Needs Training Consortium (SENTC)

At The Crossroads ◽

10.4324/9780429490156-16 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 157-169

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Educational Needs ◽

Special Educational Needs

Traditional Bullying and Discriminatory Bullying Around Special Educational Needs: Psychometric Properties of Two Instruments to Measure It

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16010142 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 142

Author(s):

Antonio J. Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽

Anabel Alcívar ◽

Mauricio Herrera-López

Keyword(s):

Educational Needs ◽

Traditional Bullying ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Education Needs ◽

Fit Indexes

Two important challenges in research on bullying are to have reliable tools to measure traditional bullying and discriminatory bullying related to special educational needs (SEN), and to learn more about their prevalence. We present the validations of two instruments to measure bullying (European Bullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, EBIPQ) and discriminatory bullying with respect to SEN (EBIPQ–Special Education Needs Discrimination version, henceforth EBIPQ-SEND). A total of 17,309 teenagers from Ecuador took part in the study (M = 14.76, SD = 1.65; 49.9% male). The item response theory analyses evidenced accuracy and quality of the measures. The confirmatory factor analyses of the EBIPQ and the EBIPQ-SEND revealed the same two-factor structure—aggression and victimization—regardless of gender, showing optimal fit indexes. We present the results of the prevalence according to the roles of participation in traditional bullying and discriminatory bullying around SEN. Significant gender and age differences were observed for involvement in both phenomena. We also discuss the advantages of applying the EBIPQ and the EBIPQ-SEND to evaluate and diagnose harassment and discriminatory harassment around SEN.

The Role of Assessment in Informing Interventions for Students with Special Education Needs

International Journal of Disability Development and Education ◽

10.1080/1034912x.2014.878528 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robyn M. Gillies

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Adaptations for Teaching Children with Special Educational Needs in ESL Context

International Journal of Social Science Studies ◽

10.11114/ijsss.v8i1.4668 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 121

Author(s):

Martha Elena Alonzo Rezabala ◽

Jhonny Saulo Villafuerte Holguín

Keyword(s):

Inclusive Education ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Educational Needs ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Education Needs ◽

Listening And Speaking ◽

The Voice

Public policy for inclusive education in Ecuador favors the entry of students with Special Education Needs into conventional schools. However, teachers require to develop adaptations to improve their work with students who have such conditions. This research aims to study the contribution of audiovisuals in adaptations and modifications for teaching English Language to a child reported with attention-deficit. This case of study refers to a boy attending the 4th Grade of elementary school in Manta-Ecuador. The research team designed a 10-sessions educational intervention for stimulating the child attention and improving his communication skills in English as a foreign language. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is applied to determine the participant’s English language skills evolution. This work also introduces teaching strategies that convine games and technology to support the vocabulary acquisition process of children with physical or intellectual disabilities. Results show how the videos catch and keep the participant’s attention during more time; and how the voice self-recording supports his listening and speaking practice. Such circumstance opens multiple possibilities to innovate the current adaptations and modifications for improving the teaching and learning process of children with special educational needs in ESL context.

Reducing Language Barriers in Science for Students with Special Educational Needs

Asia-Pacific Science Education ◽

10.1163/23641177-bja10006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Susannah Boyle ◽

Karen L. Rizzo ◽

Jonte C. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Science Instruction ◽

Language Barriers ◽

Science Content ◽

Special Education Needs ◽

Education Needs ◽

Multimodal Representation

Abstract An increased focus on science instruction and science learning for students with special education needs has been growing over the past decade. Research studies, particularly meta-analyses focused on science for students with disabilities, show investigators are interested in what science strategies and approaches (e.g., graphic organizers, inquiry-based instruction,) work for students regardless of identified need (e.g., learning disabilities). However, researchers have noted that science instruction can often rely heavily on text and have burdensome reading demands that may cause students with disabilities to struggle. Research suggests that incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multimodal representation, the arts, and communicative technologies can reduce the language load for learning science content and phenomena for students with special education needs. The purpose of this paper is to provide resources and suggestions for reducing the language barriers in science for students with special education needs through the use of multimodal representation and communication technologies.