Class teacher\u27s role in working with primary school students with special needs and his professional development

Zakon o osnovni šoli iz leta 1996 ter Zakon o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami iz leta 2000 sta na formalni ravni omogočila vključevanje otrok s posebnimi potrebami v osnovne šole, ki je slednje postavil pred nove izzive. Uresničevanje inkluzije v šolski praksi je strokovno zahtevna in odgovorna naloga, v kateri svojo vlogo prevzema tudi razrednik. V teoretičnem delu so predstavljeni formalni vidiki integracije otrok s posebnimi potrebami, razmejitev integracije od inkluzije ter dejavniki, ki vplivajo na uresničevanje inkluzije v šolski praksi. Predstavljena je vloga razrednika z vidika šolske zakonodaje in strokovne literature, s posebnim poudarkom na vlogi in nalogah razrednika pri delu z otroki s posebnimi potrebami. Predstavljeni so različni modeli in dejavniki profesionalnega razvoja učitelja razrednika. V kvantitativni raziskavi smo izhajali iz konkretne izkušnje 51 razrednih učiteljev ter 41 predmetnih učiteljev razrednikov iz desetih namensko izbranih osnovnih šol po Sloveniji, ki imajo oziroma so že imeli v oddelek vključenega otroka s posebnimi potrebami. Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da se razredniki praviloma strinjajo z načeli inkluzije, a jo v večji meri pojmujejo kot integracijo otrok s posebnimi potrebami v redno osnovno šolo, kjer se od otroka s posebnimi potrebami pričakuje, da se bo prilagodil učnemu okolju. V največji meri se razredniki posvečajo skrbi za zagotavljanje ustreznih prilagoditev, v nekoliko manjši meri pa iskanju in omogočanju razvoja otrokovih močnih področij. Velika večina razrednikov ocenjuje, da lahko sami pomembno pripomorejo k socialni vključenosti otroka s posebnimi potrebami v oddelčno skupnost (razredni učitelji v večji meri kot predmetni učitelji razredniki), pri čemer navajajo predvsem sistematično, načrtno delo s celotnim oddelkom ter z ravnanjem in s sporočili, ki dajejo vedeti, kakšni odnosi, vedenje, vrednote in prepričanja so zaželeni. Razredniki svojo usposobljenost pri delu z otroki s posebnimi potrebami na začetku poklicne poti ocenjujejo pomembno nižje kot njihovo sedanjo usposobljenost, pri čemer kot najpomembnejše dejavnike profesionalnega razvoja navajajo njihove dosedanje izkušnje z razredništvom, vzpodbudno klimo na šoli, sodelovanje v strokovnih skupinah ter nadaljnje izobraževanje in usposabljanje. V prihodnje si razredniki želijo usposabljanja na področju konkretnih metod, oblik dela, možnih prilagoditev in načinov preverjanja in ocenjevanja znanja za posameznega otroka s posebnimi potrebami, izražajo pa tudi žejo po usposabljanju na področju vloge in nalog razrednika pri delu z otroki s posebnimi potrebami, kar kaže na aktualnost in nedefiniranost obravnavane teme.Elementary School Act (1996) and Placement of Children with Special Needs Act (2000) have on a formal level enabled integration of children with special needs in primary schools which have been encountered with new challenges. Realization of inclusion in school practice is a professionally demanding and responsible task in which the class teacher has an important role. In the theoretical part we present formal views of integrating students with special needs, division of integration and inclusion, and factors which influence realisation of inclusion in school practice. We introduce class teacher’s role from the point of view of school legislation and specialized literature, focusing on class teacher’s role and his or her tasks when working with children with special needs. Different models and factors of class teacher’s professional development are presented as well. In the quantitative research we have referred to experiences of 51 general class teachers and 41 specialist class teachers from ten selected schools in Slovenia that have had a student with special needs included in their classroom. Research analyses show that class teachers generally do agree with inclusion concepts, however, they understand it as integration of students with special needs in regular primary school where such students are expected to adjust to educational environment. Teachers are mostly concerned with enabling suitable adjustments, and to a lesser extent with searching for and developing children’s strong points. Most of the class teachers believe that they can significantly help to socially include a child with special needs in his or her classroom (general class teachers feel this way more frequently than special class teachers). This is achieved by systematically working with the rest of the class, behaving and giving messages that reveal what relationships, conducts, values and beliefs are desirable. At the beginning of their career class teachers evaluate their competences at work with children with special needs significantly worse than afterwards, while listing their experiences with class teaching, encouraging school climate, participation in expert groups, as well as educational and qualification programmes as the most important factors for their professional development. In the future class teachers desire qualification programmes dealing with concrete teaching methods and classroom interaction patterns, possible adjustments and ways of testing and assessing children with special needs. They also wish for qualification programmes dealing with the role and functions of class teacher working with children with special needs, which shows how up-to-date and undefined the issue concerned is