Identities of special needs education in the discourse of Finnish professors of the field

This article examines both the discourses upon which Finnish special needs education professors draw when speaking about their field, and the consequent identities for it. The research material consists of theme interviews with 10 professors of special needs education and is analysed from a socio-constructionist, discourse analytical perspective. The results show that the professors defined special needs education from two separate viewpoints: on the basis of their own personal views, or on the basis of the classical definitions of special needs education. The professors spoke about the field through five different discourses: professional, emancipatory, relativistic, autonomous and critical. The majority of these discourses constructed special needs education as an important part of the science field, although the relativistic discourse problematised its position as an independent discipline.     

Surveying digital competencies of university students and professors in Ukraine for fully online collaborative learning

Collaborative-constructivist online learning appears well aligned with Ukraine’s post-revolutionary aspirations for globalised and transformed higher education. This study explores digital competencies of students and professors at Kyiv National Economic University, Ukraine, to probe readiness for fully online collaborative learning. The General Technology Competency and Use profile tool was completed by 244 participants to measure digital experience and confidence across four categories of human–computer activity. To assess readiness, reported levels of competencies were related to the three dimensions of successful collaborative learning described by the Community of Inquiry model. Despite some key differences between students and teachers, general findings include moderate-to-low levels of self-reported technical, social and informational competency, accompanied by consistently low levels of epistemological competency. These findings suggest that neither students nor teachers are adequately prepared for achieving high levels of social, cognitive and teaching presence in a fully online learning environment. It is recommended that digital-competency development become an educational priority.     

基于MCLA的特教生信息类课程教学探析

在介绍了MCLA教学理念的基础上,对比了与传统教学方法的主要区别。针对特教学生的特点,以《VB程序设计》课程为例,阐述了如何将MCLA教学方法应用到VB程序设计教学中,并就示例的设计、教学目标的设定、授课过程中教学互动进行了较深入的探讨。本研究对特教学生信息类课程的教学改革可以提供有效参考。     

Mentoring in literacy education: a commentary from graduate students,untenured professors,and tenured professors

This commentary continues a dialogue which began among literacy teacher educators attending an alternative format session about mentoring in the academy at a national conference. Literacy teacher educators participated in an informal discussion centered on the nature of mentoring in the academy for doctoral students, untenured professors, and tenured professors. Doctoral students focused on their changing identities and roles in the academy, their concerns about navigating the political infrastructure of academia, and the importance of assuming a proactive stance towards obtaining mentoring, especially for part‐time doctoral students. Untenured professors focused on the ways they were inventing and reinventing themselves within the power and politics of academia and their need for more holistic mentoring during these turbulent times. Tenured professors were able to embed mentoring experiences into their scholarly work and find ways to benefit or learn from mentoring experiences. These mentors also found comfort in more informal mentoring that included self‐initiated endeavors centered on mutual interests. Our commentary draws on these discussions as well as the professional literature on mentoring to describe the importance of mutual trust and reciprocity in mentoring throughout all stages of academia with attention to cultural and linguistic diversity.     

美国高校大学生学术指导及启示

美国高校重视对大学生的学术指导工作 ,对这项工作的研究和实践也已经形成了比较完善的体系。我们从中可以获得一些启示。     

Roles and competencies of academic counsellors in distance education

Academic counsellors or tutors are engaged as a link between learners and distance teaching institutions. They perform various roles such as facilitating learning of subject matter content, assessing assignments, providing motivation and encouragement, and supervising research/term papers/project work. Each of these roles requires specific competencies to enable them to perform satisfactorily. This paper identifies the roles performed by academic counsellors at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the competencies required for each role. It also provides a generic list of competencies required to perform as an academic counsellor. Based on self‐rating of the competency of a group of academic counsellors, the paper recommends the training of academic counsellors and the development of distance teaching materials for use in competence‐building.     

Neuroscience, education and special education

The discipline of neuroscience draws from the fields of neurology, psychology, physiology and biology, but is best understood in the wider world as 'brain science'. Of particular interest for education is the development of techniques for 'imaging' the brain as it performs different cognitive functions. Cognitive neuroimaging has already led to advances in understanding some of the basic functions involved in learning and raised implications for education and special education in particular. For example, neuroimaging has enabled scientists to study the very complex processes underpinning speech and language, thinking and reasoning, reading and mathematics. In this article, Professor Usha Goswami of the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education first reviews basic information on brain development. She provides a brief introduction to the tools used in neuroimaging then considers recent findings from neuroscience that seem relevant to educational questions. Professor Goswami uses this review to suggest particular ways in which neuroscience research could inform special education. In its closing sections, this article provides authoritative perspectives on some of the 'neuromyths' that seem to have taken root in the popular imagination and argues for increased dialogue, in the future, between the disciplines of neuroscience and education.     

The pitfalls and promises of special education practice.

It is imperative that special education enable children with disabilities to achieve at high levels. Problems of equity and pedagogical validity have hindered our efforts thus far, and many children of minority cultures are far overrepresented in classrooms for students with learning disabilities and mild mental retardation. Studies have shown the importance of culturally and linguistically inclusive programs and of heterogenous groupings, as well as more effective diagnostic, remedial, and assessment practices. This article discussed a model and basic principles for such techniques to ensure that the educational outcomes of all children are improved.     

Including multicultural education in science education: Definitions,competencies, and activities

Overall, too few science teachers are being prepared in this country, and ethnic minority students are rarely enrolling in science teacher education programs. Thus, it is particularly important that multicultural education be included in science teacher education programs. I do not believe that science teacher educators will be able to prepare significantly more minority science teachers in the near future to teach the growing number of minority students in schools. Consequently, science teacher education programs must begin producing multicultural teachers. If we do not, then millions of children will not receive an adequate science education, let alone a good one.     

Evaluating the fairness of special education hearings.

The U.S. Congress mandated due process hearings in special education disputes to ensure parental involvement in educational decision making and to promote individual justice. The present study explored two kinds of justice, defined as objective and subjective fairness, and examined parent and school officials' subjective experience of the fairness of their hearings. Findings indicate that hearings are not achieving subjective fairness. Neither school officials nor parents felt positively about the experience. Supplements to hearings, such as mediation and negotiation, should be studied to see if they are more effective vehicles for achieving congressional intent and for avoiding costly and emotionally draining hearings.     

Certification and specialized competencies for teachers in gifted education programs

This article describes the value of Piaget's equilibration theory for understanding characteristics of the young gifted child. Key elements of equilibration theory are discussed. Differences in the equilibration patterns in gifted children are described and application of equilibration to other than cognitive systems is considered. The article concludes with some ideas for teachers and parents to help gifted young children search for equilibrium.     

Experiencing special education

Abstract

In this study 23 former students of special classes for the emotionally and behaviorally disordered (EBD) located in mainstream school were interviewed about their school experiences. The qualitative data were gathered in two in-depth interviews in 1991 and 1995 in southern Finland. The pros and cons of special education are presented as positive and negative elements of special class treatment.The most positive elements were the special teacher and the small teaching group. The most common and signi?cant negative element was the experience of being labeled. The placement of students with special needs in special classrooms has been criticized during recent years. The positive experiences of former EBD pupils shows that there is still need for this kind of intervention for some pupils and in certain phases of their school careers. However, the quality of education must be guaranteed with the help of individualized education plans (IEPs) in cooperation with the regular class teachers.