Inclusive Education In Uk
inclusive education are not necessary ‘evil’ people. These are people who have been influenced by society’s misconception and negativity; they simply do not understand children with special needs. (Daniels, 2000) On the other hand, such persons may be afraid of facing the reality that children with special needs to exist as they have grown accustomed to ignoring them or leaving them out. There is an underlying issue behind some of these misconceptions and negative attitudes; most people are actually unaccustomed to change. Inclusive education will involve an adjustment of present teaching practices, methods and approaches and this is something that really frightens most people.
How teachers can help special needs children adapt to mainstream classes
Teachers need to understand that as soon as they have decided to take up inclusive classrooms as part of their responsibility, then they need to be ready for a lot of work. Teachers should equip themselves with all the necessary information needed to cope with these changes. There are certain skills and knowledge that will help them teach children with special needs. (Reynolds and Fletcher-Jansen, 2007) For instance, some of them may have mental disabilities thus making it very difficult to comprehend simple instructions. Such teachers need to know what to do in order to enhance the learning process. First of all teachers need to take their time. Some children may take painstakingly long periods of time before understanding any piece of information. A simple exercise like adding numbers may require weeks of practice for children with such challenges. This means that teachers need to give these children special attention. They must realise that learning for such students will only take place if they deal with it one step at a time.
Additionally, teachers can also help students with special needs adapt to the mainstream classroom environment through equipping themselves with all the necessary technology available in the world today. There are always new devices and methods that are being created in order to help children with special needs live better lives. For instance, there are computer programs for visually impaired persons. If teachers regularly attend workshops, read journals, books and other sources on technological advancements in the field of special education, then they can familiarise themselves with it and this will go a long way in stimulating the learning process.
Additionally, teachers also have to develop customised teaching techniques in order to make each learning technique specific to a particular child. This means that they should take the time to understand what different children need. For instance, there was once a teacher who was trying to control a child with learning disabilities but found it rather difficult. The child would speak when he was not supposed to and rarely listened to what he was told. If the rest of his classmates were required to do some painting, this child would demolish all the tools that he had been given. But after immense tolerance and patience, the child’s teacher understood that the child could only concentrate for a period of sixty minutes. His teacher would maximise the sixty minutes available to her every day and by the end of the year, the special needs child made considerable progress.
Teachers can try their best to implement some of the above strategies but if they lack support from the administration and other stakeholders, then very little can be achieved. There is a need to implement policies and procedures that enhance inclusion. (Armstrong et al, 2000) Teachers need numerous resources to deal with different kinds of scenario. Administrators need to change the curriculum as traditional curricula may not have the ability to cope with all the requirements that come with inclusive education. Besides this, there should be a lot of changes in the structures and systems of the school. (Odom et al, 1999)
There is no doubt that the United Kingdom has definitely come a long way in the process of implementing inclusive education. However, there are numerous challenges that still lie ahead. There is need for better legislations that discourage funding of segregated schools, parents need not deny their children access to inclusive education and there should be greater funding in this area. Teachers and school administrators need to desist from stereotypes as these stereotypes only stem from ignorance and they also impede the proceeds of inclusion. Because all these issues are still at the table, then inclusive education still has a long way to go in the UK.
Extent of parental involvement
Inclusive education has also brought about some controversial issues; how far should parents be involved in the process? Some people argue that parents need to reserve the right to decide for their children whether they should attend