Human rights education and the conscience of mankind: developing didactics of perplexity

The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that ‘disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind’. From this point of departure, we argue that philosophical, political, and religious reflections on core concepts such as conscience, freedom, equality, dignity, justice, and peace can help to create an appropriate balance between a normative framework and a non-affirmative approach to human rights education. Teacher students can benefit from philosophical reflection, critical thinking, and individual judgement, as this will enhance the authoritativeness and self-determination of both teachers and learners. In terms of didactics, we consider the potentials of a concept-based approach inspired by the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt and her critical discussion of the perplexities of the rights of man.

High Fidelity Co-Teaching Through Collaboration, Varied Co-Teaching Models, and Differentiated Teaching Strategies

Co-teaching is a service delivery option for students receiving special education services that is characterized by the presence of both a general education and special education teacher providing support in an inclusive classroom. A co-taught classroom can provide access to the general education curriculum to students with disabilities while they are simultaneously being supported by a special education teacher. The inclusion classroom, a classroom in which both students with and without disabilities are instructed, has been suited with the task of upholding the protections put in place by legislation for students with disabilities. A large number of students receiving special education services (64%, approximately 4,600,000) are placed in the general education, inclusion classroom 80-100% of the school day. This chapter will explore the implementation of excellent instructional practices in the inclusion classroom setting to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Challenges in the Application of Educational Escape Rooms in the Brazilian Context

Game-based learning (GBL) has been gaining ground and notoriety in formal education environments. However, the educational escape room (EER) is still a relatively new approach, and in some countries, their utilization finds more barriers among the higher education setting. In this sense, to spread and facilitate their adoption, it is important to identify which are the competences and attitudes necessary for educators to facilitate EERs. Starting from this knowledge, it becomes easier proposing actions for the development, the dissemination, and the sustainable practice of these activities. This study applied questionnaires applied to Brazilian higher education teacher users of EER in the classroom. The results highlight the importance of the institutional support, as they will feel more confident so that the implementation of this methodology occurs in a gradual way and with purpose in educational institutions. The conclusions are valuable to both educators and decision makers in education in order to give more information to the best practices and implementation of EER.

Effective Pedagogical Practices in Inclusive Classrooms for Students With Disabilities

Inclusive education means educating students with special needs in an age-appropriate general education setting where students receive high-quality, standard-based instructions, interventions, and support that enable them to experience success in the general education classroom. Effective pedagogical practices involve the collaboration of both special education teacher and general education teacher to identify and implement effective teaching practices which enhance student engagement and promote higher-order thinking skills. Special education teacher supports the general education teacher in adapting curriculum and teaching methods, modifying assessments, and providing accommodations to students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Effective pedagogical practices are affected by teacher's belief; students' disabilities; and their roles and responsibilities towards the students with disabilities. This chapter examines previous researches and studies that investigate effective pedagogical practices in inclusive classrooms for students with disabilities.

Developing a Theory of Program Vision as Professional Socialization in Special Education Teacher Preparation

In general education, researchers find candidates’ pre-service experiences are a tool for socialization into the knowledge, norms, and values of the profession. An important aspect of this process is program vision—the collective understanding of teaching put forth by a preparation program. Yet, few investigations in special education examine program vision. Using interviews with candidates across six teacher preparation programs, the author generates theory to understand the role of vision in special education teacher candidates’ professional socialization and how experiences of program vision are associated with their conceptions of their future roles and responsibilities. Candidates’ conception of special educators’ roles reflected three characterizations consistent within, but distinct across programs: Direct Instructor, Supportive Differentiator, and General Responder. Each profile was associated with unique roles and responsibilities for special educators. Findings draw attention to the importance of examining vision as a tool for professional socialization in special education teacher preparation.

Effect of Teacher’s Professional Development on The Teachers’ Instructional Practices in Special Education

The study was performed to see the effect of Teachers' Professional Development on the Teacher's Instructional Practices in Special Education. The aims of this research include exploring the use of special education teacher instructional practices in schools and studying the influence of professional development on instructional practices of teachers. The study was quantitative in nature and used a self-developed survey for the collection of data from respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The result indicates that instructional practices differ on the basis of gender; however, qualification has no influence on instructional practices. Moreover, the distance (division)of respondents, duration of training did not affect the professional development of respondents. Moreover, professional development had a direct relationship with the instructional practices in special education.