Editorial: the Salamanca Statement: 25 years on

ABSTRACT

June 2019 saw the 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Special Needs Education, which was co-organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain, and held in the city of Salamanca. It led to the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, arguably the most significant international document that has ever appeared in the field of special education. In so doing, it endorsed the idea of inclusive education, which was to become a major influence in subsequent years. The articles in this special issue illustrate the ways in which the Salamanca Statement has and still is influencing the development of policies and practices across the world. In this editorial, we provide readers with some relevant background to these developments.     

Book Reviews

Steve Adams, Derbyshire LEA/University of Nottingham, Perspectives on Pastoral Care, Woocester, A. and Hall, E. 1986, University of Nottingham School of Education, (No. 5 in Human Relations in Education Series)

Eileen Callely, University of Cardiff, Educational Systems for Disruptive Adolescents, Topping, Keith 1983, Croom Helm Ltd., Beckenham, Kent, U.K. (also St. Martin's Press Inc, New York) £7.95

Susan Heyes, Essex Institute of Higher Education, All in a day's work, Walker, D. 1985, Edward Arnold; Them and Us, Parkes, R. 1985, Edward Arnold

Peter Ribbins, University of Birmingham, GO 87: Graduate Opportunities, Pierce, Liz, (Ed), 1986, Newpoint Publishing, £15.00 pp. 920

Barbara Sharples, Worden High School, Lanes, Child Psychology in Action , John Harris, 1986, Croom Helm

Colin J. Smith, University of Birmingham, Special Need in Ordinary Classrooms, G. Hanko, Publisher: Basil Blackwell     

School Improvement: A Study of the Roles of Leaders and External Consultants

This paper analyses the experience of so-called “failing schools” in order to develop understandings that can inform improvement efforts. It reports on a study of the experiences of a small number of English primary schools placed in “special measures” as a result of being inspected. The study is unusual in that, in the past, researchers have found it difficult to gain access to such sensitive contexts. Existing literature argues that staff collaboration and social cohesion have to be necessary features of efforts to support change in schools that are seen to be failing. However, the detailed analysis of what happened in the schools within this particular study suggests that the experience of being characterised as “failing” can act as a barrier to the creation of more collaborative ways of working. This analysis led to an examination of the links between culture and leadership, and how such links can provide useful insights for school improvement in contexts that are defined as failing.     

Pedagogy of Science Teaching Tests: Formative assessments of science teaching orientations

A critical aspect of teacher education is gaining pedagogical content knowledge of how to teach science for conceptual understanding. Given the time limitations of college methods courses, it is difficult to touch on more than a fraction of the science topics potentially taught across grades K-8, particularly in the context of relevant pedagogies. This research and development work centers on constructing a formative assessment resource to help expose pre-service teachers to a greater number of science topics within teaching episodes using various modes of instruction. To this end, 100 problem-based, science pedagogy assessment items were developed via expert group discussions and pilot testing. Each item contains a classroom vignette followed by response choices carefully crafted to include four basic pedagogies (didactic direct, active direct, guided inquiry, and open inquiry). The brief but numerous items allow a substantial increase in the number of science topics that pre-service students may consider. The intention is that students and teachers will be able to share and discuss particular responses to individual items, or else record their responses to collections of items and thereby create a snapshot profile of their teaching orientations. Subsets of items were piloted with students in pre-service science methods courses, and the quantitative results of student responses were spread sufficiently to suggest that the items can be effective for their intended purpose.     

The Pedagogical Orientations of South African Physical Sciences Teachers Towards Inquiry or Direct Instructional Approaches

In recent years, inquiry-based science instruction has become widely advocated in science education standards in many countries and, hence, in teacher preparation programmes. Nevertheless, in practice, one finds a wide variety of science instructional approaches. In South Africa, as in many countries, there is also a great disparity in school demographic situations, which can also affect teaching practices. This study investigated the pedagogical orientations of in-service physical sciences teachers at a diversity of schools in South Africa. Assessment items in a Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT) were used to identify teachers’ science teaching orientations, and reasons for pedagogical choices were probed in interviews. The findings reveal remarkable differences between the orientations of teachers at disadvantaged township schools and teachers at more privileged suburban schools. We found that teachers at township schools have a strong ‘active direct’ teaching orientation overall, involving direct exposition of the science followed by confirmatory practical work, while teachers at suburban schools exhibit a guided inquiry orientation, with concepts being developed via a guided exploration phase. The study identified contextual factors such as class size, availability of resources, teacher competence and confidence, time constraints, student ability, school culture and parents’ expectations as influencing the methods adopted by teachers. In view of the recent imperative for inquiry-based learning in the new South African curriculum, this study affirms the context specificity of curriculum implementation (Bybee 1993) and suggests situational factors beyond the curriculum mandate that need to be addressed to achieve successful inquiry-based classroom instruction in science.     

“Standing in Terri Schiavo's Shoes”: The Role of Genre in End-of-Life Decision Making

This article reports the findings from analysis of end-of-life court cases and case files from one state public guardianship administrator as well as interviews with guardians or surrogates to identify how language and principles of the courts are operationalized in end-of-life decisions for those who are unable to make decisions for themselves. We found that physicians and guardians worked well within the requirements of the genre to ensure the best interests for those whom they represent.