Education for students with special Needs: child X case

Straipsnyje pristatoma pedagogų bei tėvų nuomonė apie specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turinčių mokinių ugdymo(si) situaciją bendrojo ugdymo mokykloje. Kokybinio tyrimo metu, atliekant pusiau struktūruotą interviu su pedagogais bei mama, nustatyta, kad specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turintys mokiniai į bendrojo ugdymo mokyklą yra įtraukiami labiau teoriškai nei praktiškai. Nors tyrimo dalyviai pasisako už specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turinčių mokinių įtraukimą, suteikia įvairiapusišką specialistų pagalbą, informantai įžvelgia nemažai sistemos trūkumų, kurie nesuteikia galimybės skirti mokiniui tokios pagalbos, kuri jam būtina. Tyrimo dalyvių nuomone, bendrojo ugdymo mokyklose dirbantys pedagogai nėra išmokyti, kaip su tokiais mokiniais dirbti, trūksta priemonių, atskirų patalpų individualiam darbui. Klasėse per didelis mokinių skaičius. Dėl šių priežasčių ugdymas, nukreiptas į mokinį, ne visuomet yra tikslingas. Taip pat paaiškėjo, kad su mokiniu dirbantiems specialistams sunku komunikuoti tarpusavyje ir dirbti komandoje išsikeliant bendrą tikslą ir jo siekiant. Visi apklaustieji dirba taip, kaip, kiekvieno atskira nuomone, yra geriausia. Išryškėjo ir menkas tėvų su mokiniu darbas namuose. Dėl šių priežasčių mokinio ugdyme trūksta tęstinumo, kuris yra vienas iš svarbiausių veiksnių, darančių įtaką specialiųjų poreikių turinčių mokinių ugdymo(si) sėkmei.In order to create equal teaching/learning opportunities and educational conditions that correspond to the special needs of students, the State of Lithuania has created a legislative framework. The 2011 Law of the Republic of Lithuania amending the Law on Education (2011) is one of the most important laws that enable the inclusion of students with special needs in the process of teaching/learning at general education schools. After the following law had been enacted, there appeared a need to change the concept of special education with regard to the idea of inclusive education, which states that teaching/learning should be implemented for all students at the same time, eliminating all possible conditions that create discrimination on the basis of different faculties of students. According to the data of 2018-2019, there have been 35,711 students with special educational needs fully integrated and studying at Lithuanian general education schools. "Different for the different ones" is teaching/learning by taking into account the differences in educational needs, choices, abilities, styles, and offering diverse and appropriate opportunities for the tempo, ways and techniques of learning (The Good School Conception, 2015). In accordance with the Profile of Inclusive Teachers developed by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, the most important values that should guide persons engaged in inclusive teaching/learning in the system of education are as follows: respect for the diversity and differences of learners, collaboration between teachers and personal professional development, acceptance of responsibility for lifelong learning, and acting in conformity with the principle that teaching is integral to personal development (European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2017). On the basis of the above values, Mažylienė, Gutauskienė, Tumelienė and Špokienė (2011) argue that inclusive education does not end with a change of attitude or a consent to admit a student with special needs to a general education school. It includes a different organization of the educational process, where it is necessary to link the systems of general and special education, adopt an interactive approach to disability, differentiate and develop a student support programme, and constantly improve competencies of specialists. A reference to research (Ališauskienė, Ališauskas, Šapelytė et al. 2007, Gerulaitis, 2007, Scheuermann, Hall, 2008, Wearmouth, Glynn, Berryman 2004), consultations with specialists, and arrangements with colleagues would provide an opportunity to reveal the child's abilities (or "circumvent" a disability) and experience a sense of teaching/learning success. The inclusion of participants (students, one’s family, specialists, teachers), as equal partners, in the process of education, a search for solutions, planning, implementation, and assessment of activities, and reflection, not only constructs a behaviour which is based on self-control, responsibility and maintenance of a positive approach, but also promotes processes of learning/teaching by doing, when one learns/teaches together with others and from others. Therefore, the research problem can be defined as a question: how is teaching/learning of students with special educational needs organized at general education schools? Research object: education of students with special educational needs. Research aim: to theoretically justify educational opportunities of students with special educational needs and examine the case of child X with a complex disease. Results of the qualitative research suggest that in the case of teaching/learning of child X, inclusive education is carried out on a more theoretical than practical basis, as many reservations arise in the education of the subject that prevent one from being fully included. Despite the fact that schools advocate the inclusion of students with special educational needs at general education schools, informants observe a number of weaknesses in the system that do not provide an opportunity for the subject to receive the support one requires. The research revealed that specialists working at schools are unable to cooperate, and act intentionally and purposefully. There were also differences in the attitudes of families and teachers towards the educational success of the subject. A lack of tools and support was also evident. All the mentioned shortcomings, according to the informants, appear due to a lack of knowledge, competencies, different attitudes and funds. Therefore, it can be stated that the teaching/learning of child X is not a successful example of the process of inclusive education. When summarizing results, research limitations should also be noted. Limitations of a qualitative research are related to the inevitable subjectivity of a qualitative research. Despite the fact that all necessary requirements were followed when planning and implementing the following research, generalization of results and opportunities of their application are partially limited by the small number of participants. The results of the qualitative research are unique and characteristic only for participants of the following research