The Benefits of Inclusive Education

· Families’ visions of a typical life for their children can come true.

· Children develop a positive understanding of themselves and others.

· Developing friendships.

· Children learn important academic skills.

· All children learn by being together.

For a long time, children with disabilities were educated in separate classes or in separate schools. People got used to the idea that special education meant separate education. But we now know that when children are educated together, positive academic and social outcomes occur for all the children involved.

We also know that simply placing children with and without disabilities together does not produce positive outcomes. Inclusive education occurs when there is ongoing advocacy, planning, support and commitment.

These are the principles that guide quality inclusive education:

· All children belong.

Inclusive education is based on the simple idea that every child and family is valued equally and deserves the same opportunities and experiences. Inclusive education is about children with disabilities – whether the disability is mild or severe, hidden or obvious – participating in everyday activities, just like they would if their disability were not present. It’s about building friendships, membership and having opportunities just like everyone else.

· All children learn in different ways.

Inclusion is about providing the help children need to learn and participate in meaningful ways. Sometimes, help from friends or teachers works best. Other times, specially designed materials or technology can help. The key is to give only as much help as needed.

· It is every child’s right to be included.

Inclusive education is a child’s right, not a privilege. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act clearly states that all children with disabilities should be educated with non-disabled children their own age and have access to the general education curriculum.

Vocabulary: Give the translation.

Inclusive education

Special needs school

Special education

Children with disabilities

Students with special educational needs

integration

mainstreaming

learn together

regular inclusion or partial inclusion –

full inclusion

Answer the questions:

What is inclusive education?

What are kinds of inclusive education?

What are benefits of inclusive education?

What are main principles of inclusive education?

Writing an essay on the topic “Inclusive education in Kazakhstan: problems and perspectives”

Draft Outline:

1. Introduction (main idea).

2. Main part (major statements and their proof).

3. Conclusion (opinion).

Recommendations for students’ independent works

Aim. Independent work of students in the discipline aims to develop students’ skills of independent work, development of creativity, independence and the research approach in the development of educational material.

Methodological recommendations: SIW assumes independent development of educational material in libraries and computer labs. SIW can be carried out in such forms as the execution of a written work (essay, report, assignment, essay, notes, colloquium (oral), development of practice notes, writing essays, making clusters, Venn diagrams, and other self-development of training material for course work recommended list of basic and additional literature.

Calendar and thematic plan for students’ independent work

Students’ independent work#1

Students’ independent work #1 consists of 4 assignments:

1. To make up glossary for the course “Special pedagogy” (not less than 20 words). A student should make up a list of special terms and words related to the specialty “Defectology” (or Special pedagogy) and give definition and translation. For example:

2. To make up information reference book for the topic “Classification of people with disabilities”. It should include the answers to the following questions:

a) What is disability?

b) What are kinds of disabilities? Describe each in short.

c) What are categories of people with disabilities?

d) Include the scheme of Classification of people with disabilities.

3. Complete the comparative table “Programs of early intervention (foreign and domestic experience)”:

In Notes it is better to write what is the same and what is different in the programs and reasons for these differences.

4. Make up a scheme for the topic “Periodization of establishing special education system in Kazakhstan”:

Periods of developing pedagogical science in Kazakhstan:

1) Ancient times (from VІІ-VІІІ centuries B.C. till V century A.D.)

2) Middle Age times (from V century A.D. till the 30s of ХVIII century)

3) New history of Kazakhstan (from the 30s of ХVIII century till February 1917)

4) Soviet times (from 1917-1920 till August-December 1991)

5) From Post-Soviet till present times (since December 16, 1991 till present time)

Students’ independent work#2

Students’ independent work #2consists of 4 assignments:

1. Complete the table “Modern foreign researches in the field of special pedagogy” and record an audio for it:

2. Write an essay (150-200 words) on the topic “Categories of children with hearing impairments”. The essay structure:

Introduction (2-3 sentences)

Body (main statements/ problems and their prove/ problem-solving ways):

1 Statement: …

2 Statement: …

2 Statement: …

Conclusion (summing up and your opinion)

3. Prepare a presentation for the topic “Famous persons with hearing impairment (for example, Beethoven)” (10-15 slides) and record audio or film a video for the presentation.

Requirements for presentation:

· Number of slides – 10-15 slides

· There should brief information (notes) in each slide

· Check information on quality

· Use headlines for slides (introduction, personal life, achievements, history of disease)

· The slide background is neutral

· Use pictures, tables, schemes, lists

· Final slide is for references

4. Make up an open test for 10-15 questions and close test for 10-15 questions on the topic “Speech impairment and ways of its treatment”.

Students’ independent work#3

Students’ independent work #3consists of 4 assignments:

1. Prepare a presentation for the topic “Famous persons with speech impairment” (10-15 slides) and record audio or film a video for the presentation.

Requirements for presentation:

· Number of slides – 10-15 slides

· There should brief information (notes) in each slide

· Check information on quality

· Use headlines for slides (introduction, personal life, achievements, history of disease)

· The slide background is neutral

· Use pictures, tables, schemes, lists

· Final slide is for references

2. Prepare a videoproject for the topic “Intellectual disability and ways of its treatment. Famous persons with intellectual disability” which must include the complete research of the topic.

Requirements for project:

a. Conduct a research for the topic. The research must include discussion of the following problems:

Ø What is an intellectual disability?

Ø What are kinds of intellectual disability? Describe in short each kind.

Ø What is the role of a defectologist in teaching children with intellectual disabilities?

Ø What are ways of its treatment?

Ø Make a brief message about a famous person with intellectual disability.

b. The final results of your research you must present in the form of video (mini film).

3. Prepare a presentation for the topic “Visual impairment and ways of its treatment” (10-15 slides) and record audio or film a video for the presentation. Requirements are the same.

4. Make notes to the topic “Famous persons with visual impairment” and record an audio for these notes.

Students’ independent work#4

Students’ independent work #4 consists of 4 assignments:

1. Prepare a presentation for the topic “Locomotor impairment and ways of its treatment” (10-15 slides) and record audio or film a video for the presentation. Requirements are the same.

2. Prepare a quiz on the topic “Famous persons with speech impairment (for example, Stephen Hawking)”. The quiz must include a number of key topic questions (15-20) and at least 4 different assignments (rounds).

3. Make notes to the topic “Professional education of people with disabilities” and record an audio for these notes.

4. Prepare a project for the topic “Non-traditional methods of teaching children with disabilities. Art and music therapies. Information technologies in special education” which must include the complete research of the topic.

Requirements for project:

a. Conduct a research for the topic. The research must include discussion of the following problems:

Ø What are non-traditional methods of teaching children with disabilities?

Ø What are peculiarities of using non-traditional methods of teaching?

Ø What are benefits and disadvantages of non-traditional methods of teaching?

Ø What is Art therapy? What kinds does it include? (brief description of each)

Ø What is the role of information technologies in special education?

b. Prepare at least 3 microteaching (with plans) with the use of different non-traditional methods and one kind of art-therapy.