Specific assessment and self-assessment practices and methods for students with mild intellectual disabilities at geography lessons

Siekdami užtikrinti ugdymo kokybę, ypač kai klasėje yra ir specialiųjų poreikių mokinių, mokytojai turi kruopščiai suplanuoti savo veiklą – parinkti tinkamus ugdymo būdus ir formas, mokymo(si) metodus ir priemones, sukurti atitinkamą ugdymo(si) aplinką. Ne mažiau svarbi kiekvieno mokytojo sėkmingos veiklos dalis – mokinių pasiekimų vertimas ir įsivertinimas. Vertinimas plačiąja prasme orientuotas į besimokančiųjų asmeninių galių plėtojimą, adekvatų savo galimybių ir gebėjimų vertinimą. Jis turi atspindėti ko mokomasi, kas išmokta, kokiais būdais ugdymo procesas vyksta, ar jis vyksta neignoruojant individualių besimokančiojo mokymosi tempų ir būdų, atsižvelgiant į besimokančiojo poreikius. Remdamasis vertinimo informacija, mokytojas suteikia pagalbą tiems mokiniams, kuriems jos reikia, pavyzdžiui, specialiųjų poreikių mokiniams. Šiame straipsnyje, pasitelkus mokslinės literatūros ir empirinių tyrimo rezultatų analizę, apžvelgiami nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto mokinių vertinimo ir įsivertinimo būdų bei metodų ypatumai geografijos pamokose.One of the major features of modern education systems is to create conditions for students with mild intellectual disabilities to learn according to programs adjusted to their individual skills and abilities and to apply special training practices and methods for achievement of optimal learning achievements. In order to ensure high quality of education for students with special needs teachers are supposed to plan thoroughly their teaching activity, i. e. to select relevant teaching aids and forms and to create adequate learning atmosphere. Yet involvement of students in each other’s assessment and self-assessment activities is another important prerogative of teacher’s effective work. The present article is devoted to specific assessment and self-assessment practices and methods for students with mild intellectual disabilities at geography lessons. It is based on analysis of literary sources, results of empirical investigations and author’s individual practical experience. The aim of the article is to survey the specific features of methods and practices applied during geography lessons for training students with mild intellectual disabilities to assess each other and themselves. The main tasks are the following: 1. To discuss the specific abilities of students with mild intellectual disabilities and difficulties affecting their learning achievements and self-assessment; 2. To present some assessment and self-assessment methods helping to organise the teaching/learning process during geography lessons for students with mild intellectual disabilities. Research methods are analysis of scientific literary sources and results of empirical investigations. For successful training and evaluation of students with mild intellectual disabilities, teachers of geography must be well aware of the specific character of their intellectual development and the related learning difficulties. The students with mild intellectual disabilities have perception disorders, they lack logical thinking and concentration, their memory is specific, their language is poor and they are emotionally immature. Yet it should be born in mind that some or even the majority of these features may be absent as the special needs and impairments of students with intellectual disabilities are rather variable. Therefore, the organisation of the process of teaching/learning geography must be based on the understanding of the uniqueness of every student with mild intellectual disabilities and knowledge of his personality and social environment. For evaluation of students with mild intellectual disabilities during geography lessons formal and informal evaluation techniques are applied. It is very important for the teacher of geography to appreciate the knowledge and skills of students, their general and subject abilities and the progress made. The informal accumulative evaluation (individual interviews, discussion and reciprocal understanding) is also very important. Based on the author’s individual experience, the most relevant methods of assessment and self-assessment during geography lessons are the following: individual verbal inquiry, inquiry in the written form, tests, presentations, flash, mosaic, method of incomplete sentences, etc. Yet it is of primary importance to bear in mind that teacher’s ability to select adequate teaching aims and the assessment methods that ensure the best learning achievements for students of whatever intellectual level plays a decisive role in the teaching process