Uncharted territory and extraordinary times: the SENCo's experiences of leading special education during a pandemic in England

This research focuses on the impact of the context of Covid-19 on the role of the SENCo in English schools. The SENCo's role is a contested field; however, the current Special Educational Needs Code of Practice identifies 11 key areas of SENCos' work. A widely distributed survey was used to access the voice of SENCos across the country, and received 26 responses. Data were analysed using a realistic evaluation framework to identify the impact of Covid-19 on the work of the SENCo. The research indicated that practice in this context had changed in some key areas, and also identified three new aspects of the SENCo role. These point to the need to revise policy and guidance relating to the SENCo being part of the senior leadership team, providing emotional support for adults, and engaging in practical pedagogical activities.     

Special educational needs and inclusion,moving forward but standing still? A critical reframing of some key issues

This article draws together my thinking in relation to special educational needs and inclusion that have dominated my practice. The article, through the concept of embodiment, revisits, reviews and reframes the key issues of the construction of special educational needs, inclusion and the ideology that binds them together. Through this exploration, I argue we often seem to move forward with policy while in reality standing still in ensuring the ‘success’ of all of our pupils. By critiquing and reframing taken‐for‐granted assumptions and the sacred words ‘success’ and ‘achievement’, this article maps out the future directions of inclusive education. It concludes with a reflection on my first days as a ‘teacher of special educational needs’ and my work to support Kenny, a student with cerebral palsy. This personal reflection maps out a different form of educational success that perhaps could provide a forward momentum to develop more successful inclusive education policy and practice.     

Blended learning in higher education: professional development in a Hong Kong university

ABSTRACT

Online learning has become a ubiquitous part of the educational landscape and how teachers are supported in developing approaches to teaching online is a fundamental aspect of the students’ learning experience. Based on the implementation of a professional development course on becoming an online teacher offered in a blended learning mode at one university in Hong Kong, this article proposes that offering this type of professional development in a blended mode is very effective in facilitating enhanced usage of the university’s learning management system. In a blended mode, teachers are actively engaged with blended learning and were found to make more extensive use of features/tools in Blackboard after they attended the professional development course. Results support that offering professional development in a blended mode provides teachers with an authentic student perspective, at the same time as they take guided steps in the teacher’s role in blended learning.     

“生命·实践”教育学的突围

中国教育成为了众矢之的,教育研究失去了独立性,如何回应蓬勃发展的教育,解决、回答丛生的教育问题,这就是教育理论的需求。叶澜老师秉承华东师范大学的学术传统、乡土的血统,身体力行、率先垂范,走出了自己的路,通过实实在在的努力、实实在在地思考教育问题,试图去回答这些问题,把对这些问题回答形成了以理论为骨架的思考。     

‘Nowhere that fits’: the dilemmas of school choice for parents of children with Statements of special educational needs (SEN) in England

Giving parents a choice with regard to their children's education has been central to the political discourse of school reform at least since the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). With regard to children with a Statement of special educational needs (SSEN), a plethora of policies and laws have given parents the right not only to choose a school, but also to appeal to decisions in the best interest of their children. Yet, despite the discourse of school choice, the implementation and practice of such reforms is neither assured nor simple. Participants in this study indicated that they have little choice of suitable provision and are having to compromise either the academic or the social aspects of their child's schooling. This article argues that for many parents whose children have a Statement of SEN, the choice of a school is often a dilemma, as ‘nowhere seems to fit’.     

2CUL Slavic: The View So Far

In fall 2016, the Columbia-Cornell collaboration in the area of Slavic & East European resource coordination and sharing celebrated its sixth year. The author reviews particulars of the development, implementation, and function of this program as well as some of the challenges that face such cross-institutional efforts.     

政府购买教育服务何以可能

我国政府购买教育服务的试行和有效实践,需要在理论上对教育服务何以可"购买"、政府何以要"购买"、政府在何处"购买"以及如何购买等问题进行深入思考,并形成科学的认识与判断,以帮助我们更清晰地认识政府购买教育服务所需的理论环境、政策环境和市场环境,为政府购买教育服务实践提供相应的理论支持与实践指导.     

信息技术与新型教学模式的构建

随着信息技术的进步,结合传统教学、实践教学和实验教学模式进行的新型教学模式出现,各种媒体被先后运用到了教学中,使教学变得灵活多样,丰富了课堂教学方式,提高了教学质量。以计算机为中心的互联网、多媒体技术的崛起,给现代教育注入了新的生命,在教育体制、教育方针、教育模式等各方面带来巨大的变革。从理论与现实的角度对信息技术在教学模式中所起的重大作用做出梳理,并指明新型教学模式实现的途径。     

江西省学前教育事业发展研究——基于1995-2008年数据

自1995年以来,受国家宏观教育政策等因素影响,江西省学前教育事业发展也经历了起伏。与湘鄂皖三省相比,江西省学前教育事业发展相对平稳,在每万人拥有幼儿园数量、生师比和3-6岁适龄儿童毛入学率几个方面取得了较大进步,但也存在学前教育供给不足、师资力量薄弱、学前教育普及与公平相冲突及教育功能退化等新矛盾和新问题。     

Change management and the SENCo role: developing key performance indicators in the strategic development of inclusivity

This article follows an earlier publication highlighting the changing role of special educational needs co‐ordinators (SENCos) in England. SENCos are now required to manage change strategically and deliver inclusive school cultures. School‐based action research undertaken by a teacher studying for the postgraduate National Award for SEN Co‐ordination (NASENCO) is featured in the article; a strategic review of resource allocation increased the availability and quality of interventions for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The commentary which frames the study acknowledges that many SENCos are not yet members of a senior school management team (SMT) despite their mandated strategic whole‐school remit. Featuring the process through which one SENCo has strived to enhance SEND provision and develop context‐specific key performance indicators brings official guidance on the SENCo's role in strategic change management into sharp focus, raising questions that should concern both SMTs and non‐SMT SENCos.