A constructivist attempt to change attitudes towards children with special needs

ABSTRACT

A research programme was initiated to promote positive attitudes towards children with special needs. Fifteen students each taught four lessons to children from second to sixth class in Primary Schools. Their approach was constructivist involving discussion and activities designed to provide opportunities for the children to reconsider their ideas. A post‐test was given to 465 experimental and 326 control children. Experimental children were different from controls in being more prosocial in a number of ways. Children who knew somebody with a mental handicap were affected by the programme differently in comparison with inexperienced children, largely by becoming more aware of the difficulties of children with special needs. There were a number of age and gender differences in the ways children think about mental handicap.     

Whatever it takes: How beginning teachers learn to survive

Reports of high attrition rates among beginning teachers suggest that new practitioners need help to develop coping strategies, preferably while they are still teacher candidates under the supervision of experienced teachers. Defining teaching as an ill-defined problem, where beginners have a limited repertoire of problem-solving strategies, this paper suggests that the ability to satisfice – that is, develop temporary but sufficient solutions – enables teachers to survive the early years of practice. However, it appears that, paradoxically, satisficing is one of the skills that is developed with experience. As we demonstrate in this paper, veteran practitioners have learned how to cope and by mentoring, they can help newcomers deal with the complex problems of initial practice.