USING PUPPETS IN WORKING WITH PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS / MOŽNOSTI RABE LUTK PRI UČENCIH S POSEBNIMI VZGOJNO-IZOBRAŽEVALNIMI POTREBAMI

Artistic teaching tools included in the process of education increase the efficiency of traditional learning methods, since they help pupils to be more open, relaxed and motivated, while facilitating the presenting of information. Puppets present one such tool, as by including them in the educational process, they affect different areas of a child's development, which is important for all pupils, especially those with special educational needs. They help achieve general and specific objectives in the process of education set out individually for each pupil with learning difficulties, since they offer a more creative, more interesting and less stressful style of learning. Puppets can affect the emotional, cognitive and social development of pupils and enable their integrated development as well. The research is based on a descriptive causal non-experimental method of empirical pedagogical research and was conducted among Slovenian teachers teaching pupils with special needs in regular elementary schools. We presented the teachers with the possibility of using puppets in their teaching process, found out the frequency and the aim of the use, as well as teachers' opinions on the use of puppets, their acquaintance with their use and factors affecting it. Z vključevanjem umetnostnih sredstev v proces vzgoje in izobraževanja se poveča učinkovitost tradicionalnih metod učenja, saj so učenci ob njih bolj odprti, sproščeni in motivirani, posredovanje informacij pa je olajšano. Eno izmed umetnostnih sredstev so tudi lutke, ki lahko z vključevanjem v proces vzgoje in izobraževanja vplivajo na različna področja otrokovega razvoja, kar je pomembno za vse učence, še toliko bolj pa za učence s posebnimi potrebami. Na zanimivejši, kreativnejši in manj stresen način omogočajo doseganje splošnih ciljev vzgoje in izobraževanja ter specifičnih ciljev za otroke s posebnimi potrebami, ki se določijo v individualiziranem programu za posameznega učenca s posebnimi potrebami. Z njihovim vključevanjem k delu vplivamo na čustveni, spoznavni in socialni razvoj učencev ter jim omogočamo celostni razvoj. Opravili smo deskriptivno kavzalno neeksperimentalno empirično pedagoško raziskavo med slovenskimi učitelji, ki poučujejo otroke s posebnimi potrebami v redni osnovni šoli. Predstavili smo jim možnosti uporabe lutk v pedagoškem procesu, ugotavljali pogostost in namen rabe lutk pri njihovem delu ter stališča do njihove rabe, poznavanje možnosti dela z lutkami in dejavnike, ki vplivajo na njihovo rabo lutk